Ramen has a lot of potential.
You can turn ramen into snacks, fried noodles, some kind of spaghetti, burger, and even pizza!
1. Ramen itself is already good
The kitchen cupboard that my mom used to store different kinds of instant noodles was a treasure trove for me.
I used to run some experiments using them after class when I was in elementary school.
Thinking back, that is probably the reason why I like to cook and still love ramen so much...
2. Now, you are a ramen hacker
If you are a ramen lover, there must be two personalities inside of you.
Ramen police, and ramen hacker.
Ramen police is a fundamentalist of ramen.
You don’t want any changes because ramen is the best the way it is.
If you find anything weird going on in the ramen,
You get disgusted and feel like you want to “arrest” it.
I feel the same way sometimes.
But the other personality shows up. Because…
3. Sometimes you want something different
The other personality is a ramen hacker…
There is ramen and you. And these 2 elements complete ramen.
Will your hacked ramen taste good?
Yes, I’m sure you will find it very yummy because...
You used your creativity to modify your ramen and it is extremely satisfying.
According to "Psychological Science" which is published in 2013 by Harvard University and Minnesota University,
If you make certain actions to your food before eating it, you will get more satisfaction from the meal.
Even just by squeezing a lemon by yourself into a glass of water will make your lemon water taste somewhat different from the lemon water that somebody else made for you.
Adding salt by yourself is enough to make the food taste better.
4. Ramen pizza might make the Japanese and Italians angry at the same time
But imagine:
Savory ramen toppings with cheese on a crispy pie crust made of ramen noodles.
The outside of the pie is crisp and crunchy while the inside is soft and nice.
It must be good!
Here is how to make it.
Ingredients:
Instant ramen 1 pack
Cheese
Pizza sauce
Herbs
Bacon or your favorite ramen toppings
Instruction:
1 Break instant noodles into 4 pieces and put the pieces in a bowl
2 Pour hot water into the bowl and wait for 3 minutes
3 Get rid of the hot water
4 Mix the noodles well with the soup packet and half of the cheese
5 Lay the noodles flat on an oven tray
6 Use pizza sauce on it and place toppings and the other half of cheese
7 Cook in an oven for 10 minutes in 450F(230C)
8 Done!
5. Ramen burger is another option to enjoy your ramen
Ramen and hamburger…
Combining these two popular foods can’t go wrong.
A pan fried bun made of noodles has a nice crispy texture and savory flavor.
The texture of these noodles are really different from boiled noodles.
I want to share this simple ramen burger bun recipe with you.
This is what you will need...
Ingredients
(Serving for 2 people)
Instant noodles 2 packs
Soup powder (which comes with the instant noodles) 2 packs
Egg 1
Flour 1tsp
Mayo 1tsp
Olive oil 1TBSP
It can be a little difficult to make bun shapes without the help of any tools, so you will need to prepare a large round cookie mold to make cylindrical shapes.
Now here comes the good part…
1 Break instant noodles into two and boil it for 90 seconds less than the instructions on the packaging.
2 Rinse the noodles in cold water.
3 Strain it.
4 Prepare a bowl and mix together eggs, soup powder, flour, and mayo.
5 Add the prepared noodles into the mixture.
6 In a large tray, lay out a piece of plastic sheet wrap and put 4 large cookie molds onto it.
7 Put the noodles into the mold and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
8 Pan fry the buns using olive oil. (Each side: 3-4 minutes)
Now, what should we sandwich inside our freshly-made buns?
I suggest putting kakuni, chashu, or a regular patty.
6. Ramen with egg and cheese makes carbonara
A delicious creamy carbonara instant noodles…
Let's take a look at how to make ramen with egg and cheese!
Ingredients:
Instant noodles 1pack
Bacon 2 slices
Egg yolk 2
Olive oil 1tsp
Parmesan cheese 3tsp (Use regular cheese if you don't have parmesan.)
Black pepper to taste
Directions:
1 Cut bacon up into small pieces.
2 On a heated pan, add in olive oil and cook the bacon until crispy.
3 Start boiling instant noodles.
4 Mix parmesan cheese, egg yolks, and powder soup packet that came with the instant noodles.
5 Put boiled noodles and the carbonara sauce onto the pan with bacon bits and mix.
6 Using medium heat, keep mixing until the sauce gets thicker (Note: pay attention not to overcook egg)
7 Put the noodles onto a plate.
8 Sprinkle it with black pepper.
ENJOY!
