Everyone at some point in their life has had ramen, most likely during their time as a college kid. Who doesn't love the convenience and easiness of throwing a package of ramen in a pot for three minutes and then having a meal all set and ready to go? I know many people know the trick of cooking an egg to go with ramen to make a bit of a heartier meal. However, I have a recipe that I have perfected over the years, for how to make the best ramen that is both delicious and satisfying.
Instructions
This recipe can be changed based on your personal preference, but this is the most basic recipe that I like to follow.
Step 1 - Prepare your ramen and ingredients. For this ramen recipe, you will need a few slices of onions, some frozen broccoli florets, an egg, Kewpie sauce, Sriracha and of course water and your package of ramen. I usually like to use the lime and shrimp flavor, although any flavor would be good for this! I also recommend using ham and parmesan or cheddar cheese if you have some already.
Step 2 - Put some water into your pot and begin to bring it to a boil. This is the time when you will cut up the onion and also take out the ramen from its container and put it into a bowl. You will then switch back and forth between the classic square ramen and the more cup of noodle ramen (that is what I used here).
Step 3 - Once you have your water boiling, throw in the onion and broccoli for a couple of minutes. I usually cook them until I can pierce a broccoli floret with a fork and it isn't too hard. Once they are cooked, scoop the onion and broccoli into the bowl with the dry ramen and leave the water in the pot. It's okay to spill a little bit of water into the bowl, just make sure you have a majority of the water still in the pot.
Step 4 - Turn the heat down on the pot and add the egg. You want to cook the egg so that it becomes almost poached. I usually cook it for a couple of minutes until the clear part is white and when you pat the yolk with the back of a fork it is fairly firm, but still with a little give. Once this is done you can then carefully add the egg and water to the ramen and stir the seasoning in and break up the noodles.
Step 5 - While waiting for the ramen noodles to become al dente, this is where you can add in your ham pieces and parmesan cheese. You can add any other veggies or items you would like so that they warm up a little in the broth. If you are starving and in a hurry, you can microwave the ramen in its bowl for 20-second intervals until the noodles are done. I do find that this keeps the broth warm but tends to overcook the veggies and make them a bit soft.
Step 6 - This is the final step and I recommend doing this right before you eat; add sriracha to your broth, as much or as little as you like and stir it up. The Kewpie sauce I add a small amount to each bite I take as I go. You don't need very much, I would recommend doing a pea sized amount until you figure out how much or little you prefer. I especially recommend it for the egg bites!
Step 7 - Enjoy! I break the egg about half way through the meal so that the broth gets a little creamy and extra flavorful.
This is my personal recipe that I use whenever I make ramen, sometimes I will do chicken flavored or oriental flavor and I really enjoy those as well. However, the lime and shrimp is always my go to! If you want to add a squeeze of lime juice you can too, I tend to do that with only the shrimp flavored ramen noodles. This recipe doesn't make ramen exactly healthier, but it does give it more substance and makes it more of a filling meal.