Name: Bacon &amp; Egg Ramen
Yield: Serves 2
Cuisine: Asian
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

Recipes
Soup

Photo by James Ransom

Test Kitchen-Approved

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

Serves 2

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

In This Recipe

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Directions

Place bacon, ginger, garlic & lemongrass in a pot. Add stock and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 30 to 45 minutes.
In a separate pot, bring water to a boil and cook ramen noodles according to directions. Drain and set aside.
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.
Slice the bacon. Add sliced garlic cloves to a pan with the bacon, and fry both until crisp.
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.)
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.
Cover with Bacon, fried garlic, and scallions. Garnish with a squirt or two of hot sauce.

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Review

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29 Reviews

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. 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. 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. 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 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. February 18, 2014

Really liked this! The poached egg was particularly nice. Used regular bacon and it worked out nicely

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 April 11, 2013

Loved this! Thanks for a keeper.

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 April 6, 2013

Can't wait to give the recipe a try!

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 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 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 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 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 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 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 February 25, 2013

Looking forward to trying this!

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 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 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? :)

Author Comment

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 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