Ramen Please

August 27, 2009 2:04 PM

Favorite Ramen Recipes? I am looking to augment my Ramen meals. What do you guys like to add? How do you manipulate Ramen to achieve maximum awesomeness?

I have seen this thread, and several of the others under the Ramen tag. However, I am not looking for Ramen-like substitutes. I just want to know what I can do with the tried and true, 25c noodle packages.

And yes, for you nerds who are wondering, it is because I saw Ponyo the other night. HAM! I WANT HAM!

posted by Think_Long to food & drink (46 comments total)

Cook ramen without seasoning; add a raw egg to the boiling mass, also meat, veggies. When it's all cooked to the consistency you like, drain off most of the water, then add the sauce packet, and add a splash of vinegar, and a dash of white pepper.
posted by The otter lady at 2:09 PM on August 27

Here's 50 courtesy of Rasmussen College
posted by any major dude at 2:12 PM on August 27 [1 favorite has favorites]

can of coconut milk, some cilantro, green onions, garlic, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, water chesnuts and sriracha sauce = DELICIOUS.
posted by iamkimiam at 2:13 PM on August 27

1: Pork ramen with lightly beaten eggs added in just before it's done, be careful not to stir too much or the egg goes from clumpy/chunky to tiny little strings and bits in the liquid. 2: Carefully poach a couple of eggs in your ramen, those are also very tasty. 3: Mix some corn starch in cool water and then add to the almost totally cooked ramen, bring to a boil for 30-60 seconds for a thicker sauce. 4: Add chunks of tofu. 5: Cook beef or pork ramen in plain water, drain all the liquid and then sprinkle in some of the flavor packet (off the heat), the portion the flavored noodles on a tortilla with some cheddar cheese, ramen burrito.

Best advice: use a fraction (1/2 or less) of the flavor packets. You'll lower your salt intake and be able to taste your other ingredients better.
posted by Science! at 2:13 PM on August 27

There are dozens of books on stuff to do with Ramen.
posted by special-k at 2:16 PM on August 27

Also, a hard boiled egg sliced on top is nice when you're sick of the egg fu young version. I add cilantro, green onions, and shrimp to mine, or used to before I found out how awful the shrimp industry is for the environment. sigh.
posted by small_ruminant at 2:17 PM on August 27

I like to add in thinly sliced napa cabbage and wax sausage slices topped with an egg to be poached in the ramen juice. mmmmm.
posted by oreonax at 2:17 PM on August 27

My go-to ramen preparation is very simple: boil noodles, drain, add a pat of butter, mix in seasoning packet.

It's pretty much just pure salt and fat, but it's heavenly and I only eat it on rare occasions.

My preferred flavor is "oriental" which is pretty weird, isn't it, as a flavor? What does it even mean? Shouldn't they have changed it once the term fell out of favor? A small amount of research indicates that it is basically MSG flavored, which explains why I love it so. But it makes me feel dirty, "oriental".
posted by padraigin at 2:19 PM on August 27

- Several dried shiitake mushrooms, torn up into small pieces (boil for 10 minutes before adding ramen). Packages of these are cheap and easy to find at Asian grocery stores.

- 1/2 carrot, cut into matchstick-size pieces (boil for 5 minutes before adding ramen)

- A garlic clove, crushed and minced (add with ramen)

- 1/2 package extra-firm tofu, drained, cut into cubes, and pressed so the excess water is squeezed out (add at the last minute)

- A handful of dried seaweed/wakame (add at the last minute)

- A few leaves of bok choy, cut up (add at the last minute)

- Sriracha hot sauce (drizzle over the noodles & veg before serving)
posted by FrauMaschine at 2:24 PM on August 27 [4 favorites has favorites]

A big slice of Tillamook cheddar at the bottom. It melts and gets all sticky and delicious in the soup.
posted by mynameisluka at 2:25 PM on August 27 [1 favorite has favorites]

Not all ramen noodles are equal.

I find the more expensive Korean Shin Ramyun to be far superior to Top Ramen or Maruchan.

