Char Siu Noodle Bowl

I've made char siu before but wanted to give this recipe a try. I'm a sucker for noodle bowls and I love char siu, so this fit the bill.

Char Siu Noodle Bowl

(from here)

1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce, divided

1/4 cup honey

3 tablespoons rice vinegar

3 tablespoons dark sesame oil, divided

2 tablespoons hoisin sauce

2 tablespoons chile paste with garlic (such as sambal oelek), divided

5 garlic cloves, divided

1 (1 1/4-pound) boneless pork shoulder (Boston butt), trimmed

12 ounces (1/4-inch-thick) uncooked rice sticks (rice-flour noodles)

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves

==

Combine 1/4 cup soy sauce, honey, vinegar, 1 tablespoon oil, hoisin, 1 tablespoon chile paste, and 3 garlic cloves, in a ziplock bag.

Mash it with your hands until everything is mixed well.

I used some pork tenderloin pieces for this.

Place the pork in the bag and marinate overnight, if you can.

==

To cook the pork, you're going to need a pan of water and a 450 degree oven.

Try to find a rack that will stand over a pan filled with about 1/2 inch of water. This will keep the pork moist while cooking.

Reserve the marinade for basting.

Cook the pork for 15 minutes at 450F.

Drop the heat to 400F and cook for an additional 40 minutes, basting every 10 minutes.

Notice the awesome burned edges. 

Let cool until you can handle it.

Meanwhile, cook your noodles according to package instructions, which normally is soaking them in hot water for about 10 minutes.

In the meantime, combine remaining 1/4 cup soy sauce, remaining 2 tablespoons oil, remaining 1 tablespoon chile paste, remaining 2 garlic cloves, lime juice, and sugar in a large bowl.

Whisk to combine.

Add your hot noodles to the sauce.

Toss to combine.

Serve the sliced pork over the noodles.

This noodle bowl turned out pretty well. The sweetness of the pork worked well against the tart, sweetness of the noodles. Overall, it was a satisfying meal.

Enjoy!