Fry

Bacon Ramen with Egg

by:
February  4, 2013
4
11 Ratings
Bacon Ramen with Egg
Photo by James Ransom
  • Serves 2
Author Notes

This is my pantry special; it uses things that I always have on hand and is a great end of a crappy day meal. It's simple and satisfying and adaptable. —Aliwaks

Test Kitchen Notes

This soup is simple to make and comes together quickly. The combination of ginger, lemongrass, and black vinegar give it a very flavorful and unique taste -- it is reminiscent of beef broth, but with asian highlights. It's a nice take on ramen, and great if you need to make something hearty and quick. I think mushrooms would make a nice addition. —Dawne Marie

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1 quart homemade or low sodium chicken broth
  • 1 inch fresh ginger
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 3 ounces smoky slab Bacon
  • 1 piece about 2" from a stalk of lemongrass
  • 1 package of ramen noodles (toss the soup packet)
  • 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon black vinegar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 handful chopped scallions
  • 1 drop Srirachia or your favorite hot sauce
  • 2 more cloves of garlic
  • 1 handful julienned mustard greens, baby spinach leaves, or kale
Directions
  1. Place bacon, ginger, garlic & lemongrass in a pot. Add stock and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 30 to 45 minutes.
  2. In a separate pot, bring water to a boil and cook ramen noodles according to directions. Drain and set aside.
  3. Remove bacon, lemongrass, and ginger. Reserve the bacon for later. Add in greens (unless using baby spinach), soy sauce, and vinegar. Taste and check for salt, then add salt and pepper to taste.
  4. Slice the bacon. Add sliced garlic cloves to a pan with the bacon, and fry both until crisp.
  5. Drop eggs one at a time into the stock. (if you crack them in a bowl first, it is less likely that you will accidentally get a shell in your soup.)
  6. Place ramen noodles (and baby spinach if using) in a bowl. Carefully remove the eggs before they are completely cooked (a slotted spoon works best). Ladle the hot broth over the eggs and noodles.
  7. Cover with Bacon, fried garlic, and scallions. Garnish with a squirt or two of hot sauce.
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30 Reviews

Cindy Y.
Cindy Y. May 6, 2021
Cindy's Hubber here- Shoots and scores! Very good- will refine to many variations, because we like Ramen. Didn't have black vinegar- so I used a sweet balsamic. Bok Choi for the green. Added crimini mushrooms after the strain. First attempt poaching eggs- went pretty well. Used thin spaghetti for the noodle. ( not trying to be a purist..) Nice deep flavor- a bit of pepper flakes for heat. Bacon worked out beautifully. We try to be "flexitarians" so might work on what oils could replace the pork fat to make it more veggie.
 
Casey S.
Casey S. February 21, 2017
Most true-to-form Ramen recipes require hours (even days!) to achieve that fatty flavorful aroma—this recipe is wonderful because it only took 45 minutes! The smokey bacon really comes through and shines. I blistered the ginger slices, lemongrass, and garlic to help highlight these flavors. I simmered the broth for 30 minutes with the bacon slab, then simmered it for an additional 15-20 minutes with only garlic/lemongrass/ginger. Can't wait to make it again!
 
Nick B.
Nick B. January 12, 2016
Made it last night. Well, not really what I expected. I couldnt find the flavors that I usually like in ramen noodle soups. And the broth was overpowering. Might need quite a few tweaks. But on the other hand, a good ramen would take a full day to cook, so what you lose in taste, you make up in convenience.
 
Jesse P.
Jesse P. November 6, 2015
Made this tonight. It was insanely good. Only thing I did different is I strained the stock through cheesecloth. Great recipe.
 
Cindy R.
Cindy R. February 27, 2014
Made this for dinner the other night. Loved the broth, but it reduced a lot and was pretty thick in the end. I had black vinegar on hand, but I didn't have dark soy sauce, so I used regular soy with a little sugar (everything I read online about dark soy replacements mentioned molasses or other type of sweetener. I couldn't easily replace the richness, but I could replace the sweet!) Next time, I'll use more broth, but otherwise, a winner!
 
Rebekah
Rebekah February 25, 2014
Did this tonight, was wonderful, only thing I changed was using cider vinegar because we couldn't find black vinegar and did the baby spinach. Will use a sturdier green next time, like the kale, and more of it, but this was great over all.
 
