Spicy Pork Ramen Noodle Soup

This Spicy Pork Ramen Noodle Soup is delicious and completely homemade. Slow-cooked pork with tender noodles, crunchy veggies, a just-slightly-runny egg with a broth that’s full of that delicious umami flavour!

Forget the packets of dried ramen noodles this is the BEST!

I’ve had so-so ramen (always a little disappointing when the broth is too watered down) and I’ve had great ramen, like when we visited New York (that definitely falls into the category of great, if not magnificent!).

The broth is made by slow cooking the pork for 4 hours, along with lots of delicious extras such as garlic, ginger, soy sauce, mirin and gochujang. The layers of flavour are amazing and you end up with a thick silky broth, full of that rich umami taste.

The rest of the Spicy Pork Ramen Noodle Soup consists of noodles, veggies and just-soft boiled eggs. I like to throw on a few chilli flakes at the end too. It gives the soup a lovely spicy kick, but you can leave it out (or serve the chilli flakes on the side) if that sounds too spicy.

What do we need?

What cut of pork to use?

• Boneless rolled pork shoulder is the best cut of meat to use for this pork ramen, as it has the right amount of fat to ensure a flavourful silky broth with tender meat.
• Boneless leg of pork can be used too. There’s a little less fat and marbling in pork leg, so the broth won’t be quite as rich but it will still taste great.

What type of noodles for ramen?

Look for dried or frozen ramen noodles (frozen Yutaka Ramen Noodles are great).

You can use noodles from those instant noodle packs if you like (discard the powder sachet).

Rice noodles or soba noodles work ok. Medium egg noodles aren’t bad at a push

How to make the ramen:

• Season the pork with the salt and pepper and place in the pan with the hot oil. Seal on all sides.
• Add in stock, onion, carrot, celery, garlic and ginger.
• Then add in the mirin, soy sauce, gochujang and a chopped red chilli.
• Bring to the boil, then place a lid on the pan and place in the oven for 4 hours at 150C/300F.
• Take the pork out of the pan and shred on a chopping board.
• Strain the cooking liquid.

• Pour the strained liquid back into the pan with the the shredded pork. Leave on a low heat to keep warm.
• Fry sliced leeks in a little oil with salt and pepper. Move to one side and add spinach. Allow to wilt.
• Divide cooked noodles between four bowls. Top with hot broth, shredded pork, leek, spinach and carrot matchsticks.
• Add two halves of soft boiled egg per bowl and garnish the ramen with spring onions (scallions), white and black sesame seeds and the chilli flakes before serving.

What is gochujang?

Gochujang (<– affiliate link) is a Korean fermented red chilli sauce or paste with a smoky-sweet and slightly spicy flavour. Some brands are spicier than others. I prefer the paste, rather than the sauce for a stronger flavour. It is hot though, so if you don’t like too much heat, then go easy on it.
It’s a fantastic addition to sauces and marinades, as it adds heat, richness, tang and a little sweetness. I use it in lots of recipes.

Don’t be alarmed by the size of the ingredients list and the time it takes. This pork ramen is so worth it, and it’s actually pretty easy. I’ve made it twice in one week before now, and have doubled everything up to serve a a family gathering too.

Grab a few napkins, this one’s a splashy one 🙂

Perfect soft boiled eggs:

Soft boiled eggs go so well with ramen so in order to make the perfect soft boiled eggs:

1. Place room temperature large eggs in a medium-sized saucepan (no more than 4 in a pan) and just cover with cold water.
2. Bring to the boil, then simmer gently for 6 minutes.
3. Turn off the heat and place the eggs in a bowl of water with ice for 5 minutes to stop the cooking process.
4. Carefully peel the eggs before slicing in half.

See how to make it

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4.97 from 29 votes

Spicy Pork Ramen Noodle Soup

By Nicky Corbishley

Spicy Pork Ramen - Slow cooked pork with noodles, veggies and a just-slightly-runny egg. Full of that delicious umami flavour!

Prep Time: 20 minutes mins

Cook Time: 4 hours hrs 40 minutes mins

Total Time: 5 hours hrs

Servings: 4 people

Course: Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine: Asian

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 tbsp olive oil
• ▢ 1 kg (2.2 lbs) rolled pork shoulder
• ▢ ¼ tsp salt
• ▢ ¼ tsp pepper
• ▢ 2 litres (8 1/2 cups) chicken or vegetable stock
• ▢ 1 onion cut in half (no need to remove the skin)
• ▢ 2 carrots peeled, one left whole, the other cut into matchsticks
• ▢ 1 stick of celery broken in half
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic chopped in half (no need to peel)
• ▢ 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger roughly chopped (no need to peel)
• ▢ 2 tbsp mirin
• ▢ 3 tbsp soy sauce
• ▢ 2 tbsp Gochujang Paste *Use half the amount if you don't like your ramen too hot.
• ▢ 1 red chilli roughly sliced (remove the seeds if you don’t like it too hot)
• ▢ 4 large eggs
• ▢ 200 g (7 oz) dried ramen noodles or 17.5 oz (500g) cooked ramen noodles
• ▢ 1 leek sliced
• ▢ 100 g (3 packed cups) baby spinach leaves
• ▢ 1 tsp sesame seeds
• ▢ 1 tsp black sesame seeds
• ▢ small bunch spring onions scallions, chopped
• ▢ 1 tsp red chilli flakes

