Cold Saimin Salad with Soy-Ginger Grilled Pork

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This Hawaiian-style cold ramen noodle salad recipe is topped with slices of savory, crispy pork shoulder, crunchy bean sprouts, tender ribbons of egg, shredded nori, and slices of Japanese pickled cucumber. A cooling dressing of dashi, rice wine vinegar, and sake brings it all together. It makes a refreshing lunch or a hearty side dish at a cookout. If you can't get your hands on saimin noodles, a Hawaiian wheat noodle usually served in broth (like ramen), look for dried ramen noodles at Asian grocery stores, or use the noodles from three instant ramen packages.

By

Sheldon Simeon

Updated on July 20, 2023

Tested by

Food & Wine Test Kitchen

Cold Saimin Salad with Soy Ginger Grilled Pork — Photo: Victor Protasio

Active Time:

30 mins

Total Time:

8 hrs 30 mins

Yield:

4 to 6

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Ingredients

GRILLED PORK

1 (2-pound) boneless pork shoulder or 2 pounds country-style ribs
1 cup shoyu or other soy sauce
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large head garlic (about 16 cloves), cloves peeled and smashed
1 (3-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and smashed
1 large scallion, smashed

SAIMIN SALAD

4 (3-ounce) packages ramen noodles (seasoning packets reserved for another use)
2 teaspoon canola oil
1 large egg
Pinch of kosher salt
Pinch of black pepper
1 cup bean sprouts, blanched
1 cup shredded nori
4 scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup kyurizuke (Japanese pickled cucumbers), sliced
1/2 cup dashi
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup sake

Directions

Make the grilled pork

Cut pork shoulder into 2 equal-size steaks (if using ribs, leave whole). Combine pork, shoyu, sugar, garlic, ginger, and scallion in a large ziplock plastic bag. Seal bag, and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.
Remove pork from marinade; discard marinade. Preheat grill to high (450°F to 500°F). Place pork on oiled grates; grill, covered, until a meat thermometer inserted in thickest portion registers 140°F, about 6 minutes per side. Remove from grill, and let rest 5 minutes. Halve pork shoulder steaks lengthwise; thinly slice against the grain. (If using ribs, slice meat from bones into bite-size pieces.)

Make the saimin salad

Cook ramen noodles according to package directions. Drain noodles, and place in a large bowl. Heat oil in a small nonstick skillet over medium. Whisk together egg, salt, and pepper in a small bowl until smooth. Add egg to skillet, tilting to coat bottom of skillet in a thin, even layer. Cook until top is set, about 1 minute. Remove egg from skillet; thinly slice. Top noodles with sliced pork, sliced egg, bean sprouts, nori, scallions, and kyurizuke.
Stir together dashi, 1/2 cup water, vinegar, and sake in a small bowl. Drizzle dashi sauce over salad.