Quick and Easy Keto Ramen
Originally, I wanted to do a fully traditional and time consuming ramen dish similar to what you’d find in a ramen shop. However, I just decided that since most Americans are accustomed to instant ramen, I would make something more similar to that: quick and easy. It’s possible I’ll do a more in-depth traditional dish in the future, but for now we’ll keep it cheap and simple.
Nutrition
- Net Carbs: 9g
- Total Carbohydrates: 12g
- Fiber: 3g
Ramen in a nutshell
Ramen is becoming increasingly popular with shops popping up all over the place. Regardless, most of us originally associated ramen noodles with the cheap baggies of dry noodles that college students eat daily. Ramen is a traditional Japanese soup dish with countless variations. It’s usually prepared with a pork-based, fish-based, or miso flavored soups. Instant noodles came around in 1958 and started popping up all over the world as a cheap and fast meal solution.
Why ramen is perfect for the keto diet
One of the biggest issues people commonly have when switching to a ketogenic or low-carb diet is that they’re suddenly getting a lot less electrolytes. This is what causes the ever-common “keto-flu”. However, a solution that most people have to that is drinking broth that’s packed with sodium. I was never truly bold enough to just drink broth from the box multiple times a week, but instead I’d just have broth-based dishes like egg drop soup. This allows you to still get some additional nutritional value and protein along with those electrolytes your body is craving.
The ramen “noodle” options and additional toppings
While ramen, being a noodle dish, is naturally heavy on the carbs, you can substitute that with a keto-friendly alternative. A single block of oriental flavor ramen noodles racks up a whopping 50g of net carbs. Luckily, there are all sorts of variations of what you can use. Here I’ll be using zucchini noodles or Shirataki noodles. In addition to having the option of what noodle to use, you’ve always got options when it comes to the flavors you put in your dish. That’s what makes ramen such a fun recipe to make and allows you to get a little creative. For this recipe, we’ll go simple with pork, soft-boiled eggs, and scallions.
Recommended Tools and Ingredients
Quick and Simple Keto Ramen
While it's not quite instant noodles, this ramen won't be taking you all day to make and prepare. Low-carb and perfect for people looking for electrolytes on the ketogenic diet.
Ingredients
Soup base
- 4 cups Bone broth
- 4 cups Chicken broth
- 5 Whole zucchini Noodled
Tare – Seasoning Sauce
- 1 tbsp Vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup Soy sauce
- 1/2 cup Sake
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Garlic powder
- 1 tsp Sesame seeds optional
Toppings
- 5 Eggs
- 2 stalks Scallions
- 2 lb Pork tenderloin
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 400°. Begin by taking a few thin slices of the raw pork tenderloin in a small saucepan with vegetable oil. Cook on medium high to crisp up the pork and create a fond in the bottom of the pan.
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Once the fond forms, add in soy sauce, sake, salt, garlic powder, and optional sesame seeds. Bring sauce to a boil and cook 3-4 minutes to cook off the alcohol in the sake. Remove from heat.
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Lightly oil a baking pan, and place the whole tenderloin in the dish. Spoon about a tablespoon of the tare sauce over the pork, season with salt and pepper. Place pork in 400° oven and cook for 18-20 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 145°.
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In a large pot, combine the bone broth and chicken broth. Bring to a rolling boil on high heat.
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Place eggs in the pot, start a timer for 6 1/2 minutes. Add in zucchini noodles.
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After eggs have boiled for 6 1/2 minutes, remove them immediately and place into an ice bath to prevent further cooking. Remove broth from heat. Remove the shells from from eggs once they've cooled.
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To serve: spoon a ladle/4 tbsp pour of the tare into each bowl. Add in your hot broth mixture with noodles. Top with one soft boiled egg, green onions/scallions, and slices of tenderloin (approx 4 oz servings of pork). Eat hot.