But my only custom recipe, I'm embarrassed to say, is this:

1. Smash unopened ramen bag with hammer
2. Open bag. Empty spice packet into bag.
3. Shake
4. Eat uncooked noodle chunks as if they were snack food

Nice for people who are too lazy even to boil water.
posted by qxntpqbbbqxl at 2:29 PM on August 27 [1 favorite has favorites]

padraigin - we are of similar stock. My favorite is the mysterious oriental, and you prepare it the same way I do.

Everyone, thanks for your input - it's kind of strange how much effort I'm willing to put into what is supposed to be an effortless meal
posted by Think_Long at 2:33 PM on August 27

qxntpqbbbqxl - is that really edible? I think I'll just stick to cooked Ramen, but to each their own
posted by Think_Long at 2:35 PM on August 27

Mmmmm.

Seasoning packet, about 1 T peanut butter, juice of 1/2 lime, some chopped scallion, soy sauce, and sriracha.
posted by miss tea at 2:44 PM on August 27

Tuna + mayo + ramen + whatever vegetable is cheap in the market = instant casserole!
posted by Greg Nog at 2:46 PM on August 27

I like to add soy sauce or half of an OXO vegetable stock cube. Usually tastes much better than the actual flavour packet...

As for dishes, make a soup with the ramen, stock and frozen vegetables, then add thin slices of fried egg just before serving.
posted by fearthehat at 3:06 PM on August 27

A variation on the eggs-in-ramen stand-by:

Cook your ramen and drain. Toss back into the hot pan and fry it up for a minute in some butter. Gather the noodles together in a little patty-type formation. Scramble some eggs, and pour over the ramen patty. Do your best to keep it cake-shaped, or don't. Voila, ramen omelette. Customize to your heart's desire. I like green onions and sriracha over ketchup.

Also, when I was the lucky recipient of 200 packs of ramen a few years ago, the recipe repositories were great references. Not every recipe looked delicious, but there's gobzillions of ways to prep these noodles and plenty of people have written them down:
Ramenlicious
Matt Fischer's Official Ramen Homepage recipes
posted by carsonb at 3:08 PM on August 27 [2 favorites has favorites]

This recipe (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/ramen-shrimp-pouch-recipe/index.html) is insanely delicious. But normally I make Oriental flavor ramen, throw in a handful of frozen peas, drain out most of the water and then mix in the flavor packet. MMMMM, now I have to go to the grocery store.
posted by Maisie at 3:09 PM on August 27

I like to add some frozen mixed vegetables to the chicken, roast chicken, or mushroom chicken flavors. This becomes a staple when school's in session. It's just sooooooo good and easy.
posted by peanut_mcgillicuty at 3:09 PM on August 27

Cook ramen, drain, set aside. Stir fry vegetables over high heat. I like carrots, onions, mushrooms, zucchini. Carrots take the longest, zucchini the shortest amount of time. Add noodles back into pan when veg is almost done. Sprinkle half a packet of Oriental seasoning over everything, cook for a few more minutes and serve.
posted by nestor_makhno at 3:21 PM on August 27 [1 favorite has favorites]

I used to add sesame oil. A little goes a long way for a nice flavor.
posted by Pants! at 3:26 PM on August 27

Beef Ramen with sour cream = beef stroganoff ramen
Chicken Ramen with peanut butter and a little soy = thai ramen
posted by The Light Fantastic at 3:31 PM on August 27

I found one of the easiest way to cook tilapia was to chop it into little cubes. And throw it in with ramen and mixed frozen vegetables (or really thinly slice celery and carrots). The red pepper sauce you get in a big bottle also worked well for flavoring.
posted by ejaned8 at 3:34 PM on August 27

> qxntpqbbbqxl - is that really edible?

Yup, and cheaper than potato chips. (Brings back memories of grad school!) I also do the egg-drop-soup thing, which a Chinese roommate showed me in college. She was pretty grossed out when I tossed in a few slices of cheese, though. Cheap melty American cheese, nothing respectable please. Velveeta maybe, now that I think about it ...
posted by Quietgal at 3:38 PM on August 27

Another Egg & Ramen:

Boil noodles and flavoring (if desired) while doing your best to preserve the brick shape. Crack an egg into the water on top of the brick. CAREFULLY transfer the brick & egg to a baking sheet, top with a slice of cheese. Heat in the oven until cheese is melted.

I can't wait to get home and have Ramen now. carsonb's recipe sounds awesome.

