Sometimes things don't need to be fancy ... it just needs to be good. Family dinner time is often as much about keeping bellies full and faces smiling as it is about art and plating. Luckily there are a remarkable number of foods that are extremely cheap and can be combined in new ways to turn leftovers into a cravable dish such as this one that my wife actually invented last night! By using a few packages of ramen noodles and adding carrots and pork from last night's dinner, along with some sauce, it turned uggggh! into aaahhh! This is something any dad can make though and trust me ... women love men who can cook!
The challenging part of this recipe is ultimate that there is no way to make it look as gorgeous as some of the recipes that I've shared in the past. But really, there's no reason to. This isn't art. It isn't something you are going to oooooh and aaaaaah over on Instagram. Instead, it is the epitome of necessity comfort food. It's what you enjoy eating because you either need to clean out the fridge or empty the pantry. Ultimately though, some of the greatest recipes in the world were created out of necessity like this.
Whether your need is a cheap relatively healthy dinner for your family or just something you want to try for the flavors, I encourage you guys to give this a whirl.
Sweet & Sour Ramen Pork Stir Fry
These ingredients can ultimately be adapted to fit your tastes since there's really no right or wrong answer here in this recipe.
Ingredients:
- 3 packs of ramen no flavor packet. Save packet to have more broth for making ramen soup.
- 4 cups of baby carrots (you can also cut up a larger one but this is easier)
- 3 cups of pulled pork
- 1/2 can of chopped pineapple pieces
- 1 heaping tablespoon of minced garlic
- Butter or oil (for stir-frying carrots and pork)
- Asian Sweet Garlic sauce
Preparation:
This is one of the easiest recipes that I've ever made and it only uses one pan to cook everything in. So, grab a wok and a spatula and let's get started!
Add 3 packs of ramen noodles to the wok with about half the amount of water you would normally use. Then cook. You aren't making broth here, you just want the noodles to be soft. Also, while I really enjoy my noodles very soft and a bit mushy when in soup, here you will want to ensure that they are a bit more firm since otherwise they will fall apart and turn your pork stir fry into a big pile of mushy noodles.
Once the ramen noodles are soft, drain any remaining liquid and place them in a bowl while you stir fry the carrots and pork.
Add the carrots and saute with some oil or butter.
Add the pulled pork and pour half a can worth of pineapple juice from the can and mix the carrots in as well.
Add a rounded tablespoon of minced garlic. Like everything in this recipe, you can adjust this
Combine the noodles with the rest of the stir fry along with the pineapple chunks and sauce.
Stir everything together till the flavors are combined and serve!
