Hawaiian noodle soup (saimin)

This dish combines the best of Hawaii’s Japanese, Chinese and Filipino influences. Usually a fast food, this noodle soup also allows for invention – add and remove ingredients as you please. The only two essentials are noodles and sticky barbecued Chinese pork.

Credit: Chris Chen

• serves

  6

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  1:15 hour

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 15 g sachet bonito-based dashi (fish) stock*
• 500 g fresh, fine Chinese-style flour noodles*
• 1 cup baby spinach leaves
• 100 g kamaboko (Japanese fish cake)*, steamed, thinly sliced
• 5 spring onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
• 6 eggs, hard-boiled, peeled, halved lengthwise

Barbecued pork (char siu)

• 125 ml (½ cup) hoisin sauce
• 80 ml (⅓ cup) mild honey
• 60 ml (¼ cup) sherry
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp five-spice powder
• 2 spring onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
• 450 g pork neck, skin removed, cut lengthwise into 3cm-thick pieces

Marinating time 12 hours or more

You will need to prepare the pork a day ahead. Alternatively, buy 250g barbecued pork from a good Chinese roasting house.

Instructions

To make barbecued pork, place hoisin sauce, half the honey, sherry, soy sauce, five-spice, spring onions and a pinch of white pepper in a bowl, mixing to combine. Add pork, tossing to coat, then place pork and marinade in a sealable plastic bag or non-reactive container in the refrigerator overnight.

Preheat oven to 200°C. Place pork in an ovenproof dish lined with baking paper and roast for 1 hour and 15 minutes, basting occasionally with marinade. Remove from oven and brush over remaining 40ml honey while pork is still very hot. Cover with foil and allow to rest for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine dashi with 1.5L water in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. In a separate saucepan, cook noodles in boiling water according to packet instructions. Drain noodles, then transfer to dashi broth and simmer for 1 minute. Divide noodles and broth among 6 bowls, then top each with spinach leaves, kamaboko slices, spring onions and egg halves.

Thickly slice half the barbecue pork, divide among bowls and serve immediately.

Note

• Bonito-based dashi stock, fresh, fine

• Chinese-style flour noodles and kamaboko are available from Asian food shops.

Photography by Chris Chen

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.