Pacific Rim Pork and Noodle Soup

serves 8

This soup is one of my favorites with its ginger-flavored broth, red cooked pork, noodles, and vegetables. Basically a stir-fry-soup, you can swap leftover chicken, seafood, or beef, for the pork.

Ingredients

• ½ cup soy sauce
• ¼ cup hoisin sauce
• ¼ cup rice wine (mirin)
• Pinch five-spice powder
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
• 1 pork tenderloin 1¼ to 1½ pounds, silver skin removed, cut into ½-inch slices
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 bunch bok choy, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 medium carrots, cut into julienne strips
• 8 cups beef broth
• 8 ounces fresh soba noodles, or 12 ounces dried
• 4 green onions, finely chopped, using the white and tender green parts
• ¼ cup toasted sesame seeds for garnishing

Instructions

whisk together the soy sauce, hoisin, rice wine, five-spice powder, and sesame oil in a large glass bowl. Add the pork, cover, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 8 hours.

heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok over high heat. Remove the pork from the marinade and add to the skillet. Stir–fry, a few pieces at a time, until the pork begins to color, 3 to 4 minutes.

transfer the pork to the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Add the ginger and garlic to the same skillet and stir-fry for 1 minute, until fragrant. Add the onion, bok choy, and carrots and stir-fry until the vegetables are softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Deglaze the skillet with 1 cup of the broth, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

transfer the contents of the skillet to the slow-cooker insert. Add the remaining 7 cups broth to the slow-cooker insert. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours, until the pork and vegetables are tender. Add the noodles and green onions. Cover and cook for an additional 45 minutes.

serve the soup garnished with the toasted sesame seeds.