Three Ramen Recipes to Try

Ramen is a popular Japanese dish, made using wheat noodles served in a meat or fish-based broth. The broth is often flavoured using either soy sauce or miso. After the dish was exported to the Western world in 1971, oriental instant noodles became increasingly popular. Now the word ‘ramen’ is associated with both the traditional dish and the instant noodle variety. We take a look at some exciting dishes you can make using ramen noodles:

Traditional Japanese Noodle Soup

Of course, we can’t have a list of ramen dishes without including a traditional style noodle soup. For this recipe, you will need:

3 cups of chicken stock

2 cups of water

3 garlic cloves halved

4 tbsp soy sauce

½ tsp Chinese five spice

¼ tsp chilli powder

1 tsp white sugar

1 slice of ginger

sesame oil

375g ramen noodles

400g of either sliced cooked pork or chicken (which has been marinated in soy sauce and garlic)

100g spinach leaves

4 tbsp corn kernels

2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and halved

1 sheet seaweed paper sliced

1 tsp sesame seeds

sliced green spring onions

1) Fry the slices of meat in a frypan with a clove of chopped garlic, soy sauce and a dash of sesame oil.

2) Bring a pan of water to boil, place the noodles in and cook for five minutes before straining.

3) In a large pan or stockpot, add the stock, halved garlic cloves, soy sauce, ginger, five spice and chilli powder and bring to boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for five minutes. Add sugar or soy sauce to the mix depending on the taste you are looking to achieve.

4) Divide the noodles between four bowls, and place the meat, spinach, egg and corn on top of each. Pour an equal amount of stock into each bowl.

5) Top the dishes with seaweed slices, sesame seeds and spring onions.

This Japanese-Italian inspired fusion dish provides an incredibly quick and easy meal. You will need the following ingredients:

3 packs of ramen instant noodles (don’t use the flavour packets)

1 tbsp olive oil

6 slices of bacon, chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 eggs, beaten

75g grated Parmesan (plus a little extra for serving)

1 tbsp chopped parsley

black pepper

1) Follow the instructions on the noodles packaging to boil them. Drain the noodles and mix in a little olive oil to prevent them from sticking together.

2) Fry the bacon pieces until crispy. Add the noodles to the pan and coat them with the bacon fat. Turn the heat down low.

3) Mix the eggs with the cheese. Pour the mixture over the bacon and noodles and stir until the cheese is melted.

3) Dish up four servings in bowls. Garnish with parsley, ground pepper and extra cheese if wanted.

Ramen Burgers

For this twist on eating both burgers and ramen, the noodles take the place of the burger bun. You’ll need these ingredients to make this inventive recipe:

2 packs of ramen noodles

2 eggs, beaten

black pepper

1lb ground beef

½ onion, chopped

½ tsp garlic powder

4 slices of cheese

1 tomato, sliced

4 lettuce leaves to serve

1) Cook the ramen according to the package instructions. Drain and rinse.

2) In a bowl, mix the noodles with eggs and season.

3) Heat oil in a pan, and place 4 circular metal cutters or rings in the pan. Fill each shape with the noodle mixture and press to make sure that they are compact. Cook for 4 minutes on each side. Repeat, so that you have enough for a base and lid for 4 burgers.

4) In a separate large bowl, mix the beef, onion and garlic powder. Shape the mixture into patties.

5) Fry the patties for around 4 minutes on each side. During the last minute, place one slice of cheese on each patty.

6) Assemble the burgers; place lettuce, tomato and a burger patty on top of a ramen bun and then top it with another ramen lid. Serve and enjoy!

Will you be trying any of these recipes? Let us know how they go for you via our social media!