Instant Ramen Upgrade

This quick and easy homemade recipe will show you how to upgrade your regular instant ramen into a restaurant-worthy dish in just a few steps! You can now enjoy a bowl of rich and creamy ramen anytime while saving some bucks.

In recent years, Japanese ramen has become very popular in different parts of the world. In the Philippines, you can find ramen bars almost everywhere. Not surprising really, because it's delicious, hot, and filling. But it could be a bit costly, especially for college kids and young adults skimping and trying to be independent. No wonder this Instant ramen hack became viral.

But if you are looking for a more authentic homemade ramen recipe, try our Spicy Beef ramen recipe.

Quick and Easy Instant Ramen Hack

Instant Ramen is known worldwide for three things. Being quick and easy, accessible, and of course, affordable! With this recipe, you'll have all 3 and take your instant Ramen to the next level by adding just a few pantry staples like eggs, Japanese mayo, garlic, and sesame oil. You can even take it up a notch by adding more ramen toppings like nori wrappers and ramen eggs.

Ingredients You'll Need

What will you need to buy? Probably nothing. So before gearing up to go on a grocery run, better check your fridge and pantry first. Here’s the list of the simple ingredients you’ll need:

• Instant Ramen pack- this recipe calls for only 1 pack. If using one more, just double (or triple) the rest of the ingredients below.
• Water- follow the amount of water stated in the package.
• Soup Base- I used an egg, Japanese mayonnaise, the seasoning pack for the instant ramen, garlic and sesame oil. This are all combined to make the soup super flavorful and thick.
• Toppings- I used chopped green onions to add a fresh and sharp garnish to the rich soup. You can also add Nori wrapper, chopped mushrooms and ramen egg if you wish to.

How to make instant ramen better

The beauty of making homemade ramen is that you can customize it based on what you have or what you prefer. Here are some ideas for you to explore:

• For a little kick to your instant ramen upgrade, you can drizzle chili garlic sauce or oil on top or add Sriracha sauce as preferred.
• Make it healthier by adding veggies like julienned carrots, bok choy or mung beans sprouts.
• If you do not have time to make ramen eggs, but still want some chunky protein on your soup, feel free to drop a whole egg on the hot soup. You can also use hard-boiled eggs or even sunny side up eggs.
• You can add chicken or beef strips if you want something a little heavier on your Instant Ramen. Chashu Pork or pork belly is the go-to meat for Ramen, but any meat will do, even leftover ones. Just make sure to thinly slice the meat and cook it along with the noodles.

More cooking tips

• Don’t break the dried noodles. I know its tempting but your tongue will thank you later for your discipline. Broken noodles will result in unevenly cooked noodles as smaller noodles cook faster. This will also affect the texture of the whole recipe.
• Do not just add the hot water into the ramen soup base with the egg. This recipe calls for a few spoonful of boiling water to be added and mixed to it first to temper the eggs. This to ensure that the egg will not curdle or turn into ribbons for a smoother soup.
• Don’t be afraid to experiment! There are a lot of Instant Ramen varieties. There’s the American version with butter and American cheese, there’s also the Aloha Ramen which is made with spam and pineapples. The possibilities are limitless so take what you have on your fridge and put it on your Ramen!

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