Smoky pork and bacon ramen

Name: Smoky pork and bacon ramen
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 15 ml/1 tbsp tomato purée/paste; 5 ml/1 tsp demerara/raw sugar; 15 ml/1 tbsp white sesame seeds, toasted; pinch of salt; large handful of baby spinach leaves; handful of pickled bamboo shoots (menma); 15 ml/1 tbsp teriyaki sauce; 400 g/14 oz pork fillet/tenderloin; 5 cm/2 in piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and grated; 2 garlic cloves, peeled and grated; 10 ml/2 tsp rice vinegar; 10 ml/2 tsp five-spice powder; 5 ml/1 tsp of sesame oil; 4 rashers/strips smoked bacon; 3–4 carrots, peeled and cut into fine batons; 30 ml/2 tbsp dark soy sauce; 400 g/14 oz fresh ramen noodles; 1.75 litres/3 pints/7½ cups pork stock; 15 ml/1 tbsp mirin; 1 cinnamon stick; 15 ml/1 tbsp sake (optional); 2 star anise

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Medium
Ready in
1 hr 30

Appears in

Ramen

By Heather Whinney

Published 2018

About

Crisp bacon ramps up the flavour and adds crunch to this tasty noodle bowl. Pork fillet is used here, which is less fatty than belly pork, but be careful not to overcook it as you want it to remain moist and tender.

Ingredients

For the base

1.75 litres/3 pints/7½ cups pork stock

Asia
Japan
Main course
Soup

Method

Preheat the oven to 190°C/375ºF/Gas 5. To prepare the smoky pork, mix together all the ingredients apart from the pork and sesame oil, then spread the mixture all over the meat and sit it in a small roasting pan.
Cover the pan tightly with foil and