Crispy Pork Belly Ramen Bowl With Soft Boiled Egg & Bean Sprouts

Workflow

Because multiple ingredients go in this pork ramen bowl it is helpful to organize your work flow so you can seemlessly assemble everything.

Below is a suggested manner of going about the multitude of steps in order to compact the entire process. We like to start with the ingredients that can be prepped and set aside and move towards those that need to be served warm, as soon as you fix them.

Treat this step-by-step routine only as a guideline and replace/add ingredients per your own taste.

1. Make the bean sprouts. Ramen bowls are typically not made with fresh, unflavored bean sprouts (contrary to Vietnamese pho). Instead the bean sprouts are either sauted briefly or blanched, flavored and only then added to the noodles.

• Blanche in boiling water, drain and toss in sesame oil and soy sauce, with a generous sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds. Once dressed, the soy beans can be set aside.

2. Make the soft boiled eggs. This signature topping for ramen and its softness contrasts well with the crispy pork belly and crunchy toppings.

• Bring water to roaring boil, gently add large eggs (cold, straight from the fridge), lower the heat a bit so you have a gentle boil and simmer for 7 mins for runny or 8 mins for custardy yolks. Immediately place in an ice bath to cool down. Peel with care because they whites will be exceptionally soft. Slice in half.

Use the time while the eggs are boiling to cut up some nori (if using) and to get going on the ramen broth and noodles.

3. Make the ramen and broth. Chose an appropriately sized pot. Depending on the noodles and broth you procured, follow the package instructions to prepare each. There are several types of traditional ramen noodles and ramen broths available, imported from Japan. Of these our favorite are these traditional noodles, these ones with egg and this miso broth (affiliate links). You can also explore recipes for homemade ramen and create your own broth in advance. This book is a great start (affiliate link).

4. Prep the rest of the toppings & crisp-up the pork belly. Whatever fresh toppings you chose, prep them and as a final step sear your pork belly slices.

• Slice the green onion thinly, then the radish (you can also cut it into thin sticks), and if using a fresh hot pepper instead of hot sauce, slice it thin.
• In a frying pan over medium-high heat brown slices of pork belly to your desired crispiness. You can cut them into bite sized pieces if you prefer, we like the bigger, thicker version you see in the pictures.