Cheesy mash with a full bowl of ramen dumped on top of it. It is the sort of thing that either makes immediate sense to you or takes a moment, and either way it is one of the most comforting bowls on the menu. The mash goes underneath, the seasoned noodles go over it, chilli oil and a fried egg finish it, and you eat down through the layers.
The flavour is savoury and cheesy with a chilli warmth over the top, and the texture is the appeal: soft, smooth mash under springy noodles. It is easy and quick — about 40 minutes with no difficult technique — particularly if you already have mash in the fridge. This is our home version of the Ramen Smash from the Mashed Up range at The Cozy Bowl.
Why This Recipe Works
- The mash is made slightly stiffer than usual. A little less milk means it holds its shape as a base rather than spreading out under the weight of the noodles.
- The noodles are dressed, not brothy. A concentrated sauce clinging to the noodles keeps everything defined. Broth would turn the mash into a thin cheesy soup within a minute.
- Two soft textures, one crisp element. Mash and noodles are both soft, so the crispy onions and the frilled edge of the fried egg are doing essential work. Leave them out and the bowl feels one-note.
- Chilli oil against cheese is a genuinely good pairing. The fat in the cheese tempers the heat and the chilli cuts the richness, which is why this works far better than it sounds.
- Building it in a shallow bowl. The mash spread across the base rather than mounded means every forkful gets both layers instead of hitting mash only at the bottom.
Ingredient Notes
Cheesy mash. Make it slightly firmer than normal by holding back about 20 ml of the milk. The full technique, including the steam-drying step that stops mash going watery, is in our cheesy mash recipe. Leftover mash is ideal here.
Ramen noodles. Fresh or frozen for the best chew. Dried nests work well. Instant noodle blocks are fine — bin the sachet.
Crispy chilli oil. The main flavouring on the noodles. Our homemade crispy chilli oil gives you crunchy sediment as well as heat, which is exactly what this bowl needs.
Oyster sauce, soy and mirin. The noodle dressing. Small amounts, mixed in the bowl before the noodles go in.
Cheddar. Mature, in the mash and a little extra scattered on top so it melts against the hot noodles.
Eggs. One per bowl, fried until the white is crisp at the edges and the yolk still runs. The yolk running into the mash is the best part.
Spring onions, crispy onions, sesame seeds. The finish. All three, ideally.
Substitutions and Variations
Add meat. Two or three slices of cooked chicken or beef over the noodles, warmed briefly. Sliced sausage is also excellent and very much in keeping with the rest of the Mashed Up range.
Mild version. Leave out the chilli oil and use a teaspoon of toasted sesame oil plus a pinch of sugar. All the savouriness, none of the heat.
Creamy version. Stir a tablespoon of full-fat soft cheese into the noodle dressing. It becomes silkier and much gentler.
With gravy instead of chilli oil. A ladle of onion gravy over the mash before the noodles go on takes the whole thing in a completely British direction and is surprisingly good. See our onion gravy method.
Ramen egg instead of fried. A halved soy marinated ramen egg looks better and can be made ahead, though you lose the running yolk.
Add vegetables. Sweetcorn, wilted spinach or blanched pak choi all work without changing the timings.
We have not tested vegetarian, vegan or gluten-free versions of this recipe, so we cannot describe any variation as suitable for those diets.
Step-by-Step Guidance
Full method in the card. These are the points to watch.
Making the mash slightly firm
Follow the standard method but hold back around 20 ml of the milk. You want mash that mounds on a spoon and holds a peak rather than settling flat. If you have gone too loose, put it back on a low heat and stir for a couple of minutes to drive off moisture.
Dressing the noodles
Mix the sauce in the bowl first, then tip the hot drained noodles straight in and toss immediately so they absorb it. Glossy and separate, with no liquid pooling. If there is a puddle, lift the noodles out and leave it behind, because that liquid will thin the mash.
The fried egg
Hot pan, thin film of oil, and the white should frill at the edges within seconds. Two to three minutes until the white is set and lacy underneath but the yolk still wobbles. Do not flip.
Building the bowl
Spread the warm mash across the base of a shallow bowl in an even layer rather than piling it up. Scatter a little extra cheddar over it so it melts. Pile the dressed noodles on top, slide the fried egg over them, then finish with chilli oil, spring onions, crispy onions and sesame seeds. Eat straight away, before the crispy onions surrender.
