Written By: Shawn Krajewski
This article is aimed at those who don't know how to cook their own ramen but are interested in elevating their ramen dishes (or "diddying them up," as my parents would say). So, rather than providing instructions on how to make ramen using advanced techniques, I will only be using packets of ramen that you can buy at any grocery store. That's because this piece is targeted at high school seniors and college students who need to know how to feed themselves on a tight budget. Thankfully, you only need a tea kettle to make ramen. You can get those that plug into the wall and are entirely electric.
This article is split into two halves: the first being general tips on improving your ramen, and the second being how to make your ramen better with the limitations of only being able to use an electric kettle for people who don't