Your Most Delicious & Creative Ways to Eat Instant Ramen
Last week, I asked you all about your favorite ways to spice up the infinitely varied instant ramen, and you, my friends, did not disappoint.
There were so many good and interesting ideas – I mean very interesting ones – and I felt a little sad that I could not implement all of them. Below you will find what I have done and I hope you find each dish as enjoyable as I do.
Ramen with mushrooms and bacon
Bacon and Mushrooms are two of the best culinary add-ons available at the grocery store – using them almost feels like cheating – so this suggestion from TheReturnofAlessar immediately caught my attention:
To raise the dish a few notches, I like to put 1 strip of bacon in the pot before boiling the water and cook it well, stirring occasionally to lightly grease the non-stick baking sheet. Then I remove the crispy bacon and add 1 chopped champignon so that it is lightly sautéed in bacon oil. THEN I add water (or low sodium broth) and boil. When the water boils, I add the noodles and broth and follow the instructions on the package to cut a strip of bacon, which I add back when done.
At first I was worried that the bacon would make everything too salty, but that didn’t happen. The soup tasted more meaty, with the addition of jerky pork and champignons umami factor. Best of all, I didn’t even have to smudge the extra dish as it’s a one-pot miracle.
Ramen sandwich
I love ramen. I love sandwiches. And I had a feeling that I would love this ramen sandwich from Antonius :
One thing I love to do if I use instant ramen is toss it in a skillet with half the recommended water and cook until there is no thin soup left and it looks like a stir-fry. Then I take a cotton bun, gut it in the middle, and toss noodles into it (usually two).
As you can see in the photo above, I couldn’t resist adding mayonnaise because there are very few savory sandwiches that don’t use a little mayonnaise. I admit, this sandwich seemed a little wrong at first, but it tasted very good. Salty, sweet noodles on a soft chewy bun? Yes, please , and I dare say that the mayonnaise gave a very valuable flavor.
Ramen-Fredo
Although Given2Dream called this their “ junkiest app” for instant ramen, I found it almost perfect.
My dirtiest college app was called Ramen-Fredo. Cook the noodles according to package directions, adding in a flavorful noodle bag. Drain (or drink) the broth, but make sure there is some liquid left in it. Then add the butter and parmesan cheese. From the leftover broth, butter and parmesa make a sauce that (very) vaguely resembles alfredo. Then chomp away!
Given the fact it was college lunch, I suspect Given2Dream was using a shaker, but I had to try it with the real stuff. After the noodles were cooked in the broth, I drained them as described and reserved. Then I added the butter and cheese to the hot noodles, tossed it nicely and smoothly, and then added the broth again, just enough for the piquancy. I sprinkled it all with cheese, chopped fresh pepper, and sipped as said. I won’t tell you that it tasted like Alfredo’s, but I will tell you that it tasted delicious. This makes sense because butter and cheese are hard to go wrong with.
Unusual, food-worthy ramen
Our own Patrick Allan came up with this hot number , and I can confidently say that he knows what is going on:
How do you make instant ramen decent (and somewhat healthy)? Shiitake mushrooms, seaweed, a mixture of chopped vegetables (carrots, onions, cabbage) and turkey, chicken or beef. And, of course, a hard-boiled egg. THEN – and this is important – I add some Better Than Bouillon and some fish sauce to the broth to make it taste better.
You all know that I am the biggest fan of Better Than Bouillon , so I immediately put my trust in Patrick and all of his ramen-related suggestions and am happy to report that he did not mislead me. I cooked cabbage, onions, and carrots in broth – a good tip: purple carrots will turn your broth purple – and I sautéed the mushrooms separately to add color. As for the meat, I opted for a little roast beef and I think it was a very good decision. As you can see in the photo above, it turned out to be a very solid, almost decadent bowl.
Basically, you are all ramen geniuses, and I applaud your skill and ingenuity.