Oh, and dry Ramen is great. Never tried with the packet though.
posted by speeb at 3:40 PM on August 27 [1 favorite has favorites]

I never added anything as fancy as tilapia, but ejaned8 mentions what sounds like the basis for a ramen recipe for success:

Put a ramen brick and some bagged frozen mixed veggies in a big ol' saucepan together and cover. Simmer over med-low heat until all the water is gone and the noodles and veggies are soft. Add a few tablespoons of water if necessary, but normally the melting vegetables provide enough to soften the noodles. Add seasoning and butter to taste. A good variation is to drain just before the noodles are to your preferred softness, and finish by turning up the heat and adding some soy sauce. Salty!
posted by carsonb at 3:59 PM on August 27

My kids used to beg to bring dry ramen to school for a snack. I finally gave in, and my two skinny kids would eat a whole packet in between breakfast and lunch. How they're not fat is beyond me. It's actually good.
posted by artychoke at 4:04 PM on August 27

pine nuts are good, unsalted peanuts are cheaper and really yummy. Generally what I do is add the season packet (I always buy chicken flavor), then add a good bit of cumin. I don't leave all the water that I boil it in, I pour about 3/4 cup into the serving bowl and then put the noodles in a colander to drain. Then I add the season packet to the water and usually peanuts and cumin, sometimes 1/3 cup dried milk, and then mix it all and let it cool. mmmm :)
posted by lemniskate at 4:24 PM on August 27

This is going to sound horrendous, but...

Cook ramen & almost drain (leave a couple of tablespoons of water in the noodles). Mix Oriental seasoning packet with a blob of mayonnaise (add chili oil if desired). Mix into hot ramen. Eat.

aside: I always heard that "Oriental" was used to describe things, and "Asian" was used to describe people. As a Japanese person, I am not offended by Oriental ramen because I assume it is not made of salty Asian people.
posted by dogmom at 4:41 PM on August 27 [1 favorite has favorites]

Before opening the package, scrunch up the raw ramen noodles into little chunks. Open the bag as though it was a bag of chips, and sprinkle in the contents of the veggie bits package, plus about 1/3 to half of the salt package (start small and you can always add more, it's pretty salty when dry). Pinch the bag shut and shake. Enjoy raw and crispy like chips. SO GOOD.
posted by pseudostrabismus at 5:29 PM on August 27

Oops, I missed qxntpqbbbqxl's "recipe". Rawmen for the win. And OP, yes, oh yes, yes, YES, ramen noodles are awesome raw. They're not really "raw" and they're not shattery and gluey like dry pasta-- the noodles are deep-fried, so they taste kind of like chow mein noodles.
posted by pseudostrabismus at 5:32 PM on August 27

Classes started at the university Monday. On Tuesday, I had "raw" ramen for lunch.

It works, seriously.
posted by Precision at 5:37 PM on August 27

Alton Brown's Ramen Radiator
posted by Lazlo Hollyfeld at 5:53 PM on August 27

Undercook the ramen just a bit, drain, and pour onto lettuce. Drizzle with just a bit of olive oil. Layer on some smoked salmon, and sprinkle with green onion slices.
posted by dws at 6:19 PM on August 27

I call my recipe Bachelor's Delight (although my wife loves it too, ironically enough) and it goes a little something like this:

1) Cook Ramen noodles and drain all but just a little bit of water from the pot.

2) Add seasoning packet and stir.

3) Take a small can of solid white tuna, open and drain the liquid inside. Then, using a fork, scrape across the tuna breaking it up and empty into the pot.

4) Take a small handful of shredded cheese (I like a combo Pepper Jack/Sharp Cheddar the best, but almost any cheeses will do), throw it in, and then mix up all the ingredients into one big cheesy goopy, tuna fishy mess.

5) Transfer mixture to bowl. Eat with a fork and a beer (or a Blackberry Izze fruit drink - my personal favorite.)

