When birria ramen popped up on my radar, I knew it was going to be an instant favorite and it did not disappoint.
It’s no secret that Mike and I are noodle folk. We live that noodle life – traveling to try noodles, perfecting noodle recipes, and basically noodling everyday. If there are noodles involved, I’m there.
What is birria?
Let’s step back a bit and talk about birria, which is a Mexican stew. It’s kind of a celebratory dish, the kind that is traditional at weddings, holidays, and celebrations. It’s usually served as a stew with corn tortillas for dipping, but lately birria tacos have been exploding on the taco scene and they are EVERYWHERE. I am obsessed. I think I’ve watched ten thousand videos of birria taco trucks making birria tacos. It’s mesmerizing: they dip corn tortillas into the ruby red oil from the stew, top it off with birria meat and fry everything up until it’s crispy and serve it with a little cup of consomé. The best is when they make quesabirria: a extra gooey melted cheese version.
We don’t have a birria taco truck in our neighborhood, but it’s okay because we’ve been making birria tacos at home! Mike has an awesome recipe so if you don’t want to miss out on the birria taco train, please check it out. Anyway, the other kind of birria that has been on my drool list is birria ramen. I keep seeing LA taco trucks marrying the two and to me it seems like the perfect combination. So, birria ramen… let’s taco about that!
What is birria ramen?
Birria ramen is a mash up of birria and ramen. Birria is a savory, slightly spicy, sweet, sour, and super savory Mexican (traditionally lamb) beef stew. Chunks of beef are marinated in dried chiles, chipotles in adobo, vinegar, herbs, and spices and slow cooked into a tender, fall apart, juicy beef stew. Ramen is a Japanese noodle soup with a rich, deep flavorful broth full of umami, chewy noodles, and toppings.
For this birria ramen, the birria consomé (that’s the soup that you get when you make birria) stands in for the ramen broth, to which we’ll add noodles, chunks of meat, shredded cabbage, onions, cilantro, jalapeños, a birria ramen egg, and a squeeze of lime.
Ingredients for birria ramen
- Birria stew. This is the base of your ramen: both the soup and the meat component. Most ramen stocks are made from bone broth but in this case we’re going to use the super flavorful consomé that you get when you cook birria. Most cuts of beef will work in the stew but I recommend going for shank because it has as bone in it, which will add extra flavor to the broth. Read more about birria stew here.
- Ramen noodles. You can go all out and make your own ramen noodles or you can go the easy route and buy fresh ramen noodles. Making your own noodles is always better but often way too much work, even for us, so we usually go with fresh/frozen. More on that below.
- Toppings. It’s always fun when a bowl of ramen has complementing and contrasting flavors and textures. This birria ramen has shredded cabbage for crunch, pickled onions for a tart sharp bite, chopped cilantro for a fresh herbaceousness, sliced jalapeños for spice, a wedge of lime for brightness, and a birria ramen egg, because what even is ramen without a ramen egg. Oh, and a crispy birria taco, just because!
The best noodles to use for homemade ramen
Fresh ramen noodles would be my top choice for birria ramen. We recommend Sun Noodles (pictured below) – you can get them at most Asian supermarkets in the frozen section. You can also use dried instant ramen noodles. I like the thick and chewy texture of Nongshim Shin Ramyun (not the cup ones).
How to make birria ramen
- Make the birria. Marinate the beef (overnight if you have the time, but for 2 hours minimum) and then make the stew in the Instant Pot on high pressure. The Instant Pot does a great job of cooking your meat and locking in flavors in a super short time. Of course you can make this on the stove or a slow cooker as well. When the birria is done, remove the meat and shred it. You can strain the stock too, but if you don’t want to, at least make sure you take out the bay leaves, cloves, and cinnamon. When the meat and consomé are done, it’s time to cook your noodles.
- Cook the ramen noodles. Cook your ramen noodles in a giant pot of boiling water. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling, hard boil. You want a big pot so when you add your noodles, it doesn’t drop the temperature of the water. If your pot is too small, it’ll take time for your water to come back to a boil, which means your noodles will be cooking for longer than the intended time they suggest on the package. Soggy noodles are a travesty. You want chewy, toothsome noodles with a bit of bite. Drain well.
- Assemble the bowl. Ladle pipping hot consomé into deep bowls (ones that can hold at least 3 cups of liquid). Add the drained ramen and loosen a bit with chopsticks. Top with a generous amount of beef, a birria ramen egg, shredded cabbage, onions, jalapeños, cilantro, and a wedge of lime.
Tips and Tricks
- Marinate. If you have the time, marinate the beef overnight – it’ll make for a more flavorful ramen.
- Make ahead. You can make this completely ahead of time, prepping the stew and all of the toppings. When it’s time to eat, all you need to do is heat stuff up. It’s (almost) instant gratification! Plus, if you make the birria the day before, you can strain and chill the consomé. When you put the consomé in the fridge (store the beef separately), the fat will rise to the top and solidify so you can easily remove it and add it back in. You definitely want to add some of the oil back in, it’s flavor!
