Adapted from Jamie Oliver Cooks at Home. Rhubarb is such a harbinger of spring, easy to find in backyards, back alleys and farmers markets this time of year. Rarely do we use it in savoury ways, yet its freshness and hit of acidity are perfect for savoury dishes. Jamie Oliver’s recipe calls for pork belly. We used shoulder chops, easy to find on most meat counters and well-priced.
Marinade
| 8-10 stalks | rhubarb (about 400 g) |
| 4 T | liquid Alberta honey |
| 4 T | soy sauce |
| 4 cloves | garlic, peeled |
| 2 | fresh red chiles, halved and deseeded |
| 1 t | five-spice powder |
| 1 | thumb-sized piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped pork |
| 3-4 | pork shoulder chops |
| sea salt and fresh-cracked black pepper | |
| canola oil | |
| 375 g | medium egg noodles |
| 4 | spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced |
| 1 | fresh red chile, deseeded and finely sliced |
| 1-2 bunches | fresh greens such as arugula, watercress, small leaf spinach or a spring mix |
| 1 bunch | fresh coriander |
| 3 | limes |
Preheat the oven to 350°F
Put pork pieces in a roasting pan. Pulse marinade ingredients in a food processor until it’s a smooth paste. Pour over the pork, adding a cup or so of water. Mix thoroughly to coat the pork in the marinade. Cover pan tightly with tinfoil and place in the preheated oven for about an hour and 30 minutes, until the meat is tender, but not turning brown.
Take the pork out of the pan and reserve. If the sauce remaining is too thin, simmer on the stove-top over gentle heat until reduced to the consistency of ketchup. Check for seasoning, adding soy sauce if necessary. Remove from heat and reserve.
Put a pot of salted water on to boil. Place a wok on the heat and pour in oil. When the oil is hot, add pork in batches to the wok and fry for a few minutes until crispy and golden.
At the same time, drop noodles into the boiling water and cook for a few minutes, then pull out and drop into warmed bowls immediately, while still moist.
Spoon rhubarb sauce over the noodles. Divide crispy pork on top, and add onions, chiles, greens, coriander and lime wedges. Serve immediately.
Serves 4.