Carlo's Ramen/Spicy Ramen Carbonara

350g double-smoked bacon (or any old bacon), chopped
3 tbsp. tuong ot toi
2 cups milk
6 packages of instant ramen
2 tsp garlic powder
3 tbsp chopped chinese fermented black beans (optional)
~3 cups grated cheddar

Heat a large pot of water. Fry the bacon on med-low heat with 1 packet of ramen flavoring and the tuong ot toi.

When the bacon starts to get brown and crispy add the milk and 2-3 more packets of ramen flavoring and let it simmer for about 5 minutes.

That thing you see sitting in the middle of the pot there is the pork skin from the piece of bacon I bought, at the Charcuterie de Tours in the Atwater Market they sell the double smoked bacon in whole pieces, so you have to ask them to skin it and slice it for you, and they give you the whole thing back along with the skin, which is full of delicious smoky pork flavor and is great used in soups and stews, just remove it before serving as it is quite chewy.

When the water is boiling add the ramen without the flavoring packages, let it boil for 3 minutes, then drain.

Remove the milk and bacon from the heat, and stir in the cheese till it has completely melted, then add the ramen and stir till completely covered in the sauce. The ramen will absorb the sauce. Eat!!!

You can also add whatever you want to this recipe, Carlo likes to substitute the bacon for canned tuna sometimes, or add baked beans or canned green peas. I'm gonna try a version of this with kimchi added in sometime.