Firecracker Beef Ramen Noodles

This dish has it all – noodles, ground beef, broth, soft-boiled egg, and even rice cakes! Firecracker Beef Ramen Noodles starts with a quick, easy, and spicy pan-fried ground beef that is paired with store-bought packaged ramen noodles and optional Korean rice cakes! This is one of those warm and cozy recipes perfect for a night in binging on your new favourite television series!

This is a recipe that I could prepare over and over again and never grow tired of it! It’s quick and easy, it is most certainly budget-friendly, it’s hearty and filling; and finally, it’s most certainly family-friendly too, especially if your family likes spicy food! If not, don’t worry – the great thing about this Firecracker Beef Ramen Noodles recipe is that you can lessen the spice level or omit the spiciness completely!

Did you know that spicy food is supposed to relieve stress? Maybe it just causes you to forget about stress for a while, because you’re more consumed with cooling your mouth! The last thing I want to do is to make you afraid to try this dish. But if you have any tolerance for spicy food at all, you will handle this one like a pro!

If you are on a budget or just want to make this recipe stretch to serve more than four people, try serving it with some steamed broccoli and a spring roll. Anytime I can make a recipe stretch, it’s a win for me!

HERE IS WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO MAKE THESE NOODLES:

There seem to be a lot of ingredients, but most of them are pantry ingredients. You may have most of them already. For full amounts and measurements, refer to the recipe card located at the bottom of this post.

To Cook the Ground Beef:

• Olive Oil – You need just a little bit to get the beef frying.
• Ground Beef – I used lean ground beef so that I didn’t need to drain the grease after it was browned!
• Garlic – Freshly minced garlic is best. You will get more flavour.
• Ginger – Fresh ginger is best. Peel it and use a zester to grate it.
• Brown Sugar – It might sound weird, but adding sweetness to the beef helps with caramelization and balance.
• Hot Sauce – Use your favourite bottled hot sauce.
• Rice Vinegar
• Salt and Ground Black Pepper
• Dried Red Chili Flakes – You can omit these if you want a mild version.

Remaining Ingredients Needed:

• Rice Cakes – unlike the crispy round snack cake here in North America, Korean rice cakes are prepared with short-grain rice flour and pressed into cylinders. You can also find them sold as small disks a little larger in diameter than a 25-cent coin. Any Asian market will stock them, most likely in the freezer section, but because of their increasing popularity, you can find them at large grocery chains as well.
• Store-Bought Ramen Noodles – Buy packets that you prefer to eat. You will use the noodles and the seasoning packets in this recipe.
• Soft-Boiled Eggs – These are optional but are very traditionally served with this type of dish. Get the recipe here.
• Green Onions – Thinly sliced for garnish and flavour.
• Toasted Sesame Seeds – For garnish.
• Chili Crunch Oil – Optional.

HOW TO MAKE FIRECRACKER BEEF RAMEN NOODLES

To prepare the beef add it and the olive oil to a large skillet. Over medium heat, cook the ground beef until no pink colour remains. This should take about 7-8 minutes. Stir often. Next, add the garlic and ginger. Stir into the beef and cook for 2 minutes. Add the brown sugar, hot sauce, vinegar, salt, ground black pepper, and dried red chili flakes. Stir well into the beef and cook for an additional 4-5 minutes, stirring often.

In the meantime, place the rice cakes into a skillet and cover with water. Over medium-high heat, bring to a boil and cook for 2-3 minutes or until they are soft and plump. Strain and set the rice cakes aside. Next, prepare the packages of ramen as per the instructions on the package. Once the ramen is cooked, add the rice cakes back to the skillet and stir to combine. Ladle the ramen and rice cakes into bowls and top with the prepared ground beef and a soft-boiled egg. Garnish with some toasted sesame seeds and freshly sliced green onions. Serve immediately.

HOW TO TOAST SESAME SEEDS

To be perfectly honest, this applies to any nuts or seeds, not just sesame seeds. If you are not familiar with toasted sesame seeds, then please try it just once. You will probably never revert to using untoasted sesame seeds in your cooking or baking again! I have tried using non-stick frying pans for toasting, but nothing works as well as a stainless steel pan. You could use a cast iron pan, but since they get very hot and retain heat so well, it’s easier to burn the seeds.

See the frying pan in this picture? That’s the exact one that I use all the time. I’m not suggesting you run out and buy this same cookware set, but I wanted you to see the pan – remember, do not use non-stick if possible. You’ll get better results with plain stainless steel.

So, unlike most cooking where you’re required to preheat first, you don’t want to apply that same rule to toasting seeds. Add the seeds to a cold pan. Place the pan on the burner and turn the heat on – no higher than medium and probably even less if using a gas burner.

Keep the seeds moving about. I use a rubber spatula. Once you start to smell that warm and toasty aromatic smell, pay close attention. The seeds will take on a slightly golden colour. Don’t let them get too dark. Once you’re satisfied, immediately remove them from the hot pan and transfer them to a dinner plate where they can be spread out to cool.

WANT TO MAKE IT VEGETARIAN?

If you use store-bought vegetarian crumbles like Gardein, Morning Star, or Beyond Meat, you can treat them all just like the ground beef. You will not need to fry them until the pink is gone, but heat them through just the same. Read the instructions on the package. Other than that, you can follow the recipe exactly as written.

If, however, you want to use textured vegetable protein in a dry version, you can do that as well. I have been using the dry format much more lately. It’s not only cheaper, but it has less additives. We purchase it from Good Rebel in Toronto. The only thing differently you need to do is to add 1 cup of the product to the skillet with the olive oil and 1 cup of water. Once the water evaporates, continue with the recipe as written. Easy right!?

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down below the recipe card to find my Follow Me on Social Media box and never miss another recipe!