📺 Watch How to Make This Spicy Ramen

Bold, spicy, and tingly! This spicy ramen brings serious heat and flavor from Sichuan! Perfect for those who crave a fiery bowl of noodles. 🔥🍜🔥

Spicy Ramen, Sichuan Style 🔥🍜🔥

The first time I had this ramen was in Taipei, Taiwan—and from the very first bite, I knew I had to recreate it at home. 🌶️ My tongue went numb, my lips tingled, but I couldn’t stop eating. I never expected to find such a bold, unforgettable bowl of ramen in Taiwan, but there it was—fiery, rich, and packed with flavor.

As soon as I got home, I started testing ways to bring that same unforgettable heat and depth to my kitchen. Here’s my take on that electrifying bowl that stole my heart (and slightly scorched my taste buds!).

Ramen recipes can be a bit intimidating to make at home—they often seem complicated or time-consuming. But don’t worry, this one is totally doable. So let’s dive right in!

First things first—we need to start with the broth. Ramen broth usually takes time to build that rich, deep flavor, but trust me, it’s worth it.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil—enough to fully cover the pork bones. Carefully drop the bones into the boiling water and blanch for about 10 minutes. This step helps remove any impurities, bone bits, and residue for a cleaner-tasting broth.

Don’t worry—you’re not losing any flavor here, just the stuff we don’t want!

Meanwhile, let’s get the aromatic veggies going. Preheat your broiler to high (550°F).

Place the leek, ginger, and garlic on a large baking sheet, then slide it onto the top rack of your oven. Broil for about 5 minutes. Don’t worry if some parts get a little burnt—that’s exactly what we want! The char adds a beautiful smoky depth to the broth.

Now, drain the pork bones and discard the water. Rinse each bone under cold running water to wash off any remaining bits. Give the pot a quick rinse as well, then place the clean pork bones back into the pot.

Add the charred vegetables along with the rest of the ingredients for the ramen broth into the pot.

• Chinese whole cardamom
• licorice root
• medium/large piece of rock sugar or regular sugar
• shaoxing wine
• chickens tock
• cold water

Cover the pot and bring it to a boil. Once it starts boiling, reduce the heat to medium and let it simmer for 3 hours. Try not to open the lid—just let it work its magic!

To prepare the chashu, season the pork belly with salt and pepper, then sear all four sides in a dry pan until golden brown.

After 3 hours of boiling the broth, it’s time to add the seared pork belly into the broth. Cook the pork until it’s tender and fully cooked in the broth, about 1 hour 30 minutes. 

Meanwhile, let’s make tare (sauce)! 

Combine chili oil, oyster sauce, gohcugaru Korean red pepper flakes (or paprika), sichuan peppercorn powder, chopped garlic, shaoxing wine (or sake), salt, and water in a saucepan.

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Bring it to a gentle boil over medium-high heat. Then reduce the heat to medium and let it simmer for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring frequently so the sauce doesn’t stick to the bottom. Remove from heat and let it cool.

When the pork belly is done cooking, turn off the heat and remove it from the broth. Let it cool slightly until you can handle it, then cut into 1-inch pieces. You can brush the pork with chili oil for extra color, or sear it again if you prefer a crispier texture. I skipped the searing because I wanted mine to stay silky and tender—just like the one I had in Taiwan.

Strain the broth into a large mixing bowl or container using a fine-mesh strainer. Discard the aromatic vegetables and spices, but don’t toss the pork bones and meat—they’re still full of flavor and perfect to enjoy on the side.

Unless you’re making 10 bowls of ramen right now, store the soup, pork belly chashu, and tare in the refrigerator—they’ll keep for up to 7 days. If you’d like to save the soup longer, freeze it in an airtight, freezer-safe container. It’ll stay good for up to 30 days.

Let’s assemble a bowl of ramen!
Bring a large pot of water to a boil—we’ll use it to blanch the bean sprouts and cook the ramen noodles. At the same time, heat up one portion of the broth (or more, if you’re making extra bowls) in a separate pot.

Blanch the bean sprouts for about 2 minutes, then remove and drain. Set them aside. In the same boiling water, cook the ramen noodles according to the package instructions.

I like to use fresh ramen noodles whenever I can—they just hit differently! You can usually find fresh or frozen ramen noodles at your local Japanese or Chinese grocery store. But no worries if not—dried noodles work just fine too!

While the noodles are cooking, add 2 to 3 tablespoons of tare into a serving bowl. Pour in the hot ramen broth and stir well to combine—it’ll create that deeply seasoned, rich base for your ramen.

Drain the cooked ramen noodles thoroughly—extra water can dilute the rich broth and weaken the flavor. Gently add the noodles to the bowl, stir to coat them evenly in the broth, and neatly arrange them in the center.

Top your ramen with blanched bean sprouts, chopped green onions, baby corn, tender slices of pork belly chashu, a drizzle of black garlic oil, and finish with a sprinkle of Sichuan peppercorn powder and sesame seeds.

Enjoy! 

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