Birria Ramen Recipe

Prepare chiles

Toast guajillo, ancho, and pasilla/morita chiles in a dry skillet over medium heat about 20–30 seconds per side until fragrant but not burnt. Remove stems and seeds (reserve a few seeds if you like extra heat).

Soak toasted chiles in hot water for 20 minutes until softened. Reserve the soaking liquid.

Meanwhile, season the beef with 1 tsp of salt and sear: heat vegetable oil in a heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the beef chunks on all sides until deeply caramelized (about 3–4 minutes per side). Remove and set aside.

Char tomato halves and onion quarters directly on a gas flame or in a hot skillet until blackened in spots (about 6–8 minutes). You can also broil them 5–7 minutes. Let cool slightly.

In a blender, combine soaked chiles (drained but reserve 1/2 cup soaking liquid), charred tomatoes, charred onion, garlic cloves, vinegar, oregano, cumin, and peppercorns. Add a splash of the chile soaking liquid if needed to blend into a smooth paste (about 1/3 to 1/2 cup).

Return the seared beef to the pot. Add the chile-tomato paste and bay leaves. Pour in beef stock (or water) to cover the meat by about 2 cm (about 1.5 liters). Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom.

Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low. Partially cover and simmer gently until beef is fall-apart tender, 2.5 to 3 hours (or pressure-cook for 45–60 minutes). Occasionally skim foam and adjust salt to taste (start with the remaining 1 tsp).

Once tender, remove beef and set on a board. Strain the broth through a fine mesh sieve into a clean pot, pressing solids to extract flavor. Reserve the strained solids (you can shred some meat from them). Skim excess fat if desired, reserving some for richness.

Shred the beef into bite-sized pieces, discarding large fat pieces. If you like extra concentrated birria, reduce some of the strained broth by simmering until slightly thicker (10–15 minutes). Keep broth hot until assembly.

Toast dried arbol chiles in a dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant and slightly blistered (30–60 seconds each side). Remove stems. Be careful — they can burn quickly.

Add toasted chiles, toasted sesame seeds, toasted peanuts or pumpkin seeds, and a smashed garlic clove to a food processor or mortar and pestle. Pulse until coarsely chopped.

Heat neutral oil until shimmering but not smoking. Carefully pour the hot oil over the chopped mixture (it will sizzle). Stir in 1 tbsp vinegar and 1/2 tsp salt. Let cool. Adjust salt and texture — add more oil for looser texture or more seeds for thickness.

Set aside at room temperature. Salsa macha can be made ahead and stored refrigerated up to 2 weeks.

Place eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water by 1 inch. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, reduce heat to a gentle simmer and cook 7 minutes for jammy yolks or 9–10 minutes for fully set yolks.

While eggs cook, combine soy sauce, water, mirin (if using), and sugar in a bowl large enough to submerge the eggs. Stir until sugar dissolves.

When eggs are done, transfer immediately to an ice bath for 5 minutes. Peel carefully.

Place peeled eggs in the soy mixture, turning to coat. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours and up to overnight for deeper color and flavor. Before serving, halve each egg.

Bring the reserved birria broth to a rolling simmer. If you reduced the broth, dilute with a bit of hot water or stock to reach desired strength and volume.

Cook ramen noodles according to package directions in a separate pot until al dente. Drain and divide among 4 bowls.

Place a generous portion of shredded birria meat on top of the noodles in each bowl.

Ladle hot birria broth over the noodles and meat, filling the bowl but leaving room for garnishes (about 500–600 ml per bowl depending on bowl size).

Top each bowl with half a soy-cured egg, a spoonful of salsa macha (start with 1 tsp and add to taste), sliced scallions, a small handful of shredded cabbage or slaw if using, and cilantro leaves. Serve lime wedges on the side for squeezing.

Optional: Serve extra hot birria consommé on the side for dipping (a classic birria accompaniment).