Hanoi Ramen: A Healthy Ramen Soup

A bowl of the healthy ramen soup, Hanoi Ramen. — A bowl of the healthy ramen soup, Hanoi Ramen

About Ramen Soup

This Hanoi Ramen recipe is definitely not your old roomate's ramen, but it's almost as easy to prepare! Times have changed, because when I was in college, the very affordable little packages of just-add-hot-water was the ramen we ate. Sometimes we got fancy and added an egg to our ramen noodle soup.

Today, whether you’re looking for pho or ramen, inexpensive Asian noodle soup restaurants dot college towns, big cities, and even the suburbs. In other words, affordable ramen noodle soups are easy to find.

Ramen vs. Pho

There’s actually quite a bit of difference between pho and ramen. The main ingredients for the Vietnamese soup, pho, are broth, rice noodles, and sliced meat, usually beef.

Bean sprouts, lime, and fresh herbs like cilantro and scallions are served on the side so that you can use them to top your Vietnamese noodle soup.

Pho is popular throughout Vietnam. Northerners think the best pho is in Hanoi, where this soup originated, but pho is also one of the must-try dishes in Saigon. As you can imagine, there are some regional differences between the food of Hanoi and that of Saigon—and a good amount of rivalry between these foodie cities.

The Vietnamese soup, Pho. — The Vietnamese soup, pho

Ramen, on the other hand, is a popular Japanese dish that was imported from China, and varies much more. Popular bases for ramen broth include miso, shoyu (soy sauce), shio (salt), and tonkotsu (pork).

Ramen noodles can be curly or flat and vary in thickness, but they are thinner than udon noodles. Ramen noodles are made of wheat and more like what we would consider a typical noodle. In contrast, pho noodles are translucent and made from rice flour.

In addition, ramen will usually have an egg and a seaweed component as well.

So, ramen or pho? I love them both, but when one eats them in a restaurant, they can be quite fatty, high carb, and pack a lot of calories. So, I combined the two noodle soups and made some adjustments to create a healthy ramen soup: Hanoi Ramen!

And the best part is that preparing this tasty soup will take less than an hour from start to finish! With an easy ramen broth, easy-to-find ingredients, and great flavor, this homemade ramen is a winner!

A bowl of traditional ramen soup. — A bowl of traditional ramen soup

What makes Hanoi Ramen a healthy ramen soup?

The biggest difference between my healthy version of ramen and what you’d find in a typical ramen shop is the fat content. In fact, in both traditional ramen recipes and pho recipes, fatty meats are most often used.

This healthy ramen recipe uses ground turkey. However, you can substitute shrimp, chicken breast, or even lean steak (I do it all the time) and still have a lower fat content than what you’ll find in traditional versions of pho or ramen.

What could be better than low-calorie ramen?

I also add more vegetables to the soup and decrease the portion of ramen noodles to help balance the meal. In the ramen vs. pho debate, I do pick ramen noodles over pho noodles. But for really healthy ramen noodles, you can substitute soba noodles or even whole grain spaghetti.

If you require gluten-free ramen, look for gluten-free soba noodles. Otherwise, brown rice pasta will work as gluten-free ramen noodles.

In regards to the soft-boiled egg in some traditional ramen dishes, I prefer to use just half an egg to cut down on the level of fat and cholesterol. But even this reduced amount of egg adds to the texture, flavor, and presentation of our healthy Hanoi Ramen.

Ingredients to prep for the healthy ramen soup, Hanoi Ramen. — Ingredients to prep for the healthy ramen soup, Hanoi Ramen

Hanoi Healthy Ramen Soup Recipe

Servings: 8

Ingredients
2 pounds lean ground turkey
1 tablespoon ginger powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
12 cups fat-free chicken broth
1 medium red onion, chopped
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
2 tablespoons ginger, minced
1½ teaspoons Chinese 5-Spice powder
6–8 baby bok choy, cut in 1” slices
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
4 large carrots, sliced thin
1 pound ramen noodles
4 eggs (optional)
½ cup scallions, chopped
½ cup cilantro leaves

Making-Hanoi Ramen-noodle-soup.JPG — Healthy Hanoi Ramen before noodles have been added

Instructions
1. Mix the ginger powder and garlic powder into the ground turkey.
2. In a large pot, heat the olive oil and cook the ground turkey.
3. When the turkey is about halfway cooked through, add the chicken broth, red onion, minced garlic, minced ginger, and Chinese 5-Spice powder.
4. Bring the broth to a boil and add baby bok choy, mushrooms, and carrots. Bring soup back to a boil, then simmer for approximately 15 to 20 minutes.
5. While your soup is simmering, bring a separate pot of water to a boil for the eggs.
6. Add eggs when water boils and cook for 8 minutes. Then run under cold water and peel.
7. Add ramen noodles about the same time as you put the eggs in boiling water.
8. Gently stir the soup until the ramen noodles are cooked.
9. Plate Healthy Ramen Soup in bowls; in each bowl, add ½ of an egg on top.
10. Top with scallions and cilantro.

Tips for making Healthy Ramen Soup

1. Any type of noodle (udon, soba, etc.) or pasta (spaghetti, bucatini, etc.) can substitute for ramen noodles.
2. If you don’t have Chinese 5 Spice, you can substitute allspice.
3. If you do substitute lean steak for the ground turkey, substitute beef broth for chicken broth.

Meal Prep for Hanoi Ramen Soup

1. Preparing this soup ahead of time is easy. Do everything but heat the noodles and boil your eggs ahead of time. Toward the end of reheating your soup before your meal, add your noodles to your soup and boil your eggs in a separate pot.
2. Like most soups, this one freezes well, so don't be afraid to make a big pot.