Quick Kimchi Ramen With Shiitake Mushrooms and Soft-Cooked Egg Recipe

By
Daniel Gritzer
Daniel Gritzer
Daniel Gritzer
Senior Culinary Director
Daniel joined the Serious Eats culinary team in 2014 and writes recipes, equipment reviews, articles on cooking techniques. Prior to that he was a food editor at Food & Wine magazine, and the staff writer for Time Out New York's restaurant and bars section.
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Updated Feb. 26, 2019
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When you're desperate for ramen, this recipe will deliver an unbelievably flavorful version on the table in no time. . Daniel Gritzer

Making real-deal ramen is a lengthy project that requires planning in advance. But there are days when you just want a delicious bowl of it, without the fuss. This easy Korean-style kimchi ramen is for those times. It's loaded with flavor, but takes less than an hour to throw together, thanks to several umami-rich ingredients and a cool baking-soda trick that turns angel-hair pasta into ramen-like noodles.

Why This Recipe Works:

  • Umami-rich ingredients like miso, shiitake mushrooms, soy sauce, and kimchi add layers of deep flavor without the need for long cooking
  • A rich, gelatinous chicken stock yields a broth with lots of body.
  • Cooking the pasta in water with baking soda creates noodles that seem ramen-like.

Note: Ideally the stock should gel at least slightly when chilled. You can use homemade chicken stock that was made with lots of wings and/or feet, which should help it gel naturally, or you can use thinner homemade stock or store-bought low-sodium broth with 2 packets unflavored gelatin dissolved into it. To do so, sprinkle gelatin on top of cold or room-temperature stock and allow gelatin to soften while you prepare the other ingredients, then add it with the stock when called for in the recipe.

Recipe Details

Quick Kimchi Ramen With Shiitake Mushrooms and Soft-Cooked Egg Recipe

Active 30 mins
Total 30 mins
Serves 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons canola, vegetable, or other neutral oil, divided

  • 8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and caps sliced

  • Kosher salt

  • 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced

  • 1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced

  • 5 medium cloves garlic, minced (about 5 teaspoons)

  • 3 quarts gelatinous chicken stock (see note)

  • 1 packed cup kimchi, chopped, plus 6 tablespoons kimchi liquid

  • 2 tablespoons miso

  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce

  • 4 tablespoons baking soda (if using angel hair pasta)

  • 1 (500-gram) box angel hair pasta or 4 servings ramen-style noodles

  • 4 soft-boiled eggs, halved, for serving

  • 2 scallions, white and light green parts only, very thinly sliced

  • Nori (Japanese seaweed sheets), for serving

  • Watercress or other tender leafy green, for serving

Directions

  1. In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add shiitake, season with salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms have released their water and are starting to brown all over, about 4 minutes. Transfer shiitake to a plate and keep warm.

  2. Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil to saucepan, then add onion, ginger, and garlic. Cook, stirring up any brown bits on bottom of saucepan, until onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.

  3. Add stock and bring to a simmer. Stir in kimchi and its liquid, miso, and soy sauce and return to a simmer. Season with salt, if needed.

  4. Meanwhile, if using angel-hair pasta, add baking soda to 4 quarts of boiling salted water; otherwise, omit baking soda and bring 4 quarts of plain salted water to a boil. Cook noodles until al dente; drain completely.

  5. Transfer noodles to bowl and spoon kimchi broth on top. Top each bowl with 2 egg halves, reserved shiitakes, scallions, nori, and watercress. Serve right away.

This Recipe Appears In

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
448 Calories
27g Fat
35g Carbs
19g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 448
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 27g 34%
Saturated Fat 6g 28%
Cholesterol 197mg 66%
Sodium 1817mg 79%
Total Carbohydrate 35g 13%
Dietary Fiber 5g 17%
Total Sugars 5g
Protein 19g
Vitamin C 13mg 65%
Calcium 102mg 8%
Iron 4mg 20%
Potassium 588mg 13%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)