Birria Ramen Recipe
A flavorful bowl of Birria Ramen loaded with a scrumptious stew made with beef, spices, and chili peppers to create the most delicious consomé to serve with your favorite noodles.
About
Birria ramen is a dish made with Mexican goat or beef stew and Japanese noodles. It is usually topped with chopped onions and cilantro, chili sauce, and a squeeze of lime.
This is basically a fusion dish made with the traditional Mexican birria recipe and Japanese ramen noodles. It is also known as birriamen as a result of the combination of the words birria+ramen.
The recipe became popular in Tijuana, Mexico, where it’s served in a deep bowl or in disposable cups with freshly cooked noodles, juicy shredded beef, and topped with fresh cilantro, onions, a squeeze of lime, and spicy sauce.
The bold flavors of this birria noodles soup are something worth trying, just look at that fork-tender beef in the photo below!
How To Make Ramen Birria
Make the adobo sauce:
- Remove the stems on the chilies, then cut them in half lengthwise and discard the seeds.
- Place them in a bowl and cover them with hot water. Allow soaking for 15 minutes or until chiles are soft.
- Roast tomatoes and onions until soft and some charred spots appear. Set aside.
- Place soaked chilies and all spices (garlic, peppercorns, oregano, marjoram, bay leaves, cumin seeds, ginger, cinnamon, and whole cloves) in a blender.
- Add tomatoes, onions, 2 cups of water, and vinegar.
- Blend on high for 2-3 minutes or until you’ll achieve a smooth sauce.
Cook The Meat (3 methods)
With an Insta/Pressure pot:
- Place the meat into your Instant Pot. Pour over the sauce you just made and coat very well the meat so it will infuse will the adobo flavor.
- Add enough water to cover the meat for about 3 inches (8 cm). Add salt and set your instant pot to high pressure and cook for 50 minutes.
- Natural release the steam while you finish preparing the other ingredients for your dish.
With a Slow Cooker:
- Place the meat in the pot, pour the adobo sauce, and mix well.
- Pour water enough to cover the meat by 2-3 inches (7 cm) and add salt.
- Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 6 hours.
In the oven:
- Place the meat into a large baking dish, it must be big enough to contain all meat plus lots of water.
- Pour over the chili sauce and coat all sides perfectly. Add water enough to cover the meat about 3 inches (7,5cm). Sprinkle with one teaspoon of salt.
- Cover with foil and cook in preheated oven at 350°F (175°C) for 3-4 hours or until the meat is very tender.
Once the meat is cooked, whatever method you used, remove it from the pot and place it on a large cutting board.
Using a knife, chop it well. Since the meat is so tender, it will be very easy to do this step in less than a minute.
Assemble
- Cook the ramen noodles accordingly to the package instructions. Strain and divide them into bowls.
- Ladle the hot birria broth and add some chopped meat.
- Garnish with chopped onions and cilantro. And, if you want, with a ramen egg cut in half (see instructions below to make those).
- Serve your birria ramen with a squeeze of lime, chopped chilies, and Mexican chili oil.
Make The Eggs
This is totally optional and I usually make those eggs only when I make the birria stew ahead, as the eggs need to marinate for a couple of hours before serving. So, here’s how I make them:
- Use cold eggs from the fridge.
- Place a pot with enough water to cover the eggs you intend to make.
- Bring the water to a full boil and carefully add the eggs to the pot one by one.
- Boil for 7 minutes (or 8-9 for custard-like eggs).
- Remove the eggs from the hot water and immediately, place them into a bowl with water and ice for 15 minutes.
- Peel the eggs and then place them in a bowl.
- Make sure the birria is at room temperature and NOT HOT, use it to cover the eggs and allow it to marinate for a couple of hours (at least 4) before serving in your birria ramen bowl.
Suggested Drinks
Wondering what drink to pair with birria noodles? We got a few suggestions:
- Tepache – Pinneaple fermented drink.