Enjoy!
posted by Rewind at 8:20 PM on August 27 [2 favorites has favorites]

Better yet than Shin Ramyun is Hoo Roo Rook, a premium brand with extra knitted-starch goodness.
posted by scruss at 8:35 PM on August 27

Jamaican jerk sauce (a teeny bit!) is really good too.
posted by Flashman at 8:43 PM on August 27

If I want to go all out, I go for mainly fresh veggies like bean sprouts (rinse really well) and snow peas that cook quickly. I might also add some frozen mix like onion and pepper strips and a little frozen spinach (tbsp. or so, the flaked stuff in the bag. the frozen block of stuff is much tougher) or go with a diced onion, carrot, and celery mix my grocery carries. I crush the noodles so they're easier to eat. You can use the palm of your hand to smash them if you start at the corners.

My recipe

amount of water on package plus 1 cup so
it's not so salty and has room for veggies
(Usually 3 cups)

Add crushed up noodles and veggies to water once it boils

go ahead and mix in sauce pack.
You don't need to wait until you're done

Add other seasonings like a sprinkle of garlic
or onion powder, pepper, parsley, Cajun
seasoning or a drop or two of Tabasco

I add a couple teaspoons of sunflower seed after
cooking since I don't eat meat but you can add cooked
meat instead.

Doing all this lets me pretend that my Ramen soup is kinda healthy if I ignore all the fat and salt. It actually looks like you've spent a lot of time on it when you're done instead of 10 minutes (including prep). My ex said it was the only time he was ever tempted to eat Ramen.
posted by stray thoughts at 10:46 PM on August 27 [1 favorite has favorites]

cook ramen with
- grated carrot
- grated broccoli stems (stem is so good and crunchy)

use a spoonful of miso (instead of the seasoning packet) and add some sriracha
(save the packet for popcorn... it's amaaaazing)

- I lived off this for a while between jobs when I was 20. If you substitute somen or soba noodles, it's completely healthy. (Both can be found so so so cheaply, in good asian grocery and convenience stores, that they're cheaper than packet ramen. BUT, you miss out on flavour packet popcorn.)
posted by rhinny at 12:45 AM on August 28

Yes, miso! It's not an economic thing any more but I still really like to eat ramen with some garlic, some miso, and maybe some broccoli. Put in only a fraction of the flavor packet. I looove miso soups.

Don't boil the miso; cook and put together everything else then mix in a small spoonful of miso paste.
posted by hattifattener at 1:55 AM on August 28

Cubes of deep-fried tofu, cut in half in triangles; sliced cold Chinese roast pork; crispy deep-fried onions/shallots.

Butter, ketchup, salt and pepper.

Shredded barbecued chicken, plenty of fresh red chile slices, cilantro, fish sauce.
posted by obiwanwasabi at 2:02 AM on August 28

Supereasy veg option:

Get that delicious Korean Nong Shin ramen. That stuff rules.

Boil the noodles until just slightly undercooked, drain and rinse in COLD water (all ramen noodles have some wierd coating, get rid of it!).

Boil new water. Add broccoli, tofu, seasonings, then through in the noodles. Get that soft tofu, it is heavenly in soup. (Optionally, crack an egg into the boiling water first).

Once it is back to boil, serve, and add a dash of sesame oil (goes awesome with broccoli). Or possibly add sesame seeds.

Delicious and filling MSG lunch/dinner is yours!
posted by molecicco at 2:58 AM on August 28

Years ago, a user named ROTD (for "Ramen of the Day") posted on shacknews.com for a while. I can't vouch for all the recipes, but this post brought that to mind.
posted by mikeh at 7:46 AM on August 28

This broccoli slaw is one of my favorite uses for ramen (that recipe more or less -- there are a lot of variations of it) -- but perhaps not quite what you're looking for. I also always wanted to make this but never quite got to it (and now the idea of all of the cheese and fat turns me off from it).

Earlier this week, I went to three different stores looking for ramen (yes, don't ask how that's possible) and I've been in the mood for all of that MSG/fatty goodness lately, so this thread has had perfect timing.
posted by darksong at 8:29 AM on August 28

Hell of a response, thanks all. I guess I had better get to a sams club and start buying in bulk.

I'm lazy so . . . you are all marked best answer! (in my heart)
posted by Think_Long at 11:21 AM on August 28

I cook the noodles, drain 98% of the water, and then put either shredded cheddar or one to two of those Laughing Cow "swiss" cheese wedges in, with about half of the flavor packet (my favorite is chicken) and maybe a splash of milk and stir it up. It's like fake macaroni and cheese and it's delicious!
posted by meggan at 3:05 PM on August 28