Professional Tips
- Have the mash ready and hot before you cook the noodles. Noodles wait badly; mash sits happily over a pan of simmering water.
- Warm the bowls. There is a lot of surface area here and it loses heat quickly.
- Do not add broth, however tempting. This is the one rule. Dressed noodles only.
- Season the mash properly. It has to hold its own against a chilli oil dressing, so it needs to be well salted and genuinely cheesy.
- Stir the chilli oil jar first. The crunchy sediment at the bottom is the good part and it is what gives the bowl its texture.
- Use a wide shallow bowl. A deep bowl buries the mash and you end up eating noodles for the first half and mash for the second.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Likely cause | Solution | Prevention |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mash turned to soup | Noodles too wet, or broth added | None once assembled | Dress the noodles until no liquid pools; never add broth |
| Mash spread out flat | Made too loose | Return to a low heat and stir 2 minutes to dry it out | Hold back 20 ml of the milk when making the mash |
| Bowl tastes one-note and soft | Crispy onions and egg omitted | Add a scatter of crispy onions | Always include a crisp element and the fried egg |
| Noodles clumped together | Drained and left standing | Toss with a teaspoon of oil | Toss straight into the sauce the moment they are drained |
| Mash bland under the noodles | Under-seasoned or mild cheese | Stir in more cheddar and salt | Use mature cheddar and season the mash to taste before assembling |
| Cheese oily on top of the mash | Mash was too hot when the cheese went in, or reheated hard | Beat in a splash of warm milk | Add cheese off the heat and never let mash bubble |
| Everything lukewarm | Cold bowls and slow assembly | None | Warm the bowls and have the mash hot and ready first |
Serving Suggestions
This is a filling bowl and does not want much beside it. Something sharp and crisp is the right call — a green salad, or crispy onion rings if you want more crunch. A few homemade dumplings on the side turn it into a proper feed.
For a table with options, the sausage and cheesy mash with onion gravy is the mild alternative. To drink, something cold and sweet handles the chilli well — a coconut cloud. Finish with mango sticky rice dream rolls. More in loaded spuds and ramen bowls.
Storage and Reheating
- Do not store assembled. The mash absorbs the noodle sauce and everything becomes one texture.
- Cheesy mash. Cool quickly, cover the surface directly, and refrigerate. Reheat in a pan with a splash of warm milk, stirring until smooth and piping hot. It also freezes well in portions.
- Dressed noodles. Refrigerate in a sealed container. Good cold as a noodle salad, or refresh in a hot dry pan for a minute. Expect a softer chew.
- Fried egg. Cook fresh every time.
- Freezing. Mash only. Noodles and egg do not freeze usefully.
Cool leftovers within two hours, refrigerate promptly and reheat until piping hot throughout, reheating only once. We have not carried out shelf-life testing on this recipe, so use your own judgement on storage periods.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this actually work as a combination?
It does. Mash and noodles are both soft, which sounds like a problem and turns out to be the point — it is the same logic as a chip butty. The chilli oil, the crispy onions and the egg yolk are what tie it together, so do not leave them out.
Do I use broth?
No. This is the most important instruction in the recipe. Dressed noodles only, with no free liquid, or the mash will thin out into a cheesy puddle.
Can I use leftover mash?
Yes, and it is the best use for it. Reheat it in a pan with a splash of warm milk until piping hot and smooth, then use as normal.
What ramen flavour works best?
A chilli oil dressing is the classic version and the contrast with cheese is what makes it. A creamy version with soft cheese stirred in is excellent and gentler, and a plain soy and sesame dressing suits anyone avoiding heat.
Can I use instant noodles?
Yes. Discard the seasoning sachet, cook the block a minute short of the packet time, and dress it with the sauce in this recipe.
Should the mash be hot or warm?
Properly hot. It is the base of the bowl and it has to hold its temperature under the noodles, so warm the bowls too.
Can I add sausage?
Yes, and it is very good. Sliced cooked sausage over the noodles fits the Mashed Up spirit exactly.
PrintRamen Smash: Chilli Oil Ramen over Cheesy Mash
- Total Time40 minutes
- Yield2 bowls 1x
Cheesy mash spread in a shallow bowl and topped with chilli oil dressed ramen noodles, a runny fried egg, crispy onions and spring onions. Soft, savoury and much better than it sounds.
