Spicy Beef Ramen takes Ramen noodles to a spicy level with added ground beef, crushed red pepper, and chili garlic sauce, all topped with a soft boiled egg.
SPICY BEEF RAMEN
Ramen noodles have a reputation of being stacked in college students’ rooms, eaten for most meals. I admit I went through a few packages of the noodles myself. I happen to love them, and when I decided to use them for this Spicy Beef Ramen recipe, I actually loved them even more! So, when you see how easy this meal is to make, you will stock up on the noodles again, just like old times.
BEEF RAMEN RECIPE
As the name implies, this dish is spicy! But, you can always adjust the amounts of the chili garlic sauce and crushed red pepper to make it fit your taste buds.
Get out a large skillet and a couple of saucepans to make this recipe.
PREPARING THE SPICY GROUND BEEF MIXTURE
To get started, brown the ground beef in a skillet. Add the ground beef, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes to the skillet. Cook over medium heat until no pink is left in the beef (about 8 minutes).
Next, drain the grease and add the garlic. Cook for one additional minute. Then, reduce the heat to low, add the chili garlic sauce, and the rice wine vinegar. Stir to combine. Remove the pan from the heat and cover it to keep it warm. The next step will be soft-boiling the eggs.
HOW TO SOFT-BOIL AN EGG
The flavors of the Ramen noodles and meat pair well with a soft-boiled egg. To soft-boil an egg, choose eggs that are not your freshest. The older the eggs, the easier they are to peel. And, the peeling can be the trickiest part with the custard-like egg whites and a silky yolk. If you can make hard-boiled eggs, you can make soft-boiled eggs.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil over medium-high heat. You will need just enough water to cover the eggs (about 2 inches).
- Place the eggs in the boiling water.
- Let the eggs boil for six minutes. (I would recommend setting the timer for this since it is time-sensitive.)
- While the eggs are boiling, create an ice water bath for the boiled eggs (ice water in a bowl).
- After the six minutes, use a slotted spoon to remove the eggs from the boiling water and place them in the ice water until they are cool enough to peel.
- CAREFULLY peel the soft-boiled eggs to use in this, and other, recipes.
- Set those aside as you prepare the noodles.
HOW TO MAKE SPICY BEEF RAMEN
Finally, it’s time to get the ramen noodles cooked and mixed with the spicy beef and topped with the egg. In a large saucepan, bring four quarts of water to a boil. Add the noodles, but reserve the flavor packets. Cook for three minutes, or until the noodles are cooked through. Reserve a cup of the noodle water and drain the rest.
Add the noodles, reserved noodle water, and all the flavor packets to the skillet with the beef mixture. Toss to combine. Separate into six bowls and top each with half a soft-boiled egg. Serve warm.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 teaspoons garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 4 packages beef ramen
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds, for garnish
- 2 teaspoons green onion, for garnish
Instructions
In a skillet over medium heat, add the ground beef, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper. Cook until browned (about 8 minutes).
Drain grease.
Add garlic and cook for one additional minute.
Reduce heat to low, add chili garlic sauce, and rice wine vinegar. Stir to combine. Remove the pan from heat. Cover to keep warm.
In a small saucepan, add about 2 inches of water and bring to a boil.
Add eggs and boil for 6 minutes. Remove eggs and place them in a bowl of ice to stop the cooking. Peel and set aside.
In a large saucepan, bring 4 quarts of salted water to a boil.
Add ramen noodles, reserving flavor packets. Cook for three minutes, or until the noodles are cooked through.
Reserve 1 cup of the noodle water, but drain the rest. Add the reserved water, flavor packets, and noodles to the beef mixture. Toss to combine.
Separate the ramen into 6 bowls, top with sesame seeds and green onions, and half a soft boiled egg. Serve warm.
