Instant Pot Birria Ramen
This Birria Ramen recipe delivers delicious broth packed with flavor. Served with shredded beef, noodles and a jammy egg, it’s the most comforting soup-season meal.
What is Birria Ramen?
Birria ramen is a combination of two iconic dishes, Birria and Ramen. Birria is a Mexican dish consisting of meat (goat meat, beef, chicken/birria de pollo) that is stewed in a rich broth (consommé) with chiles and aromatics until fall-apart tender. The stew can be served over rice or with tortillas and accompaniments like lime, onion, etc. My chicken birria tacos is another great way to serve birria.
Ramen is a Japanese dish consisting of noodles and a flavorful broth made with soy sauce, miso, dashi and topped with a variety of toppings like pork, nori, Narutomaki (fish cakes), etc.
Ingredients Needed
- Beef. I used oxtail because it gives an incredible richness to the broth but any stewing beef will work. A chuck roast is a great option.
- Aromatics: Onion, garlic cloves, carrot, celery, bay leaves, ground cumin and oregano. Other spices like coriander, chilli powder, whole cloves, cinnamon stick, paprika will all be delicious. I don’t add tomatoes or vinegar to my birria broth but feel free to add to the stew.
- Chiles: I used both dried Guajillo peppers and chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. If you can’t find these, use any dried or smoked chillies that will infuse the broth with flavor. Ancho chiles are also a good option.
- Beef broth/beef stock.
- Salt, black pepper and sugar.
- For the ramen: Ramen noodles, soft-boiled eggs, sliced jalapeños, chopped cilantro and chopped red onion. Other vegetables like cabbage, scallions/spring onion and sliced radish can also be added to the ramen. Serve the ramen with lime wedges for squeezing.
How to make Birria Ramen
Soak the dried guajillo chiles in boiling water for 20 minutes then drain. Sear the oxtail in the Instant Pot on the sauté function until golden brown on all sides. Add all the other Birria ingredients. Seal with the lid then cook on high pressure for 1 hour. Quick release the pressure then remove the meat from the broth. Shred the beef and discard the bones and any excess fat. Blend the birria broth in a blender until smooth then strain through a fine mesh sieve.
To serve, add cooked noodles to large serving bowls and top with the shredded beef. Pour over the birria consommé and garnish with a jammy boiled egg, sliced jalapeño and chopped red onion then serve.
Can I make this without an Instant Pot?
Yes, birria stew is great cooked in a pressure cooker, slow cooker or cooked on the stovetop. Simply sear the beef in a large pot set over medium-high heat then add all the other ingredients and cook over medium-low heat for 3-4 hours until the meat is fork tender and falls off the bone.
Can I make this ahead?
The Birria can be made and kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. To freeze, transfer to freezer bags or containers and freeze for up to 3 months. Ramen leftovers can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, however the noodles will continue absorbing liquid and might become mushy.
Ramen Recipes
I am partnered with Instant Brands South Africa and used my Instant Pot Pro for this recipe.
Instant Pot Birria Ramen
Ingredients
- 4 guajillo chiles
- 2 lb (1kg) oxtail
- 1 onion halved
- 1 whole head of garlic halved
- 1 large carrot roughly chopped
- 2 celery sticks roughly chopped
- 5 bay leaves
- 2 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp cumin
- 4 chipotles in adobo sauce
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- large pinch of sugar
- 6 cups beef broth / beef stock
For the ramen
- 1 lb (500g) ramen noodles
- 4-6 boiled eggs
- sliced jalapeno
- chopped red onion
- finely chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Soak the dried guajillo chiles in boiling water for 20 minutes then drain.
- Set the Instant Pot to the sauté function and season the oxtail generously with salt.
- Sear the meat in a splash of vegetable oil until golden brown on all sides.
- Add the onion, garlic, carrot, celery, bay leaves, oregano and cumin. Drain the chiles and add to the pot with the chipotles and 2 tbsp of adobo sauce.Pour in the beef broth and season with salt, pepper and a large pinch of sugar.
- Seal with the lid then cook on high pressure for 1 hour.
- Quick release the pressure then remove the meat from the broth.
- Shred the beef and discard the bones and any excess fat.
- Blend the birria broth in a blender until smooth then strain through a fine mesh sieve.
- To serve, add cooked noodles to large serving bowls and top with the shredded beef. Pour over the birria consommé and garnish with a jammy boiled egg, sliced jalapeño and chopped red onion then serve.