Udon Noodle Soup with Pork Belly & 7-minute egg
There is nothing quite like a bowl of noodle soup. Throw in some pork belly, shiitake mushrooms and a soft egg and we are in business! This delicious dish is loaded with flavor bombs like fresh ginger, jalapeño, star anise and cinnamon. I mean…YUM!
Fresh udon noodles will be your best bet here. They are sold in the refrigerated section where you find tofu. They will come with a flavor packet - toss that!! Those are loaded with chemicals and we can make a flavorful broth without them. If you can’t find fresh noodles, dried will do.
If you don’t have time to roast the pork belly and you live near a Chinese deli, you can purchase a piece of crispy skin pork, a Cantonese specialty, and ask them to slice it for you. SO DELICIOUS!!
XO, km
THE DISH:
udon noodle soup with pork belly & 7-minute egg | serves 4
THE STUFF:
8 cups chicken broth
1 pork belly
2 Tbsp EVOO
Kosher S+P
7 cloves garlic
4 star anise
2 cinnamon sticks
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 Tbsp light sesame oil
2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 jalapeño, seeded, ribbed and finely chopped
5 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce (or tamari)
1 1/2 ounce dried shiitake mushrooms
3 packages (7 oz each) fresh udon, flavor packets discarded
4 eggs
3 green onions, thinly sliced
THE HOW-TO:
Preheat the oven to 500°F. In a roasting pan, combine 2 cups of the broth and 1 cup water. Place the pork belly, fat side up, in the pan. Brush with the EVOO and season with S+P. Cut 4 of the garlic cloves in half lengthwise and scatter into the broth along with the star anise and cinnamon sticks. Roast until the top is golden and beginning to bubble, about 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F and continue to roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the pork belly registers 145°F, about 1 hour longer. Remove from the oven, tent the pan with aluminum foil, and keep the pork warm in the braising juices.
Mince the remaining 3 cloves of garlic. In a large, heavy pot, melt the butter with the sesame oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, ginger and jalapeño and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft 2 minutes. Add the remaining 6 cups of broth and the soy sauce and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, stir in the dried mushrooms, and simmer until very soft, about 15 minutes. Raise the heat to high and return the broth to a boil. Add the udon noodles and cook until al dente, about 4 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring a saucepan of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Gently lower the eggs into the pan a cook for exactly 7 minutes. Drain, and then immediately drop the eggs into a bowl of ice water for 3 minutes. Peel and cut the eggs in half lengthwise.
Transfer the pork belly to a cutting board and cut crosswise into 3/4-inch slices.
Using tongs, fill bowls with the udon noodles. Ladle the broth over the noodles and top each with a few slices of pork and 2 egg halves. Garnish with green onions and serve.