This Pork Chashu Shoyu Udon Noodle Soup is made with a slow-braised pork belly that melts in your mouth. It’s soy-free and can be made Paleo, Whole30, and AIP-friendly.
Let’s cut to the chashu here, you either prefer ramen or udon noodles. The previous times I have had udon at restaurants, it did not quite hit the umami spot. It was often doughy and too bland for me. I have always loved ramen more until I tried Lotus Foods Brown Rice Udon noodles at home. The texture is soft, smooth, and chewy with just the right amount of sweetness.
There are lots to unpack here, from braising pork belly, creating a dashi stock, and marinading the perfect eggs so let’s get right to it!
How to Braise Pork Belly:
To achieve a tender and sweet Japanese Chashu, you will need a pork belly block and kitchen twine. Roll the pork belly block into a tight log. There are several ways to seal it into a log. Choose any way you would like for as long as it does not unravel when cooking. To braise the pork belly, creating the marinade is key but just as important as salting both sides of the pork belly prior to rolling. If you are working with skin on, start with skin side down. Skinless is just as tasty but start with the fat side down.
Use a shallow pot or dutch oven to comfortably fit the Chashu log so the flavors can seep through. Before braising the pork belly, sear all sides to create a smoky layer for the sauce to penetrate through. Braising meat in low heat for two hours allows for the flavor to build up. However, to ensure that your Chashu Pork holds its form it will need to be refrigerated in a ziplock bag or container with its marinade overnight.
TIP: Boil eggs for 7 minutes. Quickly transfer into an ice bath to stop cooking then peel. At this with the Chashu Pork overnight to achieve that runny ramen egg! See my Burmese Style Curry Noodle Soup for more ideas!
After 24 hours, thinly slice the braised pork belly, brush the marinade onto each slice, and broil on a baking sheet on high for two minutes. Get fancy and take it up a notch by using a butane blow torch to sear the Chashu slices. Then, you are done!
How to Make Pork Chashu Shoyu Udon Noodle Soup Paleo, Whole30, and AIP-Approved?
- Go soy-free by swapping soy sauce or tamari with coconut aminos.
- Avoid Sweeteners:
- Mirin, although a staple in Japanese cuisine, is made with high contents of sugar often replaced with “fructose” on the ingredients. Omit this.
- Coconut Sugar can be replaced with dates, pureed.
- Go grain-free by swapping udon noodles with hearts of palm pasta, cassava spaghetti, or zoodles.
- Although I used Dashi powder for convenience, making dashi stock from scratch is fairly easy.
- Dashi has basically dried kelp or kombu and bonito flakes which are shaved from bonito fish. It adds another depth of flavor.
- To learn more, visit How to Make Japanese Dashi Broth by The Kitchn.
Now, what are you waiting for! You are going to love this dish and be so proud of yourself after. It’s a healthier option that is gluten-free, soy-free, and low in sodium. Cravings don’t have to be bad.
Pork Chashu Shoyu Udon Noodle Soup
Ingredients
Pork Chashu Marinade
- 4 lbs Pork Belly
- ⅓ cup coconut aminos
- 2 tbsp mirin
- ¼ cup coconut sugar
- ¼ cup coconut vinegar
- 1 elephant garlic or 5 cloves of garlic
- 3 inch knob of ginger
- 1 white onion
- 1 bunch of green onions
- 2 cups water
- 4 eggs boiled
Udon Noodle Soup
- 2 oz Lotus Foods Brown Rice Udon Noodles
- 8 cups water
- 2 tbsp Dashi powder
Instructions
- To prepare the marinade, combine coconut aminos, mirin, coconut sugar, coconut vinegar, and water.
- In a small pot, poil eggs for 7 minutes. Immediately place in icebath and peel. Meanwhile, slice elephant garlic, ginger, white onion, and green onions. Then set aside.
- To twine pork belly, first roll the pork belly tightly with skin side down, ending with skin side up.
- Use kitchen twine to make a loop with a quarter twist. Slide that under the rolled pork belly. About two inches from the first one, snug it up by adjusting the twine. Once you've reached both ends, wrap it around and tie it up.
Cooking:
- On a cast iron or dutch oven, begin by searing the pork belly skin.
- Braise the meat in marinade on low heat for 2 hours. Turn every 30 minutes.
- Once the sauce is reduced, transfer pork chashu into a container or ziplock with remainder of the sauce and eggs. Store in refrigerator to let it marinade overnight.
- Slice pork chashu to desired thickness. Transfer chashu slices into a baking pan. Brush both sides with sauce.
- Sear both sides with a butane torch or broil in oven on high heat for 2 minutes or until golden.
- In a pot, combine water and dashi powder to create dashi stock. Boil udon noodles according to packaging.
- To serve, ladel in 3 scoops of dashi stock and 6 tbsps of chashu marinade. Add noodles and service with marinated egg, green onions, seaweed, garlic chips and chili oil.
