Ingredients
Scale
- 1 slice bacon, chopped into small pieces
- 1 package instant ramen noodles (curly flash-fried type), seasoning packet discarded
- 1 cup water
- 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for topping
- Black pepper to taste
- Scallion greens, thinly sliced, for garnish
Instructions
- Cook the bacon. Place the chopped bacon in a small skillet over medium heat. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the fat has rendered and the bacon is crispy. Remove the pan from the heat and set it aside, keeping the bacon fat in the pan.
- Boil the ramen. Bring 1 cup of water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the ramen noodles and cook for 2 minutes, just until loosened and tender. Do not drain all the water — reserve about 2 tablespoons of the starchy cooking liquid before draining.
- Make the sauce base. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolk and 1 tablespoon of Parmesan. Add the reserved ramen cooking water one teaspoon at a time, whisking constantly. This tempers the yolk so it won’t scramble when it hits the noodles.
- Combine everything off heat. Add the drained noodles to the skillet with the bacon and rendered fat. Pour the egg yolk mixture over the noodles and toss quickly and vigorously with tongs or chopsticks for about 30 seconds, until the sauce clings to every strand and looks glossy. The residual heat does all the work here — keep the pan off the burner.
- Season and plate. Grind black pepper generously over the top, add a bit more Parmesan, and scatter sliced scallion greens over everything. Serve immediately while the sauce is still silky.
Notes
- Use the egg yolk at room temperature so it incorporates more smoothly into the warm noodles.
- Flash-fried curly ramen noodles hold the sauce much better than flat rice noodles or straight ramen; the texture matters here.
- The bacon fat in the pan is flavor, so don’t wipe it out before adding the noodles.
- This recipe doesn’t scale up well for a crowd since the carbonara sauce is best made fresh and in small batches; make individual portions instead.
- Eat it immediately. Ramen carbonara doesn’t sit well and the sauce gets gummy as it cools.
- If you don’t have Parmesan, Pecorino Romano works as a substitute and adds a slightly sharper bite.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Pasta Fusion
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Fusion (Italian + Japanese)
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 650 kcal
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 900 mg
- Fat: 35 g
- Saturated Fat: 14 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 18 g
- Trans Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 60 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 22 g
- Cholesterol: 180 mg