A robust and comforting noodle dish featuring tender, crispy pork belly coated in a savory soy glaze, served over thick rice noodles with a rich, aromatic broth made from roasted duck or chicken carcass and toasted Asian spices. Finished with an assortment of fresh and pickled toppings, this bowl offers a delightful balance of textures and flavors.
This noodle bowl is quite hearty on its own. However, a light side of steamed bok choy with garlic, a simple cucumber salad with a sesame dressing, or some pan-fried vegetable dumplings would complement the meal beautifully without overwhelming it.
Alcoholic Drink Pairings
A crisp, light-bodied beer like a lager or a pilsner would cut through the richness of the pork belly. Alternatively, a dry Riesling or a Grüner Veltliner would complement the savory and spicy notes.
Non-Alcoholic Drink Pairings
Iced Jasmine green tea or a cold glass of fresh limeade would provide a refreshing contrast to the rich flavors. Sparkling water with a slice of ginger or lemon would also work well.
Chef Critique
This recipe presents a comforting and flavorful noodle bowl with a complex, spiced broth and tender, crispy pork belly. The method for developing the broth through roasting the carcass and toasting spices is excellent, providing a deep umami base. The two-stage cooking of the pork belly—boiling then rendering/frying—ensures tenderness with a desirable crispy texture. Customisable toppings allow for personal preference, which is a great touch.
To elevate this dish further, I would suggest specifying the amount of water to cover the carcass for the stock, allowing for more consistent broth concentration. Also, for the pork belly, clarifying the duration or visual cues for 'slowly rendering the fat' would be helpful for less experienced cooks. Providing suggested quantities for each topping per serving could also guide presentation and flavor balance. Finally, ensuring homemade chili oil is truly emphasized, perhaps with a simple recipe idea, would truly complete the dish's flavor profile.
Ingredients
Units: metric
main
150 g - Rice noodles (thicker the better)
topping
Pickled long beans (sour salty beans)
Spring onions (for garnish)
Pickled bamboo shoots
Baked peanuts
Chilli oil (preferably homemade)
sauce base
1 - Duck or chicken carcass
sauce
30 g - Light soy sauce
20 g - Dark soy sauce
5 g - Rock sugar (caster sugar also works)
sauce spice
1 - Bay leaf
3 - Star anise
1 - Cinnamon stick
5 g - Sichuan peppercorns
sauce seasoning
1 pinch - MSG and salt (a pinch of msg and salt)
protein
320 g - Pork belly (skinless and boneless)
pork seasoning
30 g - Light soy sauce
20 g - Dark soy sauce
pork preparation
2 mls - Salted water (for boiling pork)
Vegetable oil (small amount for rendering fat)
Instructions
Method
Sauce
Preheat the oven to 220C.
Roast the duck (or chicken) carcass until deeply golden brown.
Strain any rendered fat from the carcass.
Add the roasted carcass to a stock pot and cover with water, then bring to a simmer.
In a separate dry pan, toast the spices (bay leaf, star anise, cinnamon stick, Sichuan peppercorns) until fragrant. Add these toasted spices to the stock pot.
Cook the stock for 1 hour before straining it to remove solids.
Reduce the strained stock until it becomes thick and glossy, coating the back of a spoon.
Add the light and dark soy sauce, rock sugar, and MSG to the reduced sauce.
Taste and adjust sugar and salt as needed.
Reserve the sauce for later.
Pork Belly
Dice the pork belly into 1cm by 1cm chunks.
Bring 2 liters of salted water to a boil.
Add the pork belly chunks to the boiling water and boil for 2 minutes.
Strain the pork belly and rinse it under cold water.
Place the blanched pork belly in a cold pot with a small amount of oil.
Slowly raise the temperature to render the fat from the pork belly.
Once the fat is rendered, increase the temperature and fry until the pork belly turns golden brown and crispy.
Strain off any excess oil from the pot.
Add the light and dark soy sauce to the pork belly.
Fry for 30 seconds, then immediately cut off the heat.
Assembly
Cook the rice noodles according to their package directions.
Add a ladle of the prepared sauce to each serving bowl.
Add approximately 80g of the prepared pork belly to each bowl.
Add desired toppings such as pickled long beans, spring onions, pickled bamboo shoots, baked peanuts, and chilli oil to taste.