Pork Noodle Bowl with Spicy Chili Crisp
Our Spicy Chili Crisp is hot, sure, but it’s also got a lot of bold and fruity flavors. We wanted to give these flavors the chance to be appreciated outside of the spicy heat, so we paired it with sweet, mild pork and mellow rice noodles. Cooking the chili crisp mellows the heat a bit and heightens the aromatics. We boosted the fruitiness with fresh lime zest and some lime juice; remember to zest the lime before juicing.
This recipe has multiple components going at the same time, so make sure you’ve got yourself set up. You need a spot to place the cooked cabbage, a bowl of ice to shock the eggs, and a few burners working at the same time. If you can get all the working parts going at the same time, this dish comes together relatively quickly. Serve the noodle bowl with a batch of Homemade Chili Crisp—made with the spicier version—on the side, so you can dress it up with more heat, if desired.
2 Tablespoons Yellow Mustard Marinade
3 Tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil or grapeseed oil, divided
1 small head cabbage, cut in 8 wedges
1 4-ounce package of shiitake mushrooms, cleaned, destemmed, and sliced
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
2-inch piece of ginger, grated or minced
1 pound ground pork
1 lime, zested and juiced, divided
2 Tablespoons Spicy Chili Crisp
3 Tablespoons soy sauce
2 Tablespoons white miso paste
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
3 cups chicken stock
4 eggs
1 8-ounce package cellophane noodles
Green onions sliced in long strips to garnish
1 batch of Spicy Homemade Chili Crisp
1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
2. Cut cabbage into 8 wedges, cutting through the core to keep the wedges intact.
3. Mix Yellow Mustard Marinade with 2 Tablespoons olive oil. Use a silicone brush to brush mustard oil over cabbage wedges. Put into hot oven and roast for 30 minutes, flipping once, until cabbage is browned on the outside and tender toward the center.
4. Toss cleaned mushroom slices in 1 teaspoon of oil. Lay them out in a non-stick pan in a single layer—do not crowd the mushrooms, and cook them in batches if necessary. Cook them undisturbed for about five minutes on the first side, until golden brown. Then turn mushrooms over and cook for another 2-3 minutes on the second side. Set aside.
5. While cabbage roasts, heat remaining Tablespoon of oil in a large saute pan or medium-sized pot, over medium heat. Add minced garlic and ginger and saute for 2-3 minutes, until fragrant and garlic starts to turn golden.
6. Start boiling water for eggs. When water boils, gently lower eggs into water and set a timer for 6 minutes. Also, set up a bowl filled with ice water. When the timer goes off, place cooked eggs in ice water bath to stop their cooking.
7. When garlic is golden add pork, lime zest, and 2 Tablespoons Spicy Chili Crisp. Saute together until pork is fully browned, then add soy sauce, white miso paste, apple cider vinegar, and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes.
8. Place rice vermicelli in a heat-proof bowl. Boil enough water to cover the noodles. When water is ready, pour over noodles and let them cook in the hot water, at least 3 minutes. Drain before serving.
9. Once cabbage is finished roasting and the pork in broth has simmered, start to assemble your noodle bowls. Mound drained rice noodles in the center of the bowl, then pour in broth to surround the noodles. Lay in a piece of cabbage, the mushrooms, and the eggs, carefully sliced in half. Garnish with green onions and drizzle all over with spicy Homemade Chili Crisp.