Pork shoulder has got to be one of my favorite cuts of meat. It is the starting point for Chinese char siu bbq pork, Mexican carnitas, Carolina bbq and other forms of pulled pork and a variety of stews. Even after all the meat has been enjoyed, a rich broth made from frozen bones, mushroom stems and onion scraps yields another round of deliciousness. With the help of an Instant Pot, I've developed a simple version of chashu pork ramen, complete with marinated ramen eggs and a flexible array of vegetable toppings.
The stock is best made the day before, so that you can skim the flavorful fat from the top for other uses. I decided to apply the marinade for the ramen eggs to the meat removed from the soup bones after the stock was made, as the ingredients are similar to those used for braising chashu. This worked amazingly well! On the day of serving, you can prepare the other toppings and season the broth in advance. When ready to serve, simply cook the noodles, and heat the broth to a boil before assembling the most delicious ramen bowls!
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| Pork ramen dinner#1 with marinated eggs, pickled ginger, crispy button mushrooms, zucchini/onions and Shanghai bok choy sum |
Chashu pork is a Japanese adaptation of the Chinese char siu 叉燒 barbecue pork. The Chinese version yields crisp, succulent browned chunks of meat in a sweet-salty glaze. It is quick to cook, adaptable for indoor broiling or outdoor grilling. In contrast, the Japanese version of chashu consists of slow braised, melt-in-your-mouth slices of fatty pork flavored with soy sauce, sake and sugar. Traditionally, chashu takes a long time to make, marinating in sauce overnight after being braised for a few hours. It forms a succulent topping for springy golden ramen noodles in a rich broth.
At the beginning of the pandemic shutdown, I was able to get a fresh 10-pound pork shoulder, cut in half, from Goodness Grows Farms. We have, thus far, enjoyed multiple dishes made from one of the halves, ranging from a saucy stir-fry served over crisp noodle cakes to cellophane noodles, sticky rice or homemade broad rice noodles enriched with char siu pork. With the shoulder bone, combined with a prior bone from making char siu pork, I was able to make enough stock to support several rounds of ramen, each time with slightly different toppings.
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| Ramen Dinner 2. Freshly fried pork cracklings, mushrooms, chashu pork, pickled ginger and leftover vegetables from the night before. |
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