- Make sure you have bowls. Ramen is meant to be served in deep bowls – bowls deep enough to hold your soup and your noodles – a regular shallow soup bowl isn’t going to cut it. If you don’t have dedicated ramen bowls, use the largest, deepest bowls you have, ones that can hold at least 3 cups of liquid.
- Make tacos. Make a taco (or five) and serve them up with the birria ramen for dipping. The contrast between the crispy, crunchy taco with the ramen is amazing.
#thatnoodlelife
-Steph
Ingredients
Birria Stew
- 2 lbs beef shank, brisket, chuck roast, or mix see notes
- 3 dried guajillo peppers see notes
- 7 oz chipotle peppers in adobo 1 small can
- 1/4 cup vinegar rice vinegar preferred
- 14 oz crushed tomatoes 1 small can
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp dried oregano Mexican preferred
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 bay leaves
- 6 whole cloves
- 2 qt chicken stock or beef stock, sodium free/unsalted preferred
To make the ramen
- 4 portions ramen noodles
- 4 large eggs optional
- 1/2 red onion sliced
- cabbage shredded
- lime wedges
- jalapeños sliced
- fresh cilantro chopped
Special Equipment
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and then remove from heat. Soak your dried guajillo peppers for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, cube your beef and season all sides with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Add chipotles in adobo, vinegar, tomatoes, garlic, oregano, smoked paprika, and cumin to the blender. When the peppers are done soaking, hold them by the tip over the sink and use scissors to cut the stem off and allow the seeds to fall out, then add to blender. Blend the marinade into a smooth paste. Marinate the meats for a minimum of two hours or up to overnight.
- Set your Instant Pot on saute high or use a skillet over medium heat. Add 1-2 tbsp oil, then saute the onions until golden and translucent (6-8 minutes).
- Add the meats, marinade, bay leaves, cinnamon stick, and cloves to the pot. Cover with chicken broth, then set to high pressure for 45 minutes. If using a slow cooker or stovetop, set to low heat for 4-6 hours. When the instant pot is finished, allow a natural release, then remove the meat. Shred, set aside, and discard the bones (if any). Taste and season with salt and pepper, if desired.
- Keep the consomé on warm and cook your noodles in rapidly boiling water, according to the package. Drain well.
- Ladle 2 cups of piping hot broth into deep bowls. Add the noodles and top with birria meat, shredded cabbage, onions, chopped cilantro, jalapeños, and birria ramen egg if desired.
another wonderful recipe, I’m already sold on all things ramen, but the mash up with birria stew flavors is really interesting, will save this for the weekend, thank you!
when you use frozen sun noodles, do you thaw them before boiling? or do you put frozen noodles in the boiling water? they seem to break apart when i do the former and get soggy if i do the latter
we cook them from frozen.
make sure your pot of water is really big and that it comes to a roiling boil for at least 2-3 mintiest before adding the ramen in. use a pair of chopsticks to gently loosen them but don’t agitate them too much. hope that helps!
Are we now part of a cult? We just made the Birria tacos and we love ramen and this came up as a suggestion. We’re still on a birria coma so your wish is our command. Best night ever.
so happy you’re in a birria coma!
I’m down in Mexico and was looking for some fusion,
this hit the spot! Pickled the onion with the jalapeños and it’s a great texture change. Had a bowl tonight, so I didn’t get to marinate an egg but I’ll have two with tomorrow’s lunch. Had to use top ramen noodles and was still ?
I made this a few years ago and named it taco ramen with my little cousins. I prefer your name. But I love this fusion!
👍
Happily can say I made this and enjoyed it immensely! Because I use chile de arbol in my stew, it makes the broth too spicy and almost inedible. So, I’ve taken to adding some Ichiban ramen soup to the stew to make it less spicy. It’s amazing!
We have a restaurant that has birria once a month in the winter months and they make an awesome birria ramen that my 11 yr old adores. Since it’s now almost July, we’ve gone without for a few months so I rectified that last night w/ the birria tacos and am following up w/ ramen for her to have for lunch. Making the birria eggs now. Thanks!
Do you think you could freeze the left overs?
absolutely!
How long do you naturally release? Treading new waters with the instant pot.
hi al,
until the pressure button goes down – it will go down naturally, very slowly as the pot looses pressure over time.
very spicy! It was good, the meat was really tender with good flavor. I probably could have used salted stock. My kids had a tough time because it is hot but next time I make it for them, I’ll tone it down with the peppers.
I just tried Birria Raman from a local taco place a few days ago and I fell in love!
As soon as I got back to my office I looked up recipes on how to make the wonderful tasting dish. (Can’t wait to try making the tacos too!)
My one question is, how can I cut down on the sodium amount?
I have high blood pressure and a dish with this much sodium is taboo. (although I do cheat a little once in a while)
Is there a way to cut down on the deadly sodium without losing it’s flavor? Any suggestions?
if you cut down on the chipotle in adobo, you can reduce the sodium. even better if you can find low or no sodium chipotle in adobo. also, make sure the crushed tomatoes are no salt added.