Asian Fusion Bolognese

Serves 4

Time 1 hour

Ingredients

1½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp sesame oil

100g red onion, peeled and finely diced

3 tsp finely chopped garlic

2 medium (200g) carrots, peeled and finely chopped

200g mushrooms, finely diced

300g pork mince

300g beef mince

2 tbsp gochujang paste

1 cup beef stock

1 tbsp soy sauce

400g tin chopped tomatoes

2 bay leaves

2 tbsp finely chopped coriander

300g dried udon noodles

Sea salt and black pepper

To Serve

Finely sliced Asian or green shallots, chilli flakes

Method

Heat a large saute pan on medium heat and add extra virgin olive and sesame oil to coat the pan. Then add the onion and garlic and cook for 3-4 minutes before adding the carrot and mushrooms. Cook the vegetables for 5-6 minutes until softened, then add the pork and beef mince and brown off, whilst breaking up the pieces.

When the meat is browned off, stir through the gochujang, beef stock, soy sauce, chopped tomatoes, bay leaves and bring to a low simmer for 45 minutes.

Just before the ragu is finished, bring a large pot of water to the boil and cook the udon according to pack instructions. Drain, reserving about 1 cup of the starchy noodle water, and rinse noodles with cold water so they don’t stick together.

Toss the noodles through the ragu with the fresh coriander, season with salt and pepper and serve in bowls topped with some fresh Asian/green shallots and extra chilli if desired.