3 Ways To Make ¢25 Instant Ramen Into Gourmet Dishes

Hope you are safe and healthy…

The world is madness and I really hope you are staying home and safe. What chaos we are going through, but we are all in this together! I’m trying to stay positive, and I have been cooking 3 meals everyday and acting like a chef. Today I’m sharing how to make instant ramen into a not-so-collage kind of meal, because now that we are staying home you have to be creative when cooking, and also save as much as possible.

Ramen first started as a gourmet dish originated in China, and made its way to Japan. Now it is everyone’s go-to street meal and I grew up eating so many kinds! Now instant ramen is ridiculously affordable anywhere, and you can store them for a long time, which is perfect especially during this hard time. However, I never eat just the noodles and soup, and I thought this is a good time to share how I usually cook them into something nutritious, filling, and delicious! I’m sharing 3 different ways I cook ramen, only using what I have in my fridge and pantry!

1: GROWNUP RAMEN (so easy!)

This is the easiest way to upgrade your ramen, you just need to add some veggies and protein! Try to add at least 3 ingredients, and ta-dah it’s an actual good meal!

I use this kind of noodles when I make Grownup Ramen - I stock them when I go to Asian Market, MISO kind is the best!

This day I used: Crab sticks, Tofu, Bokchoy, Carrots, Green onions, Garlic chives

Cut your choice of veggies and proteins in small bite sizes, boil them first, set aside, use the same hot water to cook ramen - homemade easy veggie broth! Add soup packet, add ingredients on top, and serve!

2: Oven-cooked Ramen

Ramen is so delish without soup too! You could pan-fry it also, but I think steaming in the oven will keep all the good nutrients in the ingredients more.

Using this one that you can find anywhere!

Veggies: I used Cabbage, Beans Sprouts, Asparagus, Bokchoy. Not pictured but I added mushrooms and tofu!

Preheat oven to 425℉. Cut your choice of ingredients small and place them with ramen on a foil, gently wrap them.

Put ramen at the bottom, and then cover it with veggies (took picture this way so you can see how I place ramen!).

Side Note: Sauce Recipe

Put the ramen soup packet aside (you don’t need it!). You can use this recipe for any stir-fry dish too! I usually eye measure everything, but I’ll add suggestion here:

• Sesame oil (2 tbsp)

• Olive oil (2 tbsp)

• Soy sauce (3 tbsp)

• Mirin/rice wine (1 tbsp, if you have it)

• Garlic (2 cloves, minced)

• Salt (I use garlic salt) & Pepper (I use Lemon Pepper)

• A pinch of Brown sugar

• A pinch of Ginger powder

Side Note: Get these at an Asian Market

(left) Garlic oil: I almost out it on every dish I cook. It gives the dish some depth and is so good!

(center) Mirin: It is a type of rice wine. This + soy sauce = the easiest (and yummiest) sauce for Japanese dishes!

(right) Enriched soy sauce: Better than regular soy sauce! So much “UMAMI” to it.

Now put the sauce and 1/8 cup of water into the foil, and then gently close the foil (it doesn’t have to close all the way), put in the oven, cook for 25mins to 30mins.

If the noodles are cooked, mix them and serve!

3: Ramen Salad

Ramen is so crispy that will make your ordinary Asian style salad extra delicious (and fun)!

Using this one again

Veggies: Cabbage, Carrots, Mushrooms, Avocado, Green Onion, Cherry tomatoes, Radishes, and cucumber! Any veggies that you love eating raw!

Finely chop the veggies and put them in a bowl.

Crush the ramen into the bowl (it is a great stress relief).

Side Note: Dressing Recipe

I love making dressings and my Japanese dressing is oh so yummy, I wanted to share my recipe with you:

• Soy Sauce

• Sesame oil

• Garlic olive oil (or olive oil with garlic powder)

• Lemon pepper

• Vinegar (I used strawberry vinegar, but you can add any kind of vinegar!)

• Brown sugar

Keep tasting and change the measurements! Sometimes I add mustard too.

I’m putting less soy sauce and NO salt in the dressing this time because I’m adding the ramen soup packet here! Also squeeze some lime, and add chopped green onion!

Mix everything together, and serve! I recommend you to eat right when it’s served, but I secretly love eating them after everything absorbs the dressing!

There are many other ways to cook ramen as well:

• Mac & Cheese Ramen

• Ramen Pasta

• Creamy Soup Ramen (add ramen to any kind of creamy soup)

• Curry Ramen

• Ramen Sandwich

… Ramen is for sure so useful and hope this post inspires you to treat ramen a little fancier and creative, not just “things you eat when you are broke”. Every food is precious and now is definitely the time to re-appreciate everything we have, from food to time. Please stay safe everyone, also keep up with me acting like a chef on my Instagram stories everyday!

STAY SAFE AND FABULOUS EVERYONE!