It has been a while since I have shared a savory recipe.
Since it has been so long, I think I will dedicate it to someone.
My brother.
He lived in China for a year and I missed him terribly every single day.
We are SUPER close and it was really difficult to go from seeing him every day, to only talking to him once a week. I was a mess when we said our goodbyes!
He made it through the year and I remember the day we picked him up from the airport like it was yesterday. I also recall thinking he was practically dead.
He was a skeleton.
He had been pretty sick the whole time and had wasted away to a wafer! I gave him a hug and cracked the sunglasses that were tucked into his pocket, but I actually thought they were his bones breaking!
He was fine, he gained some weight and his bones didn’t break.
So all that being said…I’m not sure if this is anything close to what he ate in China…but it reminded me of him…so it’s dedicated to him.
Plus, he’s getting married this month.
So him and his fiance are on my mind a lot, and probably another reason this recipe is reminding me of him today.
Today also happens to be my 3 year wedding anniversary with the one and only MIKEY (the same one who is always in my kitchen) !!!!!!!
He’s the greatest. (Seriously though, I’m not just saying that. Literally, the greatest).
AND he’s best friends with my brother…I’m pretty lucky.
My brother is probably the reason I am married to Mikey…even though I never would have thought so when I first met him!
I have had many new subscribers and followers of my blog lately, and I TOTALLY appreciate all your support and comments! A lot of people reading this already know the boy meets girl story of us…but for those of you who are new in my life, I’ll give you the VERY short version of it. (My version. Not Mikey’s. The story tends to be very different depending on who tells it).
My brother and Mikey worked at a camp together in northern WI. Mikey was the “little kid” who bought Brad (brother) candy at the Beehive (camp store). My brother showed Mikey a picture of me one day and Mikey decided he was going to keep it in his wallet and show people the “girl he met” that summer. We never met once that summer.
Next summer, I meet this Mikey guy (I have a boyfriend) and the first thing he says to me is, “I know you, I have your picture in my wallet”…
I walked away and tried to avoid him, even though he seemed to show up every place I went.
At first I was annoyed…
Then I was entertained..
But soon I had a new friend to confide in…
And he turned into a best friend who knew everything about me.
Then one day, I realized I could not face life without this amazing friend by my side…and the rest is (a very long story) history.
So, 3 years later…I probably owe my brother a little more than a blog post dedicated to him about asian pork…
For now I’ll focus on trying not to embarrass him/cry too hard at his wedding (good luck).
Asian Pork Noodle Bowl
Ingredients:
2 Pounds boneless pork sirloin roast (pork center rib roast, pork center loin roast
1 Cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 Cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/2 Cup balsamic vinegar (I was out so I used rice-wine vinegar, tasted great)
3 Tablespoons agave or sugar
1 Teaspoon Sesame Oil
1 Tablespoon red pepper flakes
1/2 Teaspoon Chinese five spice
3 Cloves garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon fresh grated ginger
8 Ounces sliced mushrooms
1 Package rice noodles or soba noodles
Topping:
fresh cilantro, chopped
sliced scallions
Peanuts
Directions:
Heat oil in a large pan.
Salt and pepper all sides of meat and brown pork on all sides, about 7-9 minutes a side.
Combine chicken broth, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, sesame oil, chinese five spice, garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes and add to heated crock pot.
Once pork is browned, add to crock pot and set on low for 8 hours.
About 30 minutes before timer goes off on your slow cooker, remove the pork and shred with two forks. Meanwhile, add the mushrooms to the crock pot and let soak in the juices. Once roast is shredded, put back into crock pot for remaining 30 minutes or so.
Serve over noodles, topped with cilantro, scallions, peanuts and sriracha sauce.
This makes about 3-4 servings, but I was surprised and actually thought it would make more. If planning on serving for a party of more than 4, I recommend a larger piece of meat.
This recipe is adapted from Skinny Taste’s website. They are super delicious and very healthy recipes. I recommend you try some of them asap!
Mikey's In My Kitchen 
Terrific. Everything is on there is true, and the saddest part…was the imitation Ray-Bans that exploded in my pocket LOL. Love you sis.
That looks so good. I love noodle bowls!!