I couldn’t decide what to call this and was going to go with Lo Mein, then realised that through numerous. However it does have those tasty take out vibes and the noodles are coated in this slurpy yummy pork minced laced sauce and it’s served with stir fried bok choy on the side and a soft boiled egg so it’s great if not legit.

You could make this with any kind of noodle you like I just love me some soba. My favourite way to have meat with noodles is definitely using mince. You get a little meat with every bite and it spreads the flavour through the noodles way better! It also means the meat isn’t the hero of the dish, it’s more of an ensemble cast situation. You have the glossy sauce covered noodles, the green al dente vegetables, the soft boiled egg and fragrant herbs and everything is super tasty so the last bite situation is excellent.

This is classic take out at home stuff and takes minimal time to cook less than 15 minutes cooking time! Prep time is also minimal because you’re only chopping the herbs and asparagus, everything else is pretty much ready as is, this is why mince is great. Try to find the best quality pork mince you can as the flavour is important!

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 eggs

180g soba noodles

2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil

500g pork mince

2/3 cup spring onion finely sliced (plus extra for serving)

2 Tbs coriander root and stem, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 red chilli finely sliced, a few slices set aside for garnishing

1 tsp white pepper

1 Tbs soy sauce or tamari

2 Tbs Chinese cooking wine

2 x bunch asparagus, chopped into 3cm pieces – tips separated.

1 bunch baby bok choy, leaves separated and washed

3 radishes, finely sliced.

1/2 cup coriander leaves

lime to serve

Directions

Bring a pot of water to the boil. Add eggs, turn down to a simmer and cook for 6 minutes 30 seconds. Remove and place in cold water to cool. Peel and set aside. Bring pot of water back to the boil.

Add the noodles to the boiling water and cook according to directions on packet. When you drain, reserve 1 cup of the cooking water.

Heat oil in a large wok, once hot add the spring onion, coriander root and stem, garlic, chilli, white pepper and pork mince. Cook for 2 minutes and then add the soy sauce and wine. Continue cooking stirring frequently for 3-4 minutes or until the pork has caramelised slightly. Add a few Tbs of the noodle water.

Add the asparagus, excluding the tips to the pork mince and cook for 2 minutes. Add the tips and 1/4 cup of the noodle cooking water and cook for a further minute. Add the drained noodles to the wok and toss to coat. If it looks dry just add a little more of the cooking water.

Remove from the wok and divide between 4 bowl. Place the wok back on the heat and add the bok choy. Stir fry for 2 minutes and then divide between the bowls. Top the bowls with the radish, garnishes and half a soft boiled egg. Serve with a squeeze of lime.

HH. x