Dinner Tonight: Minced Pork with Soba Noodles Recipe

By
Nick Kindelsperger
Nick Kindelsperger is a contributing writer at Serious Eats.
Nick Kindelsperger
Nick Kindelsperger is a food critic at the Chicago Tribune.  His food writing appears in The Washington Post, Newsweek, Epicurious, Baltimore Sun, Serious Eats, Grub Street, New York Magazine, and Tasting Table, among others.
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Updated Aug. 09, 2018
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I was confused. The ingredient list was short and concise, and yet I was detecting all these other flavors that I couldn't place. It wasn't spicy or sweet—the taste was more complex and haunting, almost like a smoky aroma. It was addicting to say the least, but where did it come from?

I realize the secret to this recipe from the food blog Appetite for China is high heat. Each ingredient is cooked over extreme heat, lending it a crisp texture, and then cooked briefly with sake and soy sauce.

Make sure to have a fan going, and keep an eye on your smoke detector. Oddly, this doesn't taste like some fanciful dish—it's more like comfort food. You can use just about any kind of Asian noodle you'd like. I had some soba lying around but ramen would work too.

Recipe Facts

5

(1)

Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 20 mins
Total: 25 mins
Serves: 2 servings

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Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons canola oil

  • 1/2 pound ground pork

  • 10 shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded, caps finely chopped

  • 3 medium shallots, diced

  • 3 tablespoons sake

  • 4 tablespoons soy sauce

  • 2 stalks scallions, ends trimmed, and chopped

  • 2 packages of soba

Directions

  1. Pour the oil into a large wok or skillet set over high heat. When hot, add the pork. Stir well, and cook until there is no more pink, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the pork with a slotted spoon and set aside.

  2. Add the mushrooms and shallots. Stir well, and cook them until soft, about 3 to 5 minutes. Turn down heat if they look like they will burn.

  3. Add the pork back to the wok. Pour in the sake, and dislodge any browned bits on the bottom with a wooden spoon. When the sake has evaporated add the soy sauce. Cook for 1 minute, then turn off the heat.

  4. Meanwhile, cook the soba noodles according to the directions on the pack. Drain, but do not rinse.

  5. Serve the pork mixture atop the noodles. Garnish with scallions.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
677 Calories
32g Fat
59g Carbs
37g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 2
Amount per serving
Calories 677
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 32g 41%
Saturated Fat 8g 38%
Cholesterol 80mg 27%
Sodium 1930mg 84%
Total Carbohydrate 59g 21%
Dietary Fiber 6g 21%
Total Sugars 10g
Protein 37g
Vitamin C 11mg 53%
Calcium 83mg 6%
Iron 4mg 22%
Potassium 1138mg 24%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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