Beef Shawarma Ramen Bowl
Shawarma is street food poetry. It's spiced beef sliced thin off a vertical spit, tucked into pita with pickles and tahini, and eaten standing up while trying not to let the sauce drip on your shirt. The spices are warm and complex, the meat is tender and charred, and the whole thing tastes like you're eating in a Middle Eastern market instead of on a corner in whatever city you happen to be in. Putting those same flavors over ramen noodles is the kind of fusion move that makes traditionalists nervous and everyone else hungry. The beef gets marinated in cumin, coriander, garlic, and all the good stuff, then seared until it's got crispy edges. The tahini sauce drizzles over everything like liquid velvet, and the pickled turnips add that bright, tangy crunch that keeps the whole bowl from getting too heavy. It's bold, it's aromatic, and it's proof that ramen can go anywhere if you let it.
Cumin blooms in oil—beef chars with ancient spices—tahini cools the burn.
Let Me Tell You...
The first shawarma I ever ate was from a food cart in Brooklyn at three in the morning, and it changed my entire understanding of what street food could be.
I was drunk, hungry, and desperate, which is the ideal state for discovering great food.
The guy running the cart shaved beef off a massive rotating spit, piled it into pita bread, and drowned it in tahini and hot sauce before wrapping it in foil and handing it to me like he was passing me the secret to life.
I ate it while walking home, and by the time I finished, I was sober enough to realize I needed to learn how to make this at home.
The spices need time to penetrate the meat.
I started making shawarma at home using flank steak because I didn't have a vertical spit and also because I'm not insane.
I'd marinate the beef in cumin, coriander, garlic, paprika, and a little lemon juice, then slice it thin and sear it in a screaming-hot pan until the edges got crispy and charred.
The smell that filled my kitchen was intoxicating, all warm spices and caramelized meat, and I'd eat it straight from the pan with pita bread and a jar of tahini.
It was good, but it always felt like it needed something more to make it a full meal instead of just a snack I ate standing at the stove.
Thin slices cook fast and stay tender.
One night, I had leftover shawarma beef and no pita bread, so I cooked up some ramen noodles and figured I'd just toss them together.
I made a quick tahini sauce by whisking tahini with lemon juice, garlic, and a little water until it was smooth and pourable, then drizzled it over the noodles and piled the beef on top.
I added pickled turnips because they're a classic shawarma topping and also because I had a jar in my fridge that needed using.
The whole thing came together in less time than it would've taken to order delivery, and when I took the first bite, I knew I'd stumbled onto something good.
Add water a little at a time until it's silky.
The beef was spiced and charred, the tahini was creamy and nutty, and the pickled turnips added this bright, vinegary crunch that cut through all the richness.
The noodles soaked up the tahini and the beef juices, turning into these glossy, flavorful strands that tasted like the Middle East had a conversation with Japan and they both agreed it was a good idea.
I topped it with fresh parsley and a sprinkle of sumac, because if you're going to commit to fusion, you might as well go all the way.
It's the kind of bowl that makes you feel like you're eating something familiar and completely new at the same time, and that's the best kind of food there is.
Ingredients
- 2 packages ramen noodles (discard seasoning packets)
- 1 lb flank steak, thinly sliced against the grain
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 3 tablespoons olive oil (divided)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 4 cups beef broth (preferably low-sodium)
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 2 tablespoons water (for tahini sauce)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/4 cup pickled turnips, sliced
- 1 teaspoon sumac (for garnish)
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
Preparation
- In a shallow dish, combine the cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, garlic powder, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, 2 tablespoons olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper. Add the thinly sliced flank steak and toss to coat evenly. Let marinate for at least 30 minutes at room temperature, or up to 2 hours in the refrigerator.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the tahini, minced garlic, 2 tablespoons water, and a pinch of salt until smooth and pourable. Add more water if needed to reach a drizzle consistency. Set aside.
- Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet or wok over high heat. Add the marinated beef in batches (don't overcrowd the pan) and sear for 2-3 minutes per side until charred and cooked through. Remove from heat and set aside.
- In a medium pot, bring the beef broth to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Cook for 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and black pepper as needed.
- While the broth simmers, cook the ramen noodles according to package instructions until just tender. Drain and set aside.
- Divide the cooked ramen noodles between two serving bowls. Ladle a small amount of hot broth over the noodles (not too much, as this is more of a dry noodle bowl).
- Top each bowl with the seared shawarma beef, a generous drizzle of tahini sauce, pickled turnips, fresh parsley, and a sprinkle of sumac.
- Serve immediately with extra tahini sauce on the side.