Pork and Asparagus Soba

Round out a bowl of spicy, savory, saucy pork and soba noodles with bright green asparagus—cooked just enough to retain its freshness and crunch. By adding the chopped pieces to the pot of boiling water for the last minute of noodle cooking, you’ll quickly blanch the vegetables, keeping them perfectly crisp-tender, all without having to pull out another pot.

Ingredients

4 servings

Preparation

1. Step 1

   Whisk ⅓ cup chili crisp, ⅓ cup tahini, 3 Tbsp. soy sauce, and 3 Tbsp. unseasoned rice vinegar in a small bowl. Set sauce aside.

   Step 2

   Cook 12 oz. dried soba noodles in a large pot of boiling water until almost cooked, about 2 minutes. Add 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed, cut into 2″ pieces; cook until noodles are al dente and asparagus is crisp-tender, about 1 minute. Drain, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid. Rinse noodles and asparagus under cool running water; reserve pot.

   Step 3

   Heat 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil in a medium skillet over medium-high. Cook 1 lb. ground pork in an even layer, undisturbed, until browned, about 5 minutes. Continue to cook, stirring and breaking up with a wooden spoon, until cooked through, about 3 minutes. Add reserved sauce and cook, scraping up browned bits, 1 minute.

   Step 4

   Transfer pork mixture, noodles, and asparagus to reserved pot. Add ⅔ cup cooking liquid; cook over medium heat, stirring gently with spoon and adding more cooking liquid if needed, until noodles and meat are well coated, about 2 minutes.

   Step 5

   Serve pork and asparagus soba topped with thinly sliced scallion tops and toasted sesame seeds.