Craving a flavorful bowl of ramen? You’re in luck! This non-traditional Sesame Chili Egg Ramen has spicy, creamy goodness and rich umami flavors from sautéed mushrooms, white miso, tahini, and gochujang. Topped with a crispy fried egg, scallions, sesame seeds, and cilantro, it’s pure comfort in a bowl!
What is Ramen?
Ramen is a Japanese noodle soup made of noodles and served in a flavorful broth. It is usually finished with a variety of toppings such as eggs, herbs, or sesame seeds. While traditional ramen is usually prepared with a meat or fish broth, this vegetarian version comes with a flavourful spicy sesame miso broth!
Why this recipe works
- The broth is spicy, creamy, and filled with rich, intense flavors. Unlike many ramen recipes out there, no bouillon cube is used in this recipe. With so many brands and bouillon cubes recipes, this is difficult to ensure the broth’s flavor consistency. So, I left it out!
- This recipe is versatile and can be made with pretty much any long-shape noodle you like!
- The runny fried egg on top brings an extra layer of creaminess and crunchiness to the soup.
- All in all, the flavor combination in this soup exceeds the sum of all these delicious ingredients. It just works.
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The ingredients you’ll need
- your favorite mushroom or mushroom mix (I used chestnut mushrooms and white shimeji mushrooms)
- shallot and spring onion
- fresh ginger
- garlic powder
- white miso paste
- gochujang (fermented Korean chili paste)
- tahini (sesame seed paste)
- unsalted butter and vegetable oil
- udon noodles (or any long-shaped noodles)
The toppings
- free-range eggs
- cilantro
- toasted sesame seeds
- toasted sesame oil
Instant Ramen Noddles Variation
Another easy and budget-friendly option is to use instant ramen noodles (yes, the ones with the colorful packets!). Just toss the seasoning aside and cook the noodles in boiling water according to the package instructions.
You could cook the instant ramen directly into the broth. However, be aware that the ramen noodles will soak up the broth and you might end up with too little broth in the end. In this case, you might adjust the water quantity and saltiness accordingly.
In all the tests I made for this recipe, cooking the noodles separately is what yielded the best results.
How to make Sesame Chili Egg Ramen?
This recipe consists of four steps: prepare the broth, cook the noodles, fry the eggs, and add the toppings.
To prepare the broth :
- In a pot, heat vegetable oil and unsalted butter.
- Add the mushrooms and sauté over medium-high heat until slightly golden, about 5 minutes.
- Add the minced shallot, the minced white part of the spring onion, and the grated ginger and cook until soft, about 3 minutes.
- Add the garlic powder and sea salt and stir for one more minute.
- Add 4 cups of water, white miso paste, gochujang, and tahini. Bring to a boil then simmer gently for 10 minutes covered with a lid. Taste the broth to adjust saltiness if need be.
Then, cook the noodles according to the package instructions.
To fry the egg :
- In a non-stick frying pan or skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil over high heat.
- Crack the eggs and pour them into the skillet. Season with salt and pepper.
- Cook for 2 minutes ( this cooking time for a runny yolk) until the edges are golden brown and puffy.
To serve the ramen:
- Transfer an equal amount of the udon pasta into two bowls and ladle the broth on top.
- Transfer the frying eggs and sprinkle the spring onion’s green, sesame seeds, and cilantro.
- Finish by drizzling ¼ teaspoon of toasted sesame oil and serve immediately!
Nim Keys – Useful Tips
- The saltiness of the broth is crucial to enhance all the flavors of the ingredients. Do not hesitate to taste and adjust the salt accordingly!
- Cracking the egg into a small bowl before pouring it into the skillet is a good way to avoid oil splatters (as well as eggshell accidents)!
- I recommend cooking the fried eggs for 2 minutes to keep the yolk runny. If you prefer a more firm yolk, cook it for another minute and you should be good to go.
Wine Pairing🍷
RIESLING
Riesling produces aromatic white wines which often display candied lemon lemon, pineapple, and ripe apricot aromas. Riesling wines can be found in a wide range of sweetness levels from bone dry to sweet. For this recipe, I recommend asking your wine shop for an off-dry Riesling (meaning there is still a small amount of residual sugar left in the wine). The sweetness in the wine will balance the heat of the broth beautifully. Try and see!
Serve it chilled: take it out of the fridge 15 minutes before serving to let it warm up ever so slightly.
WINE APPELLATION SUGGESTIONS
Off-dry Riesling from Mosel (Germany)
Off-dry Riesling from Rheingau (Germany)
Off-dry Riesling from Clare Valley (Australia)
Recipe FAQs
The broth can sure be made up to 2 days in advance! When you are ready to eat, reheat the broth for 5 minutes over medium heat. Meanwhile, cook the pasta and fry the egg and you are ready to go!
Yes, just leave the gochujang out and follow the rest of the recipe.
I recommend storing the broth and leftover noodles separately, each in an airtight container. Storing the noodles with the broth will make them soggy. You can then keep it in your fridge for up to 3 days.
You can use 1 tablespoon of brown miso, as brown miso is stronger in flavor than white miso.
Other delicious spicy recipes
Sesame Chili Egg Ramen
PRINT SAVEINGREDIENTS
For the soup
- 1 tablespoon (10 g) unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) vegetable oil (or any neutral oil)
- 1 medium shallot thinly minced
- 1 white of spring onion thinly minced
- 1 inch (2.5 cm) fresh ginger grated or thinly minced (or 1 tablespoon of frozen minced ginger)
- 1 cup (150 g) mushroom or mushroom mix (I used chestnut mushrooms and white slime ji mushrooms), sliced
- 2 teaspoons (7 g) garlic powder
- 4 cups (1 liter) boiling water
- 2 tablespoons (30 g) white miso paste
- 2 teaspoons (10 g) gochujang
- 1 tablespoon (15 g) tahini
- 1 ½ teaspoons (7 g) kosher salt
- 3 ounces (80 g) udon noodles
For the toppings
- 2 free-range eggs
- pepper to sprinkle on top of the fried eggs
- sesame oil drizzle ¼ teaspoon on top of each bowl
- green of a spring onion thinly chopped
- sesame seeds sprinkle ½ teaspoon on top of each bowl
- 1 generous handful cilantro to sprinkle on top of the hot soup (adjust according to taste)
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a pot, heat the vegetable oil and unsalted butter.
- Add the mushrooms and sauté until slightly golden, about 5 minutes.
- Add the minced shallot, the minced white spring onion part, and the grated ginger. Cook until soft, about 3 minutes.
- Add the garlic powder and sea salt and stir for one more minute.
- Add 4 cups (1 liter) of water, white miso paste, gochujang, and tahini. Bring to a boil then simmer gently over medium heat for 10 minutes with a lid on. Taste the broth to adjust saltiness if need be.
- Cook the udon noodles according to the package instructions.
- Meanwhile, fry two eggs in a non-stick frying pan or a skillet. Season with sea salt and pepper.
- When the udon noodles are cooked, transfer an equal amount into two bowls and ladle the broth on top.
- Add the fried eggs and sprinkle the green of the spring onion, sesame seeds, and cilantro.
- Finish by drizzling ¼ teaspoon of toasted sesame oil and serve immediately.
- Enjoy with a glass of chilled off-dry Riesling!
I made this recipe for my girlfriend the other day and it was a hit! We both loved it and will definitely make it again in the future!
So glad to hear, Sammy!
Très appétissant
Merci beaucoup !😊