If you’re a fan of Japanese cuisine and love trying out new dishes, you’ve probably heard about beef ramen. Beef ramen is a spectacular traditional Japanese dish, and it is quite popular all over the world. If you’re thinking about trying it out and wondering if beef ramen has beef, this article has all the answers you’ve been looking for.
Traditional Japanese beef ramen does include real beef meat. This signature Japanese dish contains thin-cut beef steaks, which are slowly cooked in heated broth. The beef ramen has a strong taste and can be made in various ways, depending on the type of toppings that are used. It is definitely a dish worth trying out.
Traditional Japanese Beef Ramen Is Made With Real Beef
There are numerous ways of creating Japanese ramen, and today we’re talking about beef ramen. This tasty meal is created with homemade beef, thinly sliced beef flank seat, combined with Asian egg noodles drenched in a flavorful broth. Combining these ingredients creates a simple yet delicious traditional recipe, which has a very distinct taste to it. It’s best to enjoy this dish while it’s warm and the beef and noodles are firm. Japanese cuisine usually serves this meal with some tasty pork dumplings and crispy tempura on the side.
How to Make Traditional Beef Ramen at Home?
Making this traditional Japanese recipe at home shouldn’t be too complicated for people who have some basic cooking skills. The recipe is quite simple, and the dish can be ready in approximately twenty minutes. The ingredients you’re going to need for this interesting ramen are:
- 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil,
- Smaller amount of grated ginger,
- 2 crushed garlic cloves,
- 50 g of sliced spring onions (separate the greens from the whites),
- 2 beef stock cubes,
- 2 tablespoons of soy sauce,
- 1 tablespoon of sugar,
- 400 g of thin-cut beef steaks,
- 150 g of sugar snaps,
- 250 g of fine egg noodles or ramen.
The method is quite simple and requires minimal effort. You should start by frying the ginger, garlic, and white parts of the spring onion until they receive a golden brown color. After that, pour the stock over the vegetables and let it simmer for about five minutes. Then, add the soy sauce, sugar, thinly sliced beef, sugar snaps, and noodles, one by one, into the broth. Let it cook for about five minutes until the beef is completely cooked and the noodles are tender.
What Kind of Beef Is Typically Used in Beef Ramen?
The best kind of beef that Japanese people recommend using in this recipe is either a beef flank steak or sirloin steak. It is important that the beef parts you use for this dish are tender and easier to cook. These parts of the cow taste best in cooked dishes since they are flavourful and easy to cut into thin slices. If you use these specific parts, there’s no way that your ramen won’t taste amazing.
Useful Tips for Making Beef Ramen Taste Even Better
Making homemade ramen is not as tricky as you might think, but in order to make it taste like the most authentic Japanese beef ramen, you do need to have some cards up your sleeve. If you are interested in elevating your cooking skills and bettering your ramen, here are some tips you might want to consider applying:
- Use ramen noodles instead of egg noodles if you can find them at your local stores. Egg noodles are a cheaper option for ramen and are easier to find, but the traditional recipe would recommend using the ones made of wheat. Ramen noodles have their own specific flavoring, and they make the entire dish taste more distinct. You can find some good ramen on Amazon.
- Consider adding some chili oil or powder for extra spice. Japanese cuisine prefers stronger tastes, and beef ramen shouldn’t taste dull. In order to spice up your ramen, use some chili products to make the broth taste better.
- Add some ramen toppings to your dish. Japanese use a wide range of toppings when it comes to cooking ramen. Some of the most popular ones are nori (dried seaweed), kamaboko (steamed fish cake), ajitama (flavored egg), sesame seeds, and chopped spring onion.
Can Vegans and Vegetarians Eat Beef Ramen?
The basic ramen noodles are made out of wheat, flour, and oil, with some basic seasoning such as salt and filling like potato starch, and are a completely vegan/vegetarian dish with no animal products. However, beef ramen, which obviously includes animal products, is not a vegetarian dish. When it comes to instant ramen noodles, which come with those small bags of “meat flavored” spices, it’s hard to answer whether they are vegetarian/vegan approved.
Most likely, all vegetarians and vegans would skip adding any kind of meat flavors into their dish, even though the origin of those aromas is not quite certain. But, if you are on a restricted diet, you can eat some other versions of ramen, which do not include meat.
| Japanese name | Type | Ingredients |
| Shoyu | Ramen with soya sauce | Soya sauce, dried seafood, dried mushrooms, herbs |
| Miso | Ramen with fermented soybean | Soybeans, rice, and different types of miso |
| Tonkotsu | Ramen with tomato and mushrooms | Mushrooms, carrots, chives, garlic, and sesame seeds |
Is Beef Ramen Worth Trying Out?
This simple beef ramen dish with sliced flank steak is a delicious meal that everyone should try out at some point in their lives. If you like experimenting with Japanese cuisine, definitely consider trying out the basic beef ramen with some of the tips you have learned from this article. This dish is perfect for an afternoon meal or dinner, and you will undoubtedly enjoy it.