The Best Japanese Ramen Toppings

We all know instant packet noodles are the ideal meal of convenience favoured by penny-pinching students and quick-fix snackers; however, instant ramen can be elevated far beyond the cheap and cheerful snack that comes to mind when thinking about a bowl of noodly goodness! Cup noodles and instant noodles are accompanied by sachets of flavour, yet sometimes this sprinkle of seasoning just isn’t enough. If you want to pack in even more flavour or elevate your snack into a dinner guest-worthy meal, you’ll need to get creative with your toppings. What kind of tasty ramen toppings will elevate your noodles to the next level?

How to Make Instant Ramen Better

Traditional Japanese ramen is a noodle soup laden with a plethora of toppings, including meat, veggies and more. When you opt for instant ramen, it might not occur to you to add these kinds of extras to what is often perceived as a quick snack. But spending a little extra time preparing some noodle toppings offers a far broader culinary experience. You can prepare and serve your instant noodles as normal, according to the packet’s instructions, then treat this as a soup base for which you’ll create a masterpiece on top!

1. Japanese Chashu Ramen

One of your go-to additions for a steaming bowl of ramen should be chashu. This refers to tender slices of braised pork belly, perfect for adding substance and succulence to your dish.

How to Make Chashu Pork

To make this topping, roll up a cut of pork belly and tie it with string. Then sear the meat over a medium heat before simmering it without seasoning to reduce excess fat. You can then braise the pork in a mixture of water, soy sauce, sake, sugar, honey, ginger, garlic and spring onions. Some ramen recipes will also use miso or salt-based marinades rather than soy sauce. When ready, you can slice the mouth-watering pork into circular slices to artfully arrange over your favourite instant noodles.

2. Ajitama Ramen Egg

Ramen is best served with a range of toppings, so why not pair your chashu pork with perhaps the second most popular topping, a ramen egg? Ajitama is a soft-boiled, marinated egg known for its savoury, moreish taste. They’re super easy to make and will make the perfect flavourful jewel atop your noodles.

Ramen Egg Recipe

1. To make the ajitama marinade, combine water, soy sauce, mirin, sake and sugar into a pan and bring to the boil, stirring until everything is combined.
2. While the marinade cools, boil your eggs in fresh water for between six and ten minutes, depending on how runny you want the yolks.
3. Peel the eggs when they’re cooled and place them in a container before coating them with the marinade. Make sure the eggs are submerged. Keep the marinating eggs in the fridge for 8 hours or overnight.
4. Once your ramen eggs are ready, you can slice them in half for a delicious looking extra to add to your noodles.

3. Crispy Tofu Ramen

If you’re after a meat alternative, tofu is a brilliantly versatile option that can add numerous textures to your dish. One especially popular instant noodle topping is crispy tofu. You can buy a range of different kinds of tofu from your local Asian supermarket. Most western supermarkets will also offer tofu these days, although the variety is often more limited. Tofu is easy to prepare and will take on flavours wonderfully, so you can experiment with a range of marinades. If you’re looking to prepare a bowl of healthy instant noodles, tofu is a wonderful addition!

4. Menma Bamboo Shoots in Ramen

Menma refers to seasoned and pickled bamboo shoots – another classic Japanese ramen topping that will combine wonderfully with the above ideas or any other toppings you come up with! The bamboo shoots have a slightly crunchy texture, making them an ideal contrast to serve alongside softer toppings like deep-fried tofu or soft-boiled eggs. Menma is incredibly versatile, so you can also eat it as a snack or incorporate it into other dishes like stir-fry.

5. Kikurage Mushrooms in Ramen

Mushrooms are versatile ingredients, perfect for adding depth to numerous dishes – they are another tried and tested ramen topping with plenty of options to choose from when adding mushrooms to noodles. Kikurage or wood ear mushrooms are a particularly popular choice. Often bought dried, you will have to rehydrate these mushrooms before serving them with your noodles. Kikurage mushrooms are thought to have numerous health benefits and are full of nutritional goodness, so they make the perfect addition to a health-conscious meal.

6. Dried Seaweed in Ramen

Dried seaweed is a delicious umami snack, but it can also make a tasty ramen topping, adding crunchy and salty elements to perfectly balance your bowl. Sheets of nori or seaweed snack packs are ideal. You can find seaweed in a range of flavours, topped with different seasonings to give your ramen dish a complex flavour and texture profile.

7. Narutomaki Fish Cakes in Ramen

You may not recognise the name immediately, but you’ll probably recognise the white flower shape with pink swirl that can often be seen floating atop a bowl of ramen. Narutomaki is a type of cured fish paste that is rolled and sliced to give distinctive little bites that pair brilliantly with ramen. It is great for adding colour to a dish, perfect for when you want to wow guests with a visually impressive meal.

8. Wontons in Ramen

For an especially hearty dish, why not add some wontons to your noodles? You could incorporate Chinese-style wontons made with a silky dough and countless flavour combinations or Japanese-style gyozas for a fried texture. Shrimp or prawn wontons are a particularly popular option and will make your noodle dish instantly feel more wholesome and substantial. These are just some of our favourite ideas for levelling up your instant noodle packets! There are plenty more ramen toppings to explore, depending on your preference. If you’re a fan of hot and spicy ramen, you might want to opt for a chilli-based topping, or if you want to add everything but the kitchen sink, we’ve heard cheese can make a tasty if unexpected topping! Be sure to check out our range of authentic Asian ingredients and products here at Oriental Mart to find everything you need and more for the perfect bowl of ramen.