Linda R.
Linda R. February 18, 2014
Really liked this! The poached egg was particularly nice. Used regular bacon and it worked out nicely
 
megs
megs February 5, 2014
I started with trader joes miso ginger stock (nice product), only used 2 slices of bacon and added Kaifer leaves in place of lemongrass (didn't have any left). In the end I used stripped sweet potato leaves, added shredded ham and instead of dark soy sauce, drizzled me kamp (sweet soy sauce) and liberal Siracha over the noodles before adding broth. My husband loved it. He called it breakfast with broth;)- Thanks for this!
 
Midge
Midge April 11, 2013
Loved this! Thanks for a keeper.
 
Carmas
Carmas April 7, 2013
My first attempt was lacking. Should have used a better bacon,to reinforce the broth. Definitely a learning experience, and a recipe I will certainly try again. I used Soba noodles, and was pleased by the texture.
 
Carmas
Carmas April 6, 2013
Can't wait to give the recipe a try!
 
Brian S.
Brian S. March 7, 2013
AWESOME.....The egg scared me but turned out perfect. Totally agree with everyone else's comments. Gonna be a regular meal....
 
chefbonandee
chefbonandee March 5, 2013
Boyfriend and I made this for dinner last night. It turned out amazing! I think I made a comment along the lines of "man this is good!" after every bite. We added 2 extra cups of water to the broth, and also added a whole serrano and a whole thai chili to the liquid because we like some heat. We subbed rice vinegar for black vinegar, added crimini mushrooms, and used red kale for the greens. Looking forward to making this again!
 
chefbonandee
chefbonandee March 5, 2013
I almost forgot... we also added lemon juice and lemon peel to the broth while it was simmering away, and then another squeeze of lemon juice on top of each bowl before we dug in.
 
Zoom
Zoom March 3, 2013
I made this for lunch today. Thank you! It was absolutely amazing. I found some "Japanese Spinach" at the farmer's market and used it for the greens. Bliss! I followed the recipe pretty closely, but I think I'll play around with it the next time I make it.
 
Cookie16
Cookie16 February 27, 2013
My boyfriend made this for me tonight hoping to cure my cold. He substituted rice vinegar as well after several failed attempted to find black vinegar on short noice. We had an easier time finding black, flavored sipping vinegars than the regular black variety.

We preferred using all of the ramen boiling water in to dilute the intensity of the broth and provide more broth for a larger bowl. All in all, I loved the flavor profile; its far more complex in taste that the recipe would lead you to believe.

Next time, I'd probably use 2 ramen noodle packets and add more greens for a more filling meal, but nonetheless, this is spectacular!
 
andyj
andyj February 26, 2013
Just made this for dinner. Used Beef broth, julienne carrots and spinach. Also substitute buckwheat yaka soba for ramen. Wife who is NOT a fan of noodle recipes, said "best she has ever had
 
LisaJ
LisaJ February 26, 2013
Just made this for lunch. Delicious. Subs included rice wine vinegar, lime peel and juice, and regular bacon. Hubby said beset ramen he's ever had.
 
Cookie16
Cookie16 February 25, 2013
Looking forward to trying this!
 
Tamio888
Tamio888 February 25, 2013
"EatsMeetsWest" - black vinegar is easy to find in any Asian market that features Chinese food products. All the major sauce companies - Koon Chun, Lee Kum Kee, Roland, etc - make it. There is also a Chinese black vinegar called 'Chinkiang Vinegar' which is probably too strong for this recipe.
 
megs
megs February 5, 2014
I used the Chunkiang, but not as much, and thought it worked well, but then I had strong flavors in the soup to support it.
 
EatsMeetsWest
EatsMeetsWest February 24, 2013
The ramen looks scrumptious, and I can't wait to try it :) ! I was wondering, though - what can I substitute for the bacon? And where might I be able to find black vinegar? :)
 
Aliwaks
Aliwaks February 25, 2013
If you are looking for a vegetarian substitute you could try something smoky like a smoked tofu or facon, if its just pork that you're avoiding a smoked turkey wing will give you some fat + umami. Could also try dried wood ear mushrooms + miso
 
EatsMeetsWest
EatsMeetsWest February 26, 2013
Thanks for the tips! The smoked turkey wing sounds intriguing :) Always thought that wings were only good for well, wings, but judging the amount of cholesterol, this option makes my heart much happier :D