Bacon and Egg Breakfast Ramen
Noodles might not be what you think of when you think of brunch, but to me, noodles are the perfect food, especially when paired with eggs. Eggs are my spirit food (noodles are too!). If there are eggs around, you best believe I’m going to be there. Some of the best eggs I’ve had have been in Japan and it’s no wonder because they take their eggs seriously there. The raw eggs in Japan are gorgeous: the yolks are a deep golden yellow and the whites are firm and tight. As in love as I am with the egg quality, I am even more in awe of they way they perfectly cook eggs.
Even places where you don’t expect the eggs to be done perfectly, they are. Last year, while cold and hungry in Hokkaido, Mike and I wandered into a random ramen joint. We were seated promptly at a communal table set with a bin of chopsticks and a big bowl of eggs. At first, I wasn’t sure what the bowl of eggs was for. Was it accidentally left on the table? Were they free, kind of like a Japanese bread basket equivalent? I conferred with Mike and after surreptitiously looking around we concluded that the eggs were complimentary.
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon chili flakes
Soy Dressing
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon mirin
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon dashi granules
Noodles
- 1 portion thick ramen noodles
- 3 slices pork belly (see below) or crispy bacon
- 1 slow poached egg
- Garnish
- seaweed strips
- sliced green onions
- katsuobushi
- toasted black sesame seeds