null
Recipe: Spicy-Sweet Sambal Pork Noodles

Posted by joseph on Feb 8th 2020

Recipe: Spicy-Sweet Sambal Pork Noodles

I love Bon Appétit Magazine. Love it. I'm constantly mining for recipes from them and always trust those recipes to taste as good as they look in the photos. And, let's be clear, the photos always look good. This Spicy-Sweet Sambal Pork Noodles incorporates pasta (which I adore) and sambal (which I also adore), so it was pretty much a no-brainer that I would be a fan. They use a regular Soy Sauce, but I chose to incorporate our microbrewed soy sauce that's aged in leftover Woodford Reserve bourbon barrels. The flavors intermingle quite nicely. This could become your new go-to!

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 Tbsp. coconut oil
  • 2 lb. ground pork, divided
  • 1 2" piece fresh ginger, peeled, cut into thin matchsticks or finely chopped
  • 8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 2 Tbsp. sugar
  • 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
  • 2 sprigs basil, plus more for serving
  • ⅓ cup Hot Chili Sambal
  • ¼ cup Bluegrass Microbrewed Soy Sauce
  • ¼ cup unsweetened rice vinegar
  • 1½ lb. fresh ramen noodles or 16 oz. dried spaghetti
  • Kosher salt
  • 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

DIRECTIONS

  • Heat oil in a large wide heavy pot over medium-high. Add half of pork to pot, breaking apart into 6–8 large chunks with a wooden spoon. Cook, undisturbed, until well browned underneath, about 5 minutes. Turn pieces and continue to cook, turning occasionally, until pork is browned on 2–3 sides, about 5 minutes longer. Add ginger, garlic, sugar, and remaining pork to pot and cook, breaking up pork into small clumps, until meat is nearly cooked through, about 5 minutes longer. Add tomato paste and 2 basil sprigs. Cook, stirring occasionally, until paste darkens, about 2 minutes. Add sambal, soy sauce, vinegar, and 2 cups water. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low, and cook, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until sauce is slightly thickened and flavors have melded, 30–45 minutes.
  • Cook noodles in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until 1 minute short of al dente. Add to pot with sauce along with butter and a splash of pasta cooking liquid. Simmer, tossing occasionally, until sauce begins to cling to noodles, about 1 minute. Pluck out basil sprigs.
  • Divide noodles among plates. Top with torn basil.

Recipe: Chris Morocco, Photo: Chelsie Craig, Food Styling: Pearl Jones