PORK CHOP RAMEN RECIPES

1. Preheat oven to 325ºF (160ºC). Season Ontario pork belly all over with salt and pepper. Place on wire rack set over foil-lined tray. Bake for about 90 minutes or until tender. 
2. Increase heat to 450ºF (230ºC). Roast for 20 to 30 minutes or until crisp. Let stand for 10 minutes; carve into slices.
3. Cut 1 sheet of nori into quarters.
4. Meanwhile, in large saucepan set over high heat, combine broth, mirin, soy sauce, miso, mushrooms, quartered nori, ginger and garlic; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 1 hour or until flavourful and fragrant. Strain and discard solids.    
5. In separate saucepan of gently boiling water, cook eggs for 6 minutes; drain and refresh under cold running water until easy to handle. Peel and cut in half. 
6. Meanwhile, cook ramen noodles according to package directions (reserve seasoning pouch for another use). Cut remaining sheet of nori into thin strips. 
7. Divide noodles evenly among four deep, wide bowls. Ladle hot broth over noodles; top with sliced pork belly, halved eggs, carrots, snap peas, green onions and nori strips. Serve immediately.

Hot prep tip: Broth can be made up to five days in advance and reheated before serving. 

1. The day before you’re going to cook, make the Marinated eggs and prep the pork. Sit the pork in a tray, sprinkle with the kosher salt and the sugar, drizzle over the soy, then rub all over. Cover and marinate in the fridge overnight.
2. The next day, preheat the oven to 160ºC/325ºF/gas 3.
3. Remove the pork from the marinade, brushing off the excess salt and sugar. Place in a snug-fitting roasting tray, cover with tin foil and roast for 4 hours, or until super-tender, reserving the fat from the tray.
4. Meanwhile, make the Ramen noodles.
5. For the apple soffritto, peel and very finely chop the onion, garlic, ginger and apple (discarding the core). Place in a pan with the oil on a low heat and fry gently for 45 minutes, or until softened but not coloured, stirring regularly, then remove from the heat.
6. For the shoyu tare, pour the sake and mirin into a pan and bring to the boil on a high heat. Leave to bubble away for 4 minutes, then reduce the heat to low, add the soy and apple soffritto, cook for an additional 5 minutes, then remove from the heat.
7. When you’re getting ready to serve, make your broth: bring the stock and dashi to the boil in a large pan, then simmer over a medium heat for 5 minutes. Put a pan of water on to boil for the noodles, then thinly slice the pork.
8. Get yourself six warm bowls. Spoon 1 tablespoon each of the shoyu tare and reserved pork fat into the bowls, then divide up the broth. Cook the noodles in the pan of boiling water for 45 seconds (or according to the packet instructions), then remove, shaking off any excess water.
9. Divide between the bowls, using chopsticks to separate, if needed. Top each bowl with slices of pork and a halved marinated egg. Trim and finely slice the spring onions and chilli (deseed if you like), and scatter over the top to finish.