Javanese Spiced Ramen with Tempeh, Soft Egg & Sambal Butter

A gloriously chaotic, beautiful collision of Japanese ramen and Javanese soul food. A rich, lemongrass-and-galangal-kissed broth, deeply savory with kecap manis and miso, cradles springy ramen noodles, crispy caramelized tempeh, a jammy soft-boiled egg, and a sizzling knob of sambal butter melting over the top. It tastes like a bowl of pure comfort that went on a backpacking trip through Central Java and came back speaking Japanese.

Recipe details

Yield
2 people
Prep time
20 minutes
Cook time
35 minutes
Total time
55 minutes total

Ingredients

  • 2 portions (about 300g) fresh ramen noodles (dried ramen works fine too)
  • 200g tempeh, cut into thin 1cm slices
  • 2 large eggs (for soft-boiling)
  • 900ml chicken or vegetable stock (use vegetable stock to keep it vegetarian)
  • 2 lemongrass stalks, bruised and cut into 4cm pieces
  • 3cm piece galangal, peeled and thinly sliced (fresh ginger works as a substitute)
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 4 large shallots, 2 thinly sliced for frying, 2 roughly chopped for broth
  • 3 tbsp kecap manis (Indonesian sweet soy sauce — find it at Asian grocery stores)
  • 2 tbsp white miso paste
  • 2 tbsp sambal oelek (adjust to your heat tolerance)
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened (for the sambal butter)
  • 100ml coconut milk (adds a gorgeous Javanese creaminess)
  • 3 tbsp neutral cooking oil (vegetable or sunflower oil)
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce (for marinating tempeh)
  • a large handful fresh bean sprouts
  • 3 spring onions (scallions), thinly sliced
  • 1 fresh red chili, thinly sliced (optional garnish)
  • 2 tbsp crispy fried shallots (store-bought is perfectly fine, no shame here)
  • 1 tsp fish sauce (skip for vegetarian version)
  • 1 lime, cut into wedges (for serving)

Instructions

  1. Slice 200g of tempeh into thin 1cm slices. In a small bowl, combine 1 tbsp soy sauce and 1 tbsp of kecap manis. Toss the tempeh slices in this marinade and set aside for at least 10 minutes while you get everything else going.
  2. Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, gently lower 2 large eggs into the water using a spoon. Cook for exactly 6 minutes 30 seconds for a jammy, runny-but-set yolk.
  3. While the eggs cook, prepare an ice bath — fill a bowl with cold water and a handful of ice cubes. The moment the eggs are done, transfer them immediately to the ice bath and leave them to cool completely. Set aside.
  4. While the eggs cool, bruise 2 lemongrass stalks by bashing them with the back of a knife, then cut into 4cm pieces. Peel and thinly slice a 3cm piece of galangal. Roughly chop 2 of the shallots. Mince 4 garlic cloves.
  5. Heat 1 tbsp of neutral oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the roughly chopped shallots, lemongrass, and galangal. Stir and cook for about 3 minutes until fragrant and slightly softened.
  6. While the aromatics soften, thinly slice the remaining 2 shallots and set them aside — these are going into the frying pan for your crispy shallot topping. Also slice 3 spring onions and 1 red chili and set aside for garnish.
  7. Add the minced garlic to the broth pot and stir for 1 minute until golden and fragrant. Pour in 900ml of stock and bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer. Let it bubble away for 15 minutes to draw out all that lemongrass and galangal magic.
  8. While the broth simmers, cook the tempeh. Heat 2 tbsp of neutral oil in a non-stick or cast-iron pan over medium-high heat. Add the marinated tempeh slices in a single layer. Fry for 3–4 minutes per side until deeply golden and caramelized. Remove from pan and set aside.
  9. While the tempeh fries, mix together the sambal butter: combine 2 tbsp softened unsalted butter with 2 tbsp sambal oelek in a small bowl. Mash together with a fork until fully combined. Set aside.
  10. After 15 minutes, strain the broth through a sieve into a clean pot, discarding the lemongrass and galangal solids. Return the strained broth to medium-low heat.
  11. In a small bowl, whisk together 2 tbsp white miso paste with a ladleful of the hot broth until smooth, then pour the miso mixture back into the pot. Add 2 tbsp kecap manis, 1 tsp fish sauce (if using), and 100ml coconut milk. Stir gently and taste. Adjust salt or kecap manis as needed. Keep warm on low heat — do NOT let it boil after adding the miso.
  12. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook 2 portions of ramen noodles according to the packet instructions (usually 1–3 minutes for fresh, 4–5 for dried). Drain and divide between two large bowls.
  13. Peel the cooled soft-boiled eggs and slice each one in half lengthwise — reveal that gorgeous jammy yolk!
  14. Ladle the hot Javanese miso broth generously over the noodles in each bowl. Arrange the crispy tempeh slices on top. Add a small handful of fresh bean sprouts to each bowl. Place the two egg halves, yolk-side up, in each bowl.
  15. Scatter over the sliced spring onions, red chili, and crispy fried shallots. Drop a tablespoon of sambal butter right in the center of each bowl so it melts into the broth like a spicy, buttery lava flow. Serve immediately with lime wedges on the side.