Pork Meatballs and Ramen Noodles
My pork ramen recipe doesn’t hold back! It’s got spicy, sweet and sour pork meatballs, tender stir-fried vegetables, and a rich and savory broth with noodles. It has everything, all wrapped up in mouthwatering Chinese spices and ready to go in 30 minutes or less.
Ramen is such an interesting dish. It can range from expensive and upscale to a college student’s meal. Either way, it’s delicious!
My pork ramen recipe falls somewhere in between. I use easy, accessible ingredients like regular instant ramen noodles and a few veggies. But I also have a few tricks up my sleeve — not the least of which are sweet and sour Chinese meatballs.
My secret to these succulent meatballs is poaching them in the broth. Not only does this keep the meat juicy, but it infuses the chicken stock with the sweet and savory flavor of the pork. Talk about a win-win!
For more of a BBQ topping for your ramen, try char siu — it’s very popular in Japan.
Looking for side dishes? Try refreshing Japanese cucumber salad (or sunomono), shumai dumplings, or crunchy and creamy crab rangoons!
Table of Contents
Fresh ramen noodles vs dried
If you can I highly recommend using fresh ramen noodles if you can find them at a local Asian market. If not the quintessential college meal using dried works, too.
(Be sure to check the recipe card for a full list of ingredients and quantities)
- Pork Meatballs – These plump meatballs are made with ground pork, mixed with egg and panko breadcrumbs, and flavored with some salty, spicy Chinese seasonings:
- Soy Sauce – A self-explanatory seasoning.
- Garlic Powder & Ginger Paste – These two work together to create a sharp, spicy, characteristically Chinese taste to this ramen with meatballs.
- Sesame Seeds – For a bit of crunch!
- White Pepper – If you want to create an authentic pork ramen recipe, or really any Chinese recipe, use white peppercorns rather than black.
- Chinese Five Spice – Use this blend to quickly and easily achieve the 5 Chinese culinary flavors — salty, savory, sweet, sour, and bitter.
- Chicken Broth – Feel free to use stock instead.
- Vegetables – I add green onions, zucchini, yellow squash, and a carrot to my meatballs and ramen. Other popular vegetables include mushrooms, bok choy or spinach, broccoli, celery, and bean sprouts.
- Ramen Noodles – Use the noodles that come in packs of instant ramen (you’ll need 5 or 6 of them!) or buy a pack of dried or fresh noodles.
- Hoisin Sauce – Drizzle this thick, salty, syrupy sauce as the perfect finishing touch. Want something spicier? Use gochujang!
- Make Meatballs. Add the meatball ingredients to a bowl and mix with your hands. Roll into 20 small meatballs and set aside.
- Slice Vegetables. Use a sharp knife or mandolin to thinly slice the green onions, squash, and carrot. Set aside.
- Poach Meatballs. Pour the broth into a wok and heat on high. Once warmed, add half of the meatballs and poach for 4 – 5 minutes, turning occasionally to make sure all sides cook through. Transfer the cooked meatballs to a large bowl and poach the remaining meatballs. Transfer these to the bowl with the other cooked meatballs and pour all of the broth from the wok into the bowl as well.
- Stir Fry Vegetables. Dry the wok with a paper towel. Add the vegetable oil, bring to temperature, and add the sliced vegetables. Stir fry for 2 minutes. Salt lightly.
- Add Noodles & Cook. Return the broth and meatballs to the wok with the vegetables, stirring to incorporate. Add the noodles and cook for 4 minutes until softened and warmed through.
- Serve. Divide the meatballs and ramen into 5 bowls for serving, top with sesame seeds and hoisin sauce, and enjoy!
Recommended Tools
- Knife or Mandolin – To thinly slice the vegetables. If you’re using a mandolin, use the guard and be very careful!
- Wok – A good wok is crucial for preparing this pork ramen recipe at its finest. It’s a multipurpose kitchen workhorse that lets you transition from poaching to stir-frying to boiling with no problems.
Storing and Reheating
Ramen with meatballs isn’t the best leftover — enjoy fresh and hot if at all possible!
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container and eat within 5 days. Reheat on the stovetop, stirring until heated through, or in the microwave. If microwaving, do so at 50% power to prevent the meatballs and ramen from drying out.
Chicken and pork are probably the most popular meats. I tend to go with a pork ramen recipe because it’s rich, fatty, and savory. It’s the main flavor in tonkotsu, one of the most popular types of ramen.
Making ramen with meatballs might be a little untraditional, but you can use inexpensive, accessible ground meat while keeping that protein moist and tender!
You can use the noodles that come in any pack that you can get in the grocery store, like Maruchan or Top Ramen.
If you can find fresh noodles, definitely use them instead! They’re usually sold in 1 lb packages, which is just enough for this pork ramen recipe.
Other popular toppings that I didn’t include in my own pork ramen recipe include seaweed, furikake, more green onions, and even cheese!
Hard-boiled eggs are also extremely popular, as are marinated boiled eggs — sometimes in soy sauce, other times in a concoction of spices like delicious adobo eggs.
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Pork Meatballs and Ramen Noodles
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp ginger paste
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 1/4 tsp Chinese Five Spice
Ramen
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 green onions sliced thin
- 1 zucchini sliced thin
- 1 yellow squash sliced thin
- 1 carrot peeled & sliced into matchsticks
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 cups ramen noodles cooked
Garnish
- 2 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 1 tsp sesame seeds garnish
Instructions
- Mix all meatball ingredients in a bowl and roll into 20 meatballs. Set aside.
- Thinly slice the green onions and vegetables or use a mandolin. Set aside.
- Pour chicken stock in a wok and heat on high. Poach meatballs, 10 at a time, in chicken stock for 4-5 minutes, turning occasionally. Pour any remaining broth from wok in with cooked meatballs. Set aside.
- Wipe the wok dry with paper towel. Add the oil and quickly stir fry vegetables for 2 minutes. Season with salt. Add the noodles, meatballs with remaining broth, tossing to incorporate and cook for 4 minutes until heated through.
- Serve in bowls with a healthy drizzle of hoisin sauce and sesame seeds.
Notes
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
This was delicious! I made it with ground chicken because I couldn’t grind ground pork at the grocery store. Was a bit skeptical about sesame seeds inside meatballs, but trusted the process and was blown away. So good the hubs requested it again for his birthday dinner!
Ahhh, another convert! Love it and reading comments like this. Thanks for being brave and coming back to let me know Julie!