Matt Preston shares his favourite 15 instant ramen noodle recipes
More than just a student staple, packet ramen now has a cult-like status on social media — and Matt Preston has discovered some instant noodle classics.
Instant ramen noodles have a special place in the hearts of many – from those who grew up eating them to those who discovered them as cheap students and cooked that first meal of their own filled with the potential of a new-found independence.
Such is their cultural power that in 2000, instant noodles were voted Japan’s best invention of the 20th century – eclipsing karaoke, home computers and CDs.
Today their pull is still as strong, if not stronger, thanks to the legion of foodies who share their ideas on social media.
Here’s my pick of the world’s best instant-ramen hacks.
CREAMY JAPANESE RAMEN
This has been the biggest recent instant ramen trend on social media.
In a bowl, mix an egg, a walnut-sized blob of Kewpie mayo, one clove minced garlic and some of the ramen packet’s seasoning, to taste.
Add some of the cooking water and then the drained noodles.
The bowl should be sloppy, slurpy and decadently creamy; if too dry, add more cooking water.
If you feel a bit trashy eating chicken Twisties, this isn’t the snack for you.
TOKYO MAZE RAMEN
Somewhat classier is this dry ramen bowl made by mixing two tsp each of miso and butter with a minced garlic clove and a splash of sesame oil. Cook the ramen in a small pan with chicken stock to cover.
Mix some of the broth into the miso mixture to loosen it up a little, and then mix in the noodles.
Sprinkle with Japanese seven spice blend, sold in Asian grocers as shichimi togarashi. Season with soy and chilli oil.
SWEET & SOUR RAMEN
While your noodles cook, fry some cubes of spam, finely diced capsicum and chunks of tinned pineapple, patted dry, in a very hot pan with a little oil.
Add a splash of sweet chilli sauce (or that orange garlic-and-chilli sauce), tomato ketchup and some of the pineapple juice. Cook to reduce.
Stir in the ramen and serve. Season with soy, to taste.
TIKTOK SWEET CHILLI RAMEN
This hack for al dente noodles in a sweet garlicky soy caramel is another social media sensation that’s both junky and tasty.
To make, soften three cloves of minced garlic in 20g melted butter. Add a good splash of soy sauce, one tbs brown sugar, and as many chilli flakes as you can bear. Leave on the heat to thicken.
Toss your al dente noodles in the sauce, then pull them to one side of the pan and on the other side crack an egg.
Let the egg white partially set, and then very loosely scrape up to scramble and stir back through the noodles. Garnish with some spring onions and sesame seeds.
CHANG’S LATEST RAMEN
New York chef David Chang, of the now defunct and much-lamented Sydney restaurant Momofuku Seiōbo, has been a long-term instant-ramen champion and a pioneer of ramen improvisation.
The latest trick from his one-hand-filmed social media posts is to let an egg lightly coddle while buried in the ramen noodles during cooking. Then pour this – broth, noodles and all – over two slices of “plastic” cheese and a knob of butter in a bowl.
Stir the partially set egg into the noodles to redistribute the cheese. Top with sesame seeds.
The women I love added some shredded spinach to the bowl with the cheese to give this dish a distinctly “eggs Florentine” vibe.
GNOCCHI PARISIENNE
Probably Chang’s most famous instant-ramen creation, this involves soaking two packets of instant ramen in hot milk until rehydrated, then blending them with a little of the milk and four egg yolks.
Pop the resulting thick batter (or soft dough, depending on your point of view) into a piping bag with a wide nozzle. Squeeze out and cut gnocchi lengths into the simmering water.
They’re done when they start to float. Serve with brown butter and loads of chopped herbs.
Real gnocchi is better but this got the seal of approval from my student taste testers and it’s fun to make.
RAMEN ALFREDO
Fry crushed garlic in butter and then stir in some parmesan and cream. Reduce for a couple of minutes and then stir in the cooked noodles to coat.
SPICY KOREAN-STYLE RAMEN
Cook the ramen in a packet of dashi broth with sliced spring onion. Meanwhile, fry some minced garlic with butter. Stir in a glob of gochujang (Korean chilli sauce) and toast.
Loosen with some of the dashi broth and toss in the drained noodles and onions. Garnish with Korean chilli flakes or sesame seeds.
This is a bit like the stir-fried rice cake dish tteokbokki, a popular Korean street-food.
RAMAC ‘N’ CHEESE
Cook the ramen in milk. Once ready, drain the noodles, reserving the milk. Stir in some finely grated tasty and parmesan cheese and some of the reserved milk for a creamier and looser cheat’s mac ’n’ cheese.
RAMEN BREAKFAST FRITTERS
Roughly crush two packets of noodles. Mix with two cups of cooked corn kernels, a cup of mixed grated cheese (Colby/Tasty, parmesan, mozzarella) and three loosely beaten eggs.
Let the mix sit for a bit before gently frying generous spoonfuls of the mix, pressed and shaped into fritters.
Serve with smashed avocado, lime and coriander, or lines of Kewpie mayo and sriracha.
RAMEN SALAD
Roughly crush the noodles and mix with chopped tomatoes, green chillies, lime juice and blanched red onion. Add sweet chilli sauce for sweetness or a splash of soy or fish sauce for salinity.
CHINESE SUPERMARKET RAMEN
So called because of the provenance of some of the ingredients. Creative, hey! Fry pork mince and stir in doubanjiang (spicy broad bean paste), dark soy and crushed Sichuan peppercorns. And a splash of Chinese black vinegar if you have it.
Cook until sticky. Wet with a little of the cooking broth. Toss the drained noodles in sesame oil and add. Load with the mince, sliced spring onions and sesame seeds.
Some small cubes of hard tofu warmed in the broth with the cooking noodles would be nice but then do up the paste and soy quotient.
SATAY RAMEN
Mix peanut butter with ground coriander, desiccated coconut, a little hoisin sauce or sweet chilli jam and soy. Add and splash of the cooking liquid from the noodles to loosen and then add the softened noodles. Top with a fried egg and loads of coriander.
CHICKEN & SWEET CORN RAMEN
Cook your ramen in chicken stock with cubes of poached or smoked chicken breast.
When cooked, pour away a little of the cooking liquid if it’s looking too soupy and then stir in a small can of creamed corn and a sprinkling of the seasoning.
Pour into a bowl over finally shredded iceberg lettuce leaves.
Eat immediately the lettuce softens slightly but still has bite.
Garnish with spring onion greens and a few toasted frozen corn kernels.
If you dirtying a small frying pan for the corn kernels you might as well add so diced streaky bacon too.
RAMEN FRIED CHICKEN
Dry brine chicken wingettes in a 50/50 mix of sugar and salt for at least half an hour. Grind the instant noodles to flour with the dry seasoning pack.
Toss the chook in seasoned buttermilk. Drain and coat in the seasoned noodle flour.
Splash some of the buttermilk into the flour to help you get an imperfectly knobbly coating that will fry up a treat.
OTHER RAMEN TRENDS TO SEARCH OUT
I have yet to try the recipes for dry ramen nachos, the instant ramen cooked with chopped tomato, sesame oil and crispy chilli oil, or the strange sludgy mix of fried diced bacon, spring onion whites and flour pan-browned with the rendered bacon fat to mix with creamed corn, water and crunched ramen and cook until thickened because it sounds like it has all the attraction of a Dickensian gruel.
For more food, travel and lifestyle news, go to delicious.com.au
Originally published as Matt Preston shares his favourite 15 instant ramen noodle recipes
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