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This Curry Ramen with spicy pork is rich, creamy and packed with flavour! I use packet-ramen and cook it in a spiced broth with Thai red curry paste and coconut milk, then top it with caramelized pork, jammy eggs, pickled red onion and pak choi.
Nicky’s Notes
We’ve been eating this slurpy, spicy comforting dinner constantly at the moment.
Work, school and DIY seems to be taking up all our time, so finishing the day on a bowl of this is the reward we all need!
What makes this so good?
- It’s so comforting and satisfying. I sometimes double up on the pork because it’s so tasty.
- It’s pretty quick to make – about 35 minutes from start to finish.
- You can swap pork mince for chicken or turkey mince if you prefer something a little lighter. Beef mince also works – it gives the ramen a deeper, meatier flavour.
Table of Contents
📋 Ingredients for the spicy pork
***Full recipe with detailed quantities in the recipe card below***
📋 Ingredients for the ramen
Ramen noodles
I like to use instant packet noodles in this recipe because they’re quick, cheap, easy to find in UK supermarkets, and they give that lovely bouncy ramen-style texture without needing a specialist shop. The key is to discard the seasoning sachet and just use the noodles – the flavour comes from the Thai red curry paste, coconut milk, pork mince and toppings.
Noodle swaps (if you don’t want to use instant noodles)
- Fresh ramen noodles – best swap if you can find them.
- Straight-to-wok noodles – handy and quick, but add them gently so they don’t break up too much.
- Dried egg noodles – easy to find and work really well with the creamy curry broth.
- Udon noodles – thicker and chewier, making the bowl feel extra hearty.
- Rice noodles – a good lighter option, and lovely with the Thai red curry flavours.
- Soba noodles – nuttier and more wholesome, though they’ll give the dish a slightly different flavour.
Abbreviated Recipe
***Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card below***
Boil the eggs first (6 mins). Meanwhile fry the pork in a little oil until browned, then add in garlic, chilli, lemongrass, sugar and fry for 5 mins. Stir in fish sauce, soy sauce, white pepper and salt. For the ramen, fry garlic, lemongrass and ginger, then add curry paste, coconut milk, stock, fish sauce, sugar and lime. Simmer, then add noodles and pak choi and simmer until the noodles are cooked. Serve with the eggs, pork and garnishings.
How to make the perfect soft-boiled egg for ramen
- Take an egg and tap the thicker end gently on a hard surface. You should hear a slight ‘cracking’ sound. We don’t want to actually crack the egg shell, just give it a light fracture. This will help to separate the egg membrane from the shell and make peeling easier later.
- Place room temperature eggs in a medium-sized saucepan (no more than 4 in a pan) and just cover with cold water.
- Bring to the boil, then simmer very gently for 6 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and place the eggs in a bowl of water with ice for 5 minutes to stop the cooking process.
- Carefully peel the eggs before slicing in half.
👩🍳PRO TIP I like to lightly tap, then roll the boiled egg on the work surface to crack the shell all over before peeling it off.
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Make ahead guide
- This Curry Ramen is best served fresh, as the noodles continue to soften once they sit in the broth. However!
- You can make the broth and pork mince ahead, then store them separately in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 2 days.
- Reheat the pork in a frying pan until hot and reheat the broth gently in a saucepan until piping hot, then add freshly cooked noodles, pak choi and toppings just before serving.
Curry Ramen with Spicy Pork
Ingredients
Spicy pork
- 1 tbsp oil
- 250 g (1/2 pound) minced pork I use 10-12% fat
- 2 garlic cloves peeled and minced
- 1 red or green Birds eye chillies finely sliced
- 1 tsp lemongrass paste
- 2 tbsp light brown sugar
- 1 tsp fish sauce
- 2 tsp dark soy sauce
- 1 pinch white pepper
- 1 pinch salt
Eggs and noodles
- 4 eggs at room temperature
- ½ tablespoon oil
- 2 garlic cloves peeled and minced
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- 1 teaspoon lemongrass paste
- 4 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
- 400 ml (14oz) can of coconut milk (full-fat)
- 960 ml (4 cups) chicken stock (water plus 3-4 chicken stock cubes is fine)
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 3 x 70 g (3 x 2½oz) packets instant noodles (noodles only)
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 Pak Choi (about 200g/3.5oz) washed and trimmed
Toppings
- 5 spring onions (scallions) chopped
- red onion slices (fresh or pickled*see note)
- 1 teaspoon black and white sesame seeds
- 1 pinch of chilli flakes (red pepper flakes)
Instructions
- Start by boiling the eggs. Give the eggs a light tap on a work surface at the larger end (this separates the membrane from the shell, making it easier to peel later). You should hear a tiny crack, but you don't want to break the shell.Place the eggs in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 6 minutes. After 6 minutes, place the eggs in a bowl of water with ice and allow to cool for 5 minutes.4 eggs
- Peel the eggs (to make things easier, I roll them on the work surface to break the shell all over), then slice in half.
- Meanwhile, make the spicy pork. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the minced pork and fry for 5-6 minutes, breaking up and large pieces with a wooden spoon, until the pork is lightly browned.1 tbsp oil, 250 g (1/2 pound) minced pork
- Add the garlic, chillies and lemongrass paste and stir together. Then add the sugar and stir together. Fry for 4-5 minutes, stirring often, until the pork starts to darken and caramelize.2 garlic cloves, 1 red or green Birds eye chillies , 1 tsp lemongrass paste, 2 tbsp light brown sugar
- Add the fish sauce, soy sauce, white pepper and salt and stir and fry for a further minute, then turn off the heat.1 tsp fish sauce, 2 tsp dark soy sauce, 1 pinch white pepper, 1 pinch salt
- Now make the ramen. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the garlic, ginger and lemongrass paste and fry for 30 seconds, stirring constantly.1/2 tablespoon oil, 2 garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon minced ginger, 1 teaspoon lemongrass paste
- Add the curry paste, stir and cook for a minute then add in the coconut milk, stock, fish sauce, sugar and lime juice. Bring to a very gentle simmer (don't boil rapidly as it may split the coconut milk).4 tablespoons Thai red curry paste, 400 ml (14oz) can of coconut milk, 960 ml (4 cups) chicken stock , 1 tablespoon fish sauce, 1 tablespoon light brown sugar, 1 tablespoon lime juice
- Give the sauce a taste (careful it's hot) and add in the salt if needed (it depends on the salt level of your curry paste)1/4 tsp salt
- Add the instant noodles and the pak choi leaves, bring back to the boil, then simmer for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, to separate the noodles. Reheat the spicy pork for a minute at this point too.3 x 70 g (3 x 2½oz) packets instant noodles (noodles only), 2 Pak Choi
- Turn off the heat and use a set of tongs to divide the noodles between bowls. Ladle over the sauce and arrange the pak choi in each bowl. Add the spicy pork and then top each bowl with two halves of egg. Garnish the ramen with the spring onions, red onion, sesame seeds and chilli flakes.5 spring onions (scallions), 1 teaspoon black and white sesame seeds, 1 pinch of chilli flakes (red pepper flakes), red onion slices (fresh or pickled*see note)
Notes
Note: Quick pickled red onion
Peel and thinly slice a red onion. Place in a jar and pour over red wine vinegar to cover. Place a lid on the jar and leave for 1 hour. Keeps well at room temperature for around a week. Alternatively, try my marinated onions.Get ahead with the eggs and make this dinner even faster!
You can make the eggs a day or two ahead of time. Boil the eggs, then cool and remove the shells. Place in a sealed container, in the refrigerator, and slice in half just before serving. Nutritional information is approximate, per serving (this recipes serves 4),Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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