“Sometimes the pleasure lies in how you eat, and this ramen dish is a great example of that. Slurping down your noodles can be immensely satisfying and bring a lot of joy and laughter, as well as being delicious! Health tip: Red cabbage protects against Alzheimer’s and other cognitive disorders. It also promotes good skin health.” –Melissa Delport
We substituted the duck in Melissa Delport’s Ra Ra Ramen dish for pork fillets, seasoned with a touch of Chinese 5 Spice.
WHOLE Bowl Foods for Balance published by Penguin Random House
2 TABLESPOONS WHITE MISO PASTE
2 TABLESPOONS TAMARI
3 WHOLE STAR ANISE
5 CM PIECE FRESH GINGER, THINLY SLICED
2 CLOVES GARLIC, CRUSHED
½ RED CHILLI, FINELY CHOPPED
4 CUPS CHICKEN STOCK
SALT AND PEPPER
200 GRAMS EGG NOODLES
2 PORK FILLETS
2 EGGS
1 GENEROUS HANDFUL PAK CHOI
½ CUP SLICED RED CABBAGE
1 HANDFUL FRESH CORIANDER LEAVES, ROUGHLY CHOPPED
SESAME SEEDS
In a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat, add the miso paste and fry for 1 minute. Add the tamari, star anise, ginger, garlic and chilli. Fry for another minute. Add the chicken stock, season and bring to a gentle simmer while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Cook the noodles as per packet instructions. Once ready, set aside.
Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. You will need this for the eggs.
While the water is coming to a boil, add the pork fillets to a medium-sized frying pan over medium heat. You want the pork fillets to get hot with the pan, season with some Chinese 5 Spice. Let the pork cook for 10 minutes, turn the pork and cook for another 3–4 minutes. Once ready, remove from the heat and place on a board. Cover with foil and let it rest for 5 minutes.
While the pork is resting, pop the eggs into the boiling water. Six minutes will give you the perfect gooey egg. Once ready, place the eggs in ice water to stop the cooking process. This also helps ease the peeling
process. Peel and slice the eggs.
Place the pak choi, cabbage and noodles in your serving bowls.
Strain the broth, keeping the liquid & discarding the solids. Add the liquid to your bowls using a ladle. Slice the pork and add it with the eggs to the bowls.
Top with the coriander and sesame seeds and season to taste.
