This article was written for Annabel & Grace, which is now part of Rest Less.
I have tried a few supermarket recipes lately and thought I’d try out one from Tesco which is called Dive In Crispy Pork noodles. You may have, like me, seen it featured on one of their TV ads. However when I read the reviews for it online, rather too many people thought it was very salty. So I re-invented the dressing and here is my version. We had thirds. Just saying.
Crispy Crackling Pork with Asian Noodles
Difficulty: Pretty easy6
servings1
hour30
minutesPacked full of flavour and who can resist crunchy crackling? Seems like a lot of ingredients but many of them will already be in your storecupboard or fridge. Although I’m sure Tesco’s Finest Ultimate salt-aged pork loin joints are delicious, these days I’m eating far less meat and when I do indulge, I like to get it from my local butcher where it’s usually free range and always super tasty.
Ingredients
1 – 1.2kg pork loin joint
Handful toasted pine nuts
1 or 2 fresh limes, quartered
FOR THE DRESSING:
65ml reduced-salt soy sauce
5cm piece ginger, peeled and sliced into matchsticks
1 lemongrass stalk, outer leaves discarded, finely chopped
100g clear honey
3 tbsp fish sauce
15g fresh coriander, stems finely chopped, leaves left whole
1 red chilli, deseeded and sliced very finely
FOR THE SALAD:
180g dried rice vermicelli noodles
3 tbsp sesame oil
2 carrots, peeled into ribbons
½ cucumber, peeled into ribbons
150g pack edamame beans, mange tout or sugarsnaps
A few finely sliced radishes if liked
15g fresh basil, leaves picked
15g fresh mint, leaves picked
Directions
- Remove the pork from the fridge and pat the skin dry with kitchen paper. Sprinkle with sea salt, then leave at room temperature for 30 mins. Preheat the oven to gas 7, 220°C, fan 200°C. Leaving some skin on the top, I removed the skin on each side of the joint and cooked it in a separate dish at the same time in order to ensure perfect crackling.
- Roast the pork for 30 mins and then reduce the heat to gas 6, 200°C, fan 180°C and cook for a further 20 mins per 500g. When the pork is cooked through and the crackling crispy, remove from the oven and leave to rest for 10 minutes or so.
- Combine all the dressing ingredients in a bowl and put aside.
- Prepare the rice noodles as per the pack instructions. Drain and arrange in an even layer on a large serving platter and drizzle over the sesame oil. Mix together the rest of the salad ingredients and arrange over the noodles.
- Carefully prise the crackling off the pork and chop into bite-sized chunks. Carve the pork into thin slices. Arrange the pork over the salad, then scatter over the crackling. Drizzle over the dressing, sprinkle over the pine nuts and serve with lime wedges.
On the subject of crispy pork, you may also be tempted by this Danish recipe