Ingredients
For the firm cheesy mash
- 700 g Maris Piper potatoes, peeled and cut into even 4 cm chunks
- 2 tsp fine sea salt, for the cooking water
- 70 ml whole milk, warmed
- 40 g unsalted butter
- 110 g mature cheddar, coarsely grated
- 1/2 tsp English mustard
- 1/4 tsp ground white pepper
- Fine sea salt, to taste
For the chilli oil noodles
- 150 g fresh ramen noodles, or 100 g dried ramen nests
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 2 tsp oyster sauce
- 1 tsp mirin
- 1 tsp rice vinegar
- 1 to 2 tbsp crispy chilli oil
- 1 small pinch caster sugar
To finish
- 2 large free-range eggs
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil, for frying
- 30 g mature cheddar, extra, coarsely grated
- 2 spring onions, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp crispy fried onions
- 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
- Extra chilli oil, to serve
Instructions
- Put the potato chunks in a pan, cover with cold water by 3 cm, add the salt and bring to the boil. Reduce to a steady simmer and cook for 15 to 18 minutes, until a knife slides in with no resistance.
- Drain thoroughly, return the potatoes to the empty hot pan and set over a low heat for 2 minutes, shaking occasionally, until steam is rising and the surfaces look floury.
- Take off the heat and mash immediately with a ricer or hand masher. Beat in the warmed milk and the butter until smooth, then the mustard and white pepper. Season with salt.
- Off the heat, stir in the 110 g cheddar in two handfuls until fully melted. The mash should be firm enough to hold a peak on a spoon. If it is loose, stir over a low heat for 2 minutes. Cover the surface with buttered paper and keep warm.
- Warm your serving bowls with boiling water, then tip it out.
- Mix the soy sauce, oyster sauce, mirin, rice vinegar, chilli oil and sugar together in a large bowl.
- Cook the noodles in unsalted boiling water, draining 30 seconds before the packet time. Tip them straight into the sauce and toss immediately until glossy and separate. If liquid pools in the bowl, lift the noodles out and leave it behind.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat. Fry the eggs for 2 to 3 minutes, until the whites are set and crisp at the edges but the yolks still wobble. Do not flip.
- Spread the hot mash across the base of each warmed shallow bowl in an even layer rather than a mound. Scatter over the extra cheddar so it melts.
- Pile the dressed noodles on top of the mash, then slide a fried egg over the noodles.
- Finish with a drizzle of chilli oil, the spring onions, crispy fried onions and sesame seeds. Serve immediately.
Notes
The mistake to avoid: Adding broth, or leaving the noodles wet. Any free liquid thins the mash into a cheesy puddle within a minute. Dressed noodles only, and if there is a puddle in the mixing bowl, leave it there.
Make the mash slightly firm: Hold back about 20 ml of the milk compared with standard cheesy mash. You want it to hold a peak so it stays a defined layer under the noodles.
Make ahead: The mash can be made up to 2 days ahead and reheated in a pan with a splash of warm milk. Leftover mash is ideal for this dish. Noodles and egg must be made to order.
Variations: Leave out the chilli oil and use 1 tsp toasted sesame oil plus a pinch of sugar for a mild version. Stir 1 tbsp full-fat soft cheese into the dressing for a creamy version. Ladle onion gravy over the mash instead of chilli oil. Add 2 to 3 slices of warmed cooked chicken, beef or sausage over the noodles. Use a halved soy marinated ramen egg instead of a fried one.
Equipment: A large saucepan, a colander, a potato ricer or masher, a second pan for the noodles, a frying pan and wide shallow serving bowls.
Allergen note: Always check the label of every ingredient you use, as recipes and allergen information can change. People with food allergies or intolerances must also consider cross-contamination.
Take particular care with the milk, butter and cheddar (milk), mustard (mustard), noodles (wheat, egg), soy sauce (soya, wheat), oyster sauce (molluscs, wheat), chilli oil (sesame, soya, sometimes peanuts), the eggs, sesame seeds (sesame) and crispy fried onions (often wheat flour). Allergen information must be confirmed by The Cozy Bowl before it is relied upon.
This is a home recipe inspired by a dish or flavour available at The Cozy Bowl. It is not the restaurant’s exact commercial recipe.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Asian-inspired
Comfort Stacked on Comfort
If you have mash in the fridge, this is a fifteen-minute dinner that tastes like you tried much harder. And if you would rather have it built for you, the Ramen Smash is on the Mashed Up menu whenever you order from The Cozy Bowl — 172 Biscot Road, Luton.