Spicy Pork Thai Coconut Ramen

My husband, daughter, and I love spicy food, but my son prefers his food less spicy. Recently, my son was away at a birthday party, so I decided to make something spicy for lunch while he was gone. I found this spicy pork Thai coconut ramen recipe on Shared Appetite, and it looked irresistible to all of us.  It was a really fun recipe to make, especially since it required making homemade yellow curry paste. The yolky egg added great flavor, and we really loved the spicy pork. To keep things simple, I used yakisoba noodles because that is what I had on hand, but the recipe calls for ramen noodles, which would also be super tasty! The flavors were intense and delicious, and we all thought it was fantastic. I personally couldn’t eat too much because it is really rich, but my husband and daughter couldn’t get enough of this spicy pork Thai coconut ramen.

Spicy Pork Thai Coconut Ramen

Curry Paste:

• 2 tbsp sambal oelek
• 1 shallot, halved
• 5 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2-inch piece of ginger, peeled and sliced
• ¼ cup cilantro stems, chopped
• 1 tbsp ground coriander
• 1 tbsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp curry powder

Broth:

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 (14 -oz) cans unsweetened coconut milk
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• Sea salt, to taste

Spicy Pork:

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 lb. ground pork
• 3-4 tsp sambal oelek
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp fresh ginger, minced

Other Ingredients:

• 2 (7-oz) packages of Yaki Soba noodles OR 4 (3-oz) packages of instant ramen noodles, flavor packets discarded
• 4 eggs
• 4-5 green onions, chopped
• Fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
• Lime wedges

How to Make Spicy Pork Thai Coconut Ramen:

Puree the sambal oelek, shallot, ginger, garlic, cilantro stems, coriander, turmeric, curry powder, and 3 tablespoons of water in a food processor until smooth. Add more water if needed to form a paste.

Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the paste and cook, stirring constantly, for 3-4 minutes, or until it darkens a bit. Whisk in the coconut milk and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the fish sauce and brown sugar, and cook for another 10-15 minutes. Taste and season with sea salt to taste.

During the last 10 minutes of the broth simmering, cook the spicy pork: Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork, breaking it into small bits as it cooks, until no pink remains, about 5-6 minutes. Add the sambal oelek, minced garlic, and minced ginger and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 more minute. Taste and season with sea salt, to taste. Remove from heat and set aside.

While the pork is cooking, make the soft-boiled eggs. Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan. Carefully lower the eggs into the water, then lower the temperature to low. Cook the eggs for exactly 7 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove them and place them in a bowl filled with ice water. Let the eggs cool completely, then peel them.

During the last 2 to 3 minutes of simmering the broth, add the yakisoba noodles. Carefully break them up with a spoon while stirring, until warmed through. If you are using ramen noodles. Cook the noodles (without the seasoning packet) in boiling water, per package instructions.

Add the drained noodles to the broth right before serving.

Divide between bowls.

Carefully slice the soft-boiled eggs in half, then quickly add them to the broth so you don’t lose any yolk!

Add spicy pork, green onions, and fresh cilantro.

Serve with lime wedges & extra sambal oelek, if desired. Enjoy!