Slow Cooked Miso Pork Udon Bowl Recipe

Ingredients

400g pork mince
400g chestnut mushrooms
A thumb of ginger
2 garlic cloves
1 cayenne chilli (optional)
40g brown miso paste
1 chicken stock cube
50g tamari
1 cinnamon stick
1 star anise
800g noodles
200g spinach
1 lime
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp coconut, sunflower or olive oil
1-1½ ltr boiling water

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Method

1. Warm a large frying pan (or saucepan, if you’re cooking the soup on the hob) for 2 mins, then add 1 tbsp oil and the pork mince. Fry for 8-10 mins, stirring every so often to break it up, till the mince is golden brown all over.

2. Meanwhile, thinly slice the mushrooms. Peel and grate the ginger and garlic. Halve the chilli and flick out the seeds and white pith (for less heat, you can leave the chilli out entirely. For more heat, keep the seeds and pith in the chilli halves). Set them aside. From this point on, follow the method either for the slow cooker or on the hob.

3. In the slow cooker: Add the mushrooms to the pan with the pork and cook together for 4 mins till the mushrooms have softened a little. Add the pork and mushrooms to a 3½ ltr slow cooker.

4. Add the ginger, garlic and chilli halves (if you’re using chilli). Add the miso paste and crumble in the stock cube. Add half of the tamari (keep the rest for later). Pour in 1 ltr boiling water. Drop in the cinnamon stick and star anise.

5. Stir together and pop on the lid. Set the slow cooker to medium and cook for 6-8 hrs. For a faster soup, set the slow cooker to high and cook for 4-5 hrs, or set to low and gently cook for 8-10 hrs.

6. When the pork has 20 mins left, cook the noodles. Fill a pan with boiling water and sprinkle in a pinch of salt. Return the water to the boil and add the noodles. Simmer for 8 mins, till just tender. Drain the noodles, then rinse well with cold water and drain again. Set aside.

7. Finely shred the spinach, discarding any dry ends. Zest the lime and quarter it.

8. Pluck the cinnamon stick, star anise and chilli out of the soup in the slow cooker. Stir in the shredded spinach and pop the lid back on. Cook for 5 mins, allowing the spinach to soften a little.

9. Add the lime zest, then taste the soup. Add the rest of the tamari, if you think it needs it. You can also chop up the cooked chilli halves and add them too, for extra heat.

10. Divide the noodles between 4 warm bowls. Ladle over the pork, veg and broth. Pour a little sesame oil over the top of each bowl. Serve with wedges of zested lime for squeezing.

11. On the hob: Scoop the pork out from the pan into a bowl using a slotted spoon. Add the sliced mushrooms (you shouldn’t need any more oil) and cook for 5 mins, stirring, till the mushrooms have softened slightly.

12. Add the ginger and garlic and cook with the mushrooms for 2 mins. Return the pork mince to the pan and stir well. Drop in the chill halves (if you’re using them), cinnamon stick and star anise. Add the miso paste and half of the tamari (keep the rest for later).

13. Crumble in the stock cube and pour in 1½ ltr boiling water. Pop a lid on the pan and simmer for 30 mins on a medium heat. You can cook for longer to intensify the flavours if you like. If you cook for longer you might need to add more water. You should have approximately 200-300ml broth per portion at the end.

14. When the pork has 20 mins left, cook the noodles. Fill a pan with boiling water and add a pinch of salt. Return the water to the boil and add the noodles. Simmer for 8 mins, till just tender. Drain, rinse with cold water and drain again. Set aside.

15. Finely shred the spinach, discarding any dry ends. Zest the lime and quarter it.

16. Pluck the cinnamon stick, star anise and chilli halves out of the soup. Stir in the shredded spinach and pop the lid back on. Cook for 5 mins, allowing the spinach to soften a little.

17. Add the lime zest, then taste the soup. Add the rest of the tamari, if you think it needs it. You can also chop up the cooked chilli halves and add that too, for extra heat.

18. Divide the noodles between 4 warm bowls. Ladle over the pork, veg and broth. Pour a little sesame oil over the top of each bowl. Serve with wedges of lime for squeezing.