For The Lava Eaters

Fiery Ginger Pork Noodle Soup with Crispy Garlic

When I lived in LA, I would frequent a noodle bar in Little Tokyo where you could order a bowl made precisely to your heat specifications. I could usually get as high as a Number 4 spiciness, meaning extra hot, but absolutely no higher. I believe my intestines thanked me profusely for the judicious choice.

For those who ordered a Number 5 spiciness and finished the bowl, meaning we watched you lift the bowl to your lips and drain it dry, your photo was added to the WALL of SUCCESS. If you didn’t finish it, your image was displayed on the WALL of SHAME, which was found along the hallway leading to the restrooms. 

I watched grown men cry from the burning, wipe their brows from the fountain of sweat washing their faces, and empty bottle-upon-bottle of Sapporo to try to quench the heat. Number 5 spiciness was a lava monster that scarred and burned many consumers.

NOTE: Yes, you can make this vegan or use something other than pork, such as chicken, beef, duck, or turkey. 

WARNING: If you are looking for Number 5 spiciness, stir in a pinch of Ghost Pepper - Bhut Jolokia pepper with the miso. At over a 1-million Scoville units, it can cause real damage. Buyer and consumer, beware! (And, for your sake and safety, wear gloves and don’t touch anything sensitive after you use it, such as rubbing eyes, picking a nose, or fondling a groin. For those who must try everything someone says not to do, your photo is now on the WALL of SHAME.)

FIERY GINGER PORK NOODLE SOUP with CRISPY GARLIC

INGREDIENTS

• 2 Tablespoons neutral oil

• 8 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced thinly

• 1 pound pork ribs - country style, bone out and cubed

• ½ red bell pepper, washed, stem, membrane, seeds removed, and thinly sliced

• 1 Tablespoon red pepper flakes (more or less to suit your heat tolerance)

• salt (go easy on this because the miso is typically salty)

• 1 Tablespoon ground black pepper (more or less to suit your heat tolerance)

• ½ teaspoon ground white pepper (more or less to suit your heat tolerance)

• 1 cup of chicken stock

• 4 cups of water

• 1 Tablespoon soy sauce or tamari

• 1 Tablespoon Mirin

• 2 to 3 Tablespoons of freshly grated ginger (more or less to suit your heat tolerance)

• 4 Tablespoons white miso

GARNISH

• 3 ounces of cooked noodles per person

• 1 ounce of mixed greens per person

• yellow or red onions, thinly sliced 

• jalapeño or serrano, thinly sliced 

• cherry tomatoes, cut in half

• cilantro, roughly chopped 

• crispy garlic

METHOD

1. Set up a small pan with a sieve to catch the drained oil from the garlic.

2. In a soup pot, heat the oil over medium heat.

3. Add the garlic cloves and cook until they just begin to turn golden brown.

4. Drain the garlic and oil into the pre-staged pan.

5. Return the oil to the soup pot, turning the heat to medium-high.

6. Stir in the pork, red bell pepper, and red pepper flakes.

7. Season with salt and both black and white pepper.

8. Sauté the meat until it slightly browns.

9. Stir in the chicken stock, water, soy sauce, and mirin.

10. Return the mixture to a boil before reducing it to a gentle bubble.

11. Cook for at least 10 minutes or until the pork is tender.

12. Remove from the heat and stir in the ginger and miso.

13. Once the miso is added, do not boil.

14. Taste and adjust your seasonings.

15. In a warm bowl, add your noodles and greens before ladling the warm soup over them.

16. Finish garnishing with the tomatoes, sliced onion, jalapeño slices, and chopped cilantro, and finish with the crispy garlic.

17. Serve immediately.