Pozole Ramen
Ramen and pozole are in the hall of fame of soups. So much so, that they are both often placed in their own category of food, and not even considered soup by a lot of people! Combining these two amazing foods was a no brainer to me and they tasted amazing together. The rich deep red broth went so well with the ramen noodles. These soups both also have a lot of toppings so it was fun deciding what I wanted to serve on top!
The inspiration for this recipe
I have been on a self-guided tour of ramen places in Boston recently and have really enjoyed paying attention to all the different styles and flavors. Because ramen has been on the brain so much when I had some really great pozole last week all I could think about was how I could mash it up with ramen. They both have a pork-laden broth and a variety of different toppings so I thought I could play up that similarity. I slowly cooked the hominy, pork, chiles, and spices in some water for 4 hours to form a rich flavorful broth and tender shreddy meat. Then I added the noodles and a bunch of toppings that could work for either ramen or pozole.
Making the pozole broth
Sear the pork in a very hot pan. I used country style ribs with the bones. This recipe was my twist on pozole and ramen, but if you are looking for an authentic pozole recipe, I like this one from Muy Bueno. As for traditional ramen, check out this one from Just One Cookbook!
The hominy has been steeping in warm water for about an hour with the onion and garlic. Add it to the pot with the pork.
Add a little more water to cover this, along with some chiles and spices and cover and cook about 4 hours until the hominy is tender and the pork is falling apart. Pull out the bones.
Amazing! So rich and flavorful and a little spicy! The pork was falling apart and the hominy was a perfect texture.
Toppings for pozole ramen
Meanwhile get all the toppings ready. I chose to top mine with lime, cilantro, scallion, and jalapeno.
Cook the ramen noodles
This was a labor of love so I had to go the extra mile with the noodles too. I went to my local Japanese market and got some freshly made ramen noodles. Drop the ramen into the boiling water and get ready to eat!
Serving the pozole ramen
Put the ramen into each bowl first then add the soup. Make sure to get some larger chunks of pork and plenty of hominy into each bowl.
Put all the toppings on and dig in. This was an amazing cross between the two soups and probably the best thing I have made in awhile. I absolutely loved the deep flavors that kept me coming back for another bite.
Addictive is a good word for this soup.
Twists on Pozole Ramen
You could top this soup with anything you like on pozole or on ramen! Maybe some radishes, avocado, pickles onion, garlic paste, or hot sauce!
If you are looking for more great soup mash-ups, check out my meatball parm soup with garlic knots, coconut pork and broccoli noodle soup, or this amazing chorizo squash soup with griddled cheese!
Pozole Ramen
Ingredients
Broth and soup
- 1 overflowing cup large dried hominy corn kernals
- 1 onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- salt and pepper
- 5 dried new mexico chiles
- 5 dried ancho chiles
- 3 pounds bone-in country style pork ribs
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
Ramen bowls
- 2 pounds ramen noodles
- 1 limes cut into wedges
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
- 8 scallions chopped
- 4 soft boiled eggs cut in half
Instructions
- Rinse the hominy. Add it to a pot and cover with water. Cut the onion in half and peel the garlic and add them to the pot as well. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and remove from heat. Allow to steep for 1 hour.
- Break up the chiles into smaller peices removing the seeds and stems. Toast in a dry pan until brittle, and lightly browned. Remove from pan and grind to a powder.
- Add oil to a stock pot and bring to high heat. Sear the pork on all sides.
- Add the hominy along with the water and veggies and bring to a simmer.
- Add in the chile powder you just made, along with the cumin, paprika, oregano, soy, and vinegar. Add more water to make sure everything is covered.
- Simmer for 4 hours. You could also put this into the oven at 275 for the 4 hours instead if that works better for you, or cook it in a slow cooker on high for 6-8 hours.
- Remove the pot from heat and test to make sure the hominy is tender. Remove the bones from the pork and shred it up right in the soup. The onion and garlic should sort of mash up and dissolve in there as well. Taste for seasoning and depending on how salty it is, add water or chicken stock if the soup seems like it needs more liquid. You can also add more soy sauce or vinegar if needed.
- Place the ramen in a bowl and top with the soup mixture. Top this with all the different toppings and the egg. Serve.
What’s “Chile powder”? Does it come from Chile?
Chile powder is made from dried red chiles, similar to chili powder, but not the same. However, I think if you used chili powder for this, it would probably be alright.
Have you tried http://www.yumewokatare.com/? I have been unable to defeat it and tell my dream!
Not yet! Hoping to go soon. everytime we try there is a very long line.
Whoa! I love how you can make the bulk of this early and then do a 5 minute assembly with noodles. That, plus the add your own toppings setup, puts this at the top of my “next dinner party” list.
My first attempt at posole. Shouldn’t have bothered.