The Best of Both Worlds - Curry and Sacha Stir-Fry Noodles

It's actually a semi stir-fried dish made with soupy sauce. During the cooking process, the noodles fully absorbed the curry and sacha broth so no drippy sauce can be found on the plate. That means the tastiest part is not the pork, but the noodles itself, it's the final product from the best of both worlds. 

Curry and sacha stir-fry noodles -

Ingredients (for 5 to 6 portions)?

• 400 grams alkaline ramen noodles
• 1 lb or 20 pork slices
• 6 bak choy
• 1 medium carrot
• 1/2 small cabbage 
• 1 onion
• 1 stalk scallion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 red chilies
• 3 to 4 Japanese curry cubes
• 2 to 3 tablespoons sacha sauce
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 cup hot water
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon dark soy paste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Some pickled red ginger (beni shouga) or kimchi

How?

Bring a pot of water to a boil then add in the noodles. It only takes a few seconds, the purpose is to wash away extra oil from the noodles. Drain well and set aside for later use. You can also substitute with other heartier noodles, but might need to cook till half way through then scoop out, perhaps mix with some olive oil to prevent the noodles from sticking together. 

Peel and slice the onion. Peel and roughly chop the garlic cloves. Trim off the stems and chop the chilies diagonally. Trim off the stems and give the scallion a few chops, about 2-inch in length. Peel and cut the carrot into strips. Chop the cabbage into bite size pieces. Peel the bak choy bunch into individual pieces.

Take a big pot or a big pan, drizzle enough olive oil to lightly coat the bottom and turn to medium high heat. Add in the onion along with salt and pepper, cook till the onion turns translucent. 

Add in the garlic, chilies, and scallion sections, sear for about 30 seconds till the garlicky aroma come out but not burnt.

Add in the pork slices and sear till about 80% cooked through. I used better quality fatty pork slices since they can withstand longer cooking time without turning tough.

Add in the carrot first followed by cabbage and bak choy. I like my carrot on the soft side, so it goes to the bottom to get the most heat from the pan. The cabbage might appear piling way above the pot or the pan, but it'll slowly cooked down, just make sure to stir once a while.

Pour in the soy sauce, dark soy paste, and sacha sauce. Mix a little.

Pour in 1 cup of hot water along with curry cubes. Bring to a boil then lower the heat to a simmer, make sure to keep stirring gently to help the cubes dissolve.

Once the soupy mixture looks smooth and even a little concentrated, pour in the noodles and mix well. The noodles should absorb all the sauces at a fairly fast rate, some prefer serving the noodles with some sauce remained. 

Serve with pickled red ginger or kimchi on the side. 

Use more or less curry cubes and sacha sauce depending on your preference. Of course you can use more of both ingredients with just a tap bit extra hot water, that way for sure you'll get some stir-fry noodles with extra juice in the end to slurp with. 


Other noodles recipes: 

• Japanese curry nabe for two - To make it even better? Top it with an egg
• Quick fix meal - Instant udon with mentaiko, panko, and grated Parmigiano Reggiano
• Fusion pasta recipe: Creamy and garlicky kimchi pork spaghetti
• Leftover makeover - Transforming chicken stock into Chinese scallion noodles (蔥開煨麵)