7. Yes, you can eat instant noodles raw
Here is how…
1 Crush the noodles
2 Open the bag
3 Take out the soup packet
4 Sprinkle the contents of the soup packet into the bag of noodles
5 Close the bag and shake it!
6 Just eat it by hand
It tastes like a snack called Baby Star Ramen.
Have you ever eaten it? This snack is quite popular in Japan.
Due to Covid, a lot of good ramen restaurants have closed
It makes me feel very angry.
I used to eat ramen out frequently,
But in this situation,
Ramen shops have started to shorten the hours, limit the number of customers, or even closed their shops.
It has affected the industry so much.
I am afraid good ramen will be gone
But meanwhile, you still can enjoy ramen in the comfort of your own home.
Here are some of my recommendations for ramen lovers.
1. Sapporo Ichiban Shio Flavor
MY THOUGHTS OVERALL ★★★★☆
In truth, Sapporo Ichiban delivers a good quality shio ramen experience.
Actually, it is very difficult to find good shio ramen.
Do you know why?
Because it is very difficult to make it since it is very simple.
There are many good shoyu and miso flavored instant noodles out there.
But I feel specifically, the shio flavor market is monopolized by Sapporo Ichiban.
Think about this for a moment having good shio ramen for your dinner with your favorite ramen toppings.
Now, you want some, don’t you?
2. Nissin Raoh Shoyu Flavor
MY THOUGHTS OVERALL ★★★★★
It is nearly impossible to make restaurant quality noodles at home without the right tools and equipment.
How can you beat that?
Using Raoh’s shoyu flavour will help you achieve this easily. This is top-notch ramen hands down!
One pinnacle of instant noodles is the soy sauce flavor. It is expensive compared to regular ones but let me tell you, it deserves every single penny.
In a nutshell, I loved every bit of it.
...And I am sure you will too.
3. The problem here is that no toppings come with these packets.
Here are some topping options and recipes for you.
Green onion
4. Have you ever faced these issues...
A lack of large, high-quality soup bowl sets at home?
Are you still struggling with...
😢 ...small bowls that aren’t large enough for soups, noodles and toppings.
😢 ...spillage every time you eat out of your bowl.
😢 ...low-quality tableware and utensils that don’t compliment your food.
Look no further,
Our best-selling bowls are here to fix all the issues you face with small, inefficient tableware.
After struggling with spillage and leakage during dinner time,
We decided to introduce APEX S.K’s large soup bowls to the market.
Want to hear why some people absolutely love our ramen bowls?
"These are perfect for homemade ramen soup nights! The bowls we have at home are not large enough and my wife has been trying to look for larger bowls. I'm so glad I stumbled upon these. They made a great Christmas gift for the whole family. Everybody was so excited and we can't wait to put them to use on our next ramen night."
"Amazing quality! They are very durable. I dropped it from standing height to test if they would break, but no dents or anything."
"The shape, the color, and the overall appearance of the bowl was exactly what I was looking for - the shape, the color"
Check our sets on Amazon..
About the Author
Kei is a self-proclaimed ramen lover, blog writer and founder of "Apex S.K. Japanese tableware".
"I am from Ibaraki, Japan.
Ramen is great! It can bring you a sense of happiness and satisfaction that no other food can. I have been eating ramen for 30 years.
If there is no ramen, my life would be miserable.
Ten years ago, I worked as an office worker. The job was really stressful - excessive working hours, low wages, unpaid overtime work, and constantly being yelled at by my boss.
I was new and alone, no girlfriend, no friends, and felt very lonely.
My only oasis was the ramen shop near the office. For me, the ramen chef there was literally an angel. I saw a halo on his head. (No joke)
Tonkotsu shoyu ramen was my all-time favorite. He made ramen with broth chock-full of umami flavor, nice chewy handmade noodles, and tender chashu.
My greatest dream is connect people with ramen through my blog. I want to share a lot of interesting and funny stories and ramen trivia with you.
Knowing more about ramen can help you appreciate your ramen and make it taste extra delicious."
Did you know that we offer more than just a ramen blog?
We also have an exclusive collection of ramen-inspired t-shirts and hoodies that any true noodle lover will adore.
Head over to ApexRamen and check it out for yourself
Good Things to Put in Ramen: How to Create a High Quality Bowl of Ramen
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