pulled pork

Chinese New Year was last week – I think – so we were eating these in noodles in timely fashion even if I’ve not blogged them until now.

This speedy supper can be whipped up in barely 15 minutes using left over roast meat from Sunday lunch.

The original plan for said Sunday lunch was to emulate the slow cooked pork recipe in February Delicious Magazine’s roast of the month. I made their January roast with great aplomb (slow cooked topside of beef). Since I’m not hugely confident cooking big pieces of meat I thought cooking each of their roasts of the month every month was a good idea.

Then the February recipe was a 4 kg joint of pork shoulder for 8 people which seemed rather gigantic and expensive to me and way over our needs.

Instead I bought this handsome beast in Waitrose for around £13. He came shrink wrapped with all the herbs on and was the same cut used in the magazine recipe so I decided to do that instead. I didn’t stick to the Delicious technique either which necessitated 5-6 hours in the oven, instead I followed the Waitrose instructions of 3 hours at 180c / Gas 4, placed the joint on a rack above steaming stock and segments of onion that became the gravy.

Whilst the pork was in the oven we went out for a walk to Walthamstow’s Wood Street Market, stopped off for a hot chocolate in Cafe Bonito. When we came home we were welcomed by meaty aromas and a perfect joint. The stock and onions made the most sublime gravy.

The joint yielded enough lovely tender pulled pork meat for 4 meals for 3 of us. So that’s around £1.25 per portion which I thought was respectably good value. The slightest toughness in meat has Ted turning it down, he still has his baby teeth and it’s hard going for him! I’m pleased to report that he gobbled this pork up without any question and has been delighted to be served more of it in leftovers during the week.

I’m considering a Wahaca style pork pibil type dish with the final portion but for today here’s the Oriental twist:

Pulled Pork Noodles with Savoy Cabbage
Serves 3

Ingredients
Leftover cooked pulled pork meat (roughly 75g per person)

Dried egg noodles (I used 2 sheets of the dried bundles i.e. supermarket own brand, Blue Dragon or Sharwoods etc)

1 onion finely sliced
1 tbsp sesame oil
5 leaves of Savoy cabbage, shredded
6 mushrooms cut into chunks
2 tbsp light soy sauce

Directions

In a large saucepan, pour boiling water over the noodles and bring back up to a simmer for 2-3 minutes. Then turn off the heat but leave the lid on for a further 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the sesame oil in a large frying pan and fry the onion slices.

When the onion has softened slightly add the shredded cabbage and mushrooms and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the meat and pour over the soya sauce and heat through.
Drain the noodles and tip these into the frying pan too. Toss the hot noodles in the meat and vegetables and serve.

Tip:

Trimming the spines from the savoy cabbage leaves mean they cook quicker. Serve with sweet chilli sauce.

I am sending these noodles with seasonal savoy cabbage to Ren’s Simple and in Season, Helen & Camilla’s Credit Crunch Munch (leftovers!) this month hosted by My Golden Pear, mine and Katie’s new Speedy Suppers event for 30 minute meals.

To Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary for Shop local (cabbage from Walthamstow Farmer’s Market), Fiona hosting Elizabeth’s No Waste Food Challenge and finally, since there are three vegetables in this dish, another new event Extra Veg hosted by Helen and Michelle Utterly Scrummy.