- Tamarind drink – Tangy and sweet agua fresca de tamarindo.
- Agua de pepino – A cucumber refreshing soft drink.
- Tamarind margarita – The classic Mexican drink with a tangy twist.
- Strawberry agua fresca – Made with fresh or frozen strawberries and chia seeds.
Store & Reheat
For storing, place the ingredients separately, birria broth and meat in a container; noodles, and toppings in different containers.
The beef stew can be stored for up to 4 days in the fridge and up to 3 months in the freezer. Noodles and toppings don’t last that long in either place so make sure to eat them within 2-3 days.
The stew can be reheated in a stockpot on the stovetop for 4-5 minutes over medium heat, or in the microwave in 1-2 minute intervals.
FAQ
Who invented birria ramen?
It is believed that the famous celebrity chef Antonio de Livier invented this dish around 2015 to add it to his menu at Ánimo Ay Caldos! and that he called it Birriamen.
What else can you do with birria leftovers?
Besides birriamen, you can also make tacos or make a grilled sandwich with cheese and pickled jalapeños.
How does it taste?
Birria ramen is packed with bold flavors, earthy, comforting, and infused with the right amount of spiciness because of the Mexican chilies.
The garnishes like onions, cilantro, and lime juice, add a sweet, herb-ish, and tangy kick that completes this amazing dish.
Watch How To Make It
Birria Ramen
Ingredients
For Birria Ramen & Toppings
- 6 packages ramen noodles
- 6 ramen eggs (read notes)
- 1 medium white onion (chopped)
- 1 bunch of cilantro (chopped)
- fresh green chilies (chopped)
- lime wedges
- Mexican chili oil
For Birria stew
- 2 lbs beef meat (lean and fat cuts)
- 2 large tomatoes
- 1 small white onion
- 1 ancho peppers (stem and seeds removed)
- 5 guajillo peppers (stem and seeds removed)
- 1 pasilla pepper (stem and seeds removed)
- 2 garlic cloves (peeled)
- ½ tsp black peppercorns
- 1 Tbsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp dried marjoram
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ½ cinnamon stick
- 2 whole cloves
- ½ cup vinegar
- salt
Instructions
make the birria stew
- Clean chilies discarding the stems and seeds.
- Place them in a bowl and cover them with hot water. Allow soaking for 15 minutes.
- Roast tomatoes and onion until slightly charred.
- Place chilies and all spices in a blender. Add tomatoes, onion, 2 cups of water, and vinegar.
- Blend on high for 2-3 minutes or until you’ll have a smooth sauce.
- Place the meat into your instant/pressure pot (read notes). Pour over the meat the chili sauce and coat it very well.
- Add enough water to cover the meat for about 3 inches (8 cm) and add salt.
- Set your instant pot to high pressure and cook for 40 minutes.
- Natural release the steam while preparing your toppings and chili oil.
Prepare your Ramen Birria Noodles
- Cook the ramen noodles accordingly to the package instructions. Divide them into bowls.
- Carefully remove the birria meat from the pot, place it on a large cutting board and chop it.
- Add some chopped meat to the bowls then ladle the hot birria consomé.
- Top each bowl with a ramen egg, chopped onions, and cilantro.
- Serve with a squeeze of lime and Mexican chili oil.
Notes
Nutrition Information
We hope you enjoyed this Birria Noodles recipe! Please don’t forget to rate it below in the comment section. Also…
This recipe looks amazing! I’d like some birria ramen for dinner tonight, I don’t have an instant pot but i have a pressure cooker, I’ll try with that! I’ll use a can of store-bought adobo sauce, hope it comes as delicious as it looks!
We had this yesterday, it was so good! I ended up adding some oyster mushrooms and corn to mine since I had some leftovers in the fridge. Definitely one to redo, it was easy, nutritious and spicy, a triple win in my book.
Super easy recipe! I’ve made it like 4 times already and never disappointed! Made also some birria tacos with leftovers :)