Cold Saimin Salad with Soy-Ginger Grilled Pork
Cold Saimin Salad with Soy-Ginger Grilled Pork
This Hawaiian-style cold ramen noodle salad recipe is topped with slices of savory, crispy pork shoulder, crunchy bean sprouts, tender ribbons of egg, shredded nori, and slices of Japanese pickled cucumber. A cooling dressing of dashi, rice wine vinegar, and sake brings it all together. It makes a refreshing lunch or a hearty side dish at a cookout. If you can't get your hands on saimin noodles, a Hawaiian wheat noodle usually served in broth (like ramen), look for dried ramen noodles at Asian grocery stores, or use the noodles from three instant ramen packages.
Ingreadient
- 1 (2-pound) boneless pork shoulder or 2 pounds country-style ribs
- 1 cup shoyu or other soy sauce
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large head garlic (about 16 cloves), cloves peeled and smashed
- 1 (3-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and smashed
- 1 large scallion, smashed
- 4 (3-ounce) packages ramen noodles (seasoning packets reserved for another use)
- 2 teaspoon canola oil
- 1 large egg
- Pinch of kosher salt
- Pinch of black pepper
- 1 cup bean sprouts, blanched
- 1 cup shredded nori
- 4 scallions, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup kyurizuke (Japanese pickled cucumbers), sliced
- 1/2 cup dashi
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup sake
Direction
- Cut pork shoulder into 2 equal-size steaks (if using ribs, leave whole). Combine pork, shoyu, sugar, garlic, ginger, and scallion in a large ziplock plastic bag. Seal bag, and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.
- Remove pork from marinade; discard marinade. Preheat grill to high (450°F to 500°F). Place pork on oiled grates; grill, covered, until a meat thermometer inserted in thickest portion registers 140°F, about 6 minutes per side. Remove from grill, and let rest 5 minutes. Halve pork shoulder steaks lengthwise; thinly slice against the grain. (If using ribs, slice meat from bones into bite-size pieces.)
- Cook ramen noodles according to package directions. Drain noodles, and place in a large bowl. Heat oil in a small nonstick skillet over medium. Whisk together egg, salt, and pepper in a small bowl until smooth. Add egg to skillet, tilting to coat bottom of skillet in a thin, even layer. Cook until top is set, about 1 minute. Remove egg from skillet; thinly slice. Top noodles with sliced pork, sliced egg, bean sprouts, nori, scallions, and kyurizuke.
- Stir together dashi, 1/2 cup water, vinegar, and sake in a small bowl. Drizzle dashi sauce over salad.