Instructions 

• Preheat the oven to 150C/300F (fan). Place a large casserole pan on the hob, add 1 tbsp of the oil and heat until very hot.
  2 tbsp olive oil
• Season the pork with the salt and pepper and place in the pan with the hot oil. Seal on all sides.
  1 kg (2.2 lbs) rolled pork shoulder, ¼ tsp salt, ¼ tsp pepper
• Pour the stock over the pork.
  2 litres (8 1/2 cups) chicken or vegetable stock
• Add in the onion, the whole carrot, celery, garlic and ginger.
  1 onion, 2 carrots, 1 stick of celery, 3 cloves garlic, 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger
• Now add the mirin, soy sauce, gochujang, and the red chilli. Bring to the boil, then place a lid on the pan and place in the oven for 4 hours.

  NOTE: Check two or three times during cooking, and top up with a little boiling water if needed. You’ll need at least 1 litre of liquid left by the time the pork finishes cooking.
  2 tbsp mirin, 3 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp Gochujang Paste, 1 red chilli
• Take the pan out of the oven and place the pork on a chopping board. Remove and discard the layer of fat. Shred the pork using two forks.
• Place a sieve over a large bowl and strain the cooking liquid. Throw the strained vegetables away and place the liquid back in the pan with the shredded pork. Leave on a low heat to keep warm.
• Place the eggs in a small pan. Just cover with cold water. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 6 minutes.
  4 large eggs
• Remove the eggs from the heat and place them in a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking process.
• If you're using dried noodles, place the noodles in a pan of boiling water and boil for 5 minutes. Then drain, run under cold water (to stop them sticking) and put to one side.
  200 g (7 oz) dried ramen noodles
• Heat the remaining oil in a frying pan.
• Add the leek, season with a pinch of salt and pepper then fry for 5 minutes, stirring a couple of times.
  1 leek
• Push the leeks to one side of the pan and add the spinach to the pan. Allow to wilt for 1 minute.
• Divide the noodles between four bowls. Top with the hot broth, shredded pork, leek, spinach and carrot matchsticks.
  100 g (3 packed cups) baby spinach leaves
• Carefully peel the two eggs and slice them in half. Place 2 halves in each bowl.
• Garnish the soup with spring onions, then sprinkle with the white and black sesame seeds and the chilli flakes before serving.
  1 tsp sesame seeds, 1 tsp black sesame seeds, small bunch spring onions, 1 tsp red chilli flakes

Video

Notes

Can I make it ahead?

You can make the pork and liquid ahead, but I would recommend making the toppings right before serving.

• Cook the pork, then shred it and strain the stock. The pork and strained liquid can be placed in a container together with a lid on and refrigerated for 2-3 days.
• Reheat over a medium heat in a pan. 
• Make all of the toppings as per the recipe as the pork is reheating.

Can I freeze it?

Yes. You can make the pork and liquid ahead, but not the other toppings/additions.

• Cook the pork, then shred it and strain the stock. The pork and strained liquid can be placed in a container together with a lid on and frozen.
• Defrost in the refrigerator overnight.
• Reheat the pork and liquid over a medium heat in a pan. 
• Make all of the toppings as per the recipe as the pork is reheating.

Make it in the slow cooker:

You can cook the pork in the slow cooker. Cook as per the recipe up to the point you add the sliced red chillies in step 5. Then transfer to a slow cooker and cook for 7-8 hours on low or 6-7 hours on high.
Once the pork is cooked, continue on with the recipe as per the instructions.

Ingredient substitutions/swaps:

You can replace the mirin with Chinese rice vinegar or rice wine vinegar

Swap out the baby spinach for pak choi or sliced spring greens

Add extras such as fried mushrooms, fresh radish slices or crispy seaweed

 

Nutritional information is per serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 670kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 45g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 265mg | Sodium: 2351mg | Potassium: 1211mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 8665IU | Vitamin C: 38.9mg | Calcium: 157mg | Iron: 7.1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Like this recipe? Leave a comment below!

Originally Posted in July 2016. Updated Sep 2019 and then again in May 2020 with new photos, tips and video.

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