My last couple of posts have been a bit on the heavier side, so I thought it was time for something a bit more light-hearted and playful, just like the old days. Today, I made some ramen for a friend who came over to redo some shit the contractors fucked up in my guest bathroom. When I was living in Sand Land, instant ramen was a frequent staple, and being reminded of the this site's roots, was inspired to make theis post. Enjoy!Student of Ramen Eating: Master, Soup first, or noodles first?Master of Ramen Eating: First, observe the whole bowl. Appreciate its gestalt, savor the aromas. Jewels of fat glittering on the surface. Shinachinku roots shining. Seaweed slowly sinking. Spring onions floating. Concentrate on the three pork slices...they play the key role, but stay modestly hidden... what's important here is to apologize to the pork by saying, "See you soon."
Servings: 1 Ramen Enjoyer
Calories: 800kcal
Ingredients
- 1 package instant ramen (spicy) I recommend Paldo Namja Ramen, Nongshim Shin Ramyun, or Shin Black, but really any spicy instant ramen would work.
- 1 whole egg Soft boiled, marinated if you wanna get fancy.
- 2 ounces green onion chopped
- 2 ounces kimchi Or seasoned bamboo shoots, or vaguely asian pickled vegtable of your choice
- 2 ounces meat The featured image of the post was gochujang ground beef, but chicken, left over thanksgiving turkey, bits of steak, bacon, or even hot links would work here.
- 1 tbsp Lao Gan Ma Spicy Chili Crisp Optional, but if find yourself outside of the US, get the forbidden beef one!
Marinade Mix
- .5 cup water
- .25 cup soy sauce
- .25 cup dark soy sauce
- 3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp hot chili flakes I use a ghost chili blend, but whatever you like, so long as your butthole can cash the check that your mouth writes.
- 1 tbsp Lao Gan Ma Spicy Chili Crisp Because you can never have enough of it...
- 2 tbsp gochujang Preferably the hotter variety
Instructions
Spicy Marinated Soy Eggs (Day Before)
- Soft-boil a few eggs for 6.5-8 minutes. My saucepan holds about 10, so that's generally how many I do.
- Halt the cooking process by running the eggs under cold water, or give them a nice ice bath, Wim Hof style.
- While the eggs cool, in a large plastic container, mix the marinade ingredients together.
- Peel the eggs and place them in the marinade. Cover them with a clean paper towel, absorbing the marinade, so the eggs get a nice, even coverage. Place an airtight lid on the container, then put it in the fridge over night.
Ramen
- Melt a pad of butter at the bottom of your saucepan.
- Place thinly sliced beef (or other meat of your choosing) in the pan and lightly sear it on both sides. Don't cook it all the way through, it'll cook some more in the boiling broth!
- Pour 500ml* of water into the saucepan. Add any flavor and dried vegetable sachets, and a spoonful of Lao Gan Ma Spicy Chili Crisp.
- When the water begins to boil, add the noodle block. Gently agitate the noodles with your spoon, chopsticks, or whatever utensil is handy.
- When the ramen block separates into strands and softens slightly, pour the contents of the saucepan into a large bowl.
- Garnish with green onions, a marinated egg (sliced in half), and kimchi. Other fresh vegetables that work well are mushrooms (white button, shitake, or whatever you can get your hands on), bok choy, bamboo shoots, and corn (although that's actually a grain).
Notes
*With Shin Ramyun, the instructions call for 560ml of water; I use less because I like a bit thicker broth.
Alternatively, if you wanna go a bit simpler and more 'traditional', you can poach a raw egg in the broth while it's boiling, then add a slice of American cheese on top of the noodles and some kimchi.
"The important thing is eating the Ramen, not how you get to it."
~ Cord (probably)