Prepare the Pork Belly: It should be THICK, but also not too thick. I like about the thickness of my pinky. Then cut it short ways. You should end up with a bunch of thick matchsticks. Now in a cold pan, add in your pork belly, give it a good pinch of salt, and slowly bring your heat up to medium. This will allow the fat in the pork to render out. (If you’re cooking in stainless, don’t worry if it’s sticking, just wait it out and when it’s seared, it’ll naturally release.) Once that pork is rendered and looking golden and crispy, remove it AND the fat from the pan.

Prepare the Vegetables: Finely dice your shallot and garlic. I recommended using a very sharp knife to dice the garlic the same way you would the shallot. I know it’s small and tricky, but go slow and believe in yourself the way that I believe in you. (But if you have to crush it and mince it, that’s okay too). Now take your green onions and cut them into 3 -4 inch long sections. Rotate them and cut them into very thin, long strips. Then place them into a bowl of ice water to curl up.

Prepare the Sauce: In the same pan used to cook the pork belly, on a low heat, add in your butter. (This is where the do as I say and not as I do comes in). Cook your butter down for about 5 minutes, THEN add in your garlic and shallots and continue to cook for about another 5 minutes. ( I do it all at the same time, but then you run the risk of burning your garlic and nobody wants that). At this point, your butter should be be browned and your garlic and shallot should be soft and fragrant. Now add in your miso and soy sauce, mixing until it’s all nicely combined. Continue to cook for another 5 minutes until they are soft and fragrant. Then remove it from your heat.

Cook the Udon Noodles: Now in that pot of water you totally set up to boil earlier, add in your noodles and cook to package directions. If you used the frozen udon noodles that I used, they cook super quick. Once those are cooked, remove them from the water and place in a bowl.

Combine and Serve: Now take your noodle water and add it to the pan we made our sauce in. Whisk vigorously off the heat. Then squeeze in your lemon juice. (Do this little by little, taste as you go, because you don’t want to over do it). Then add in your noodles and your pork belly and toss it all to combine. Divide it up between a couple of bowls and top each one with the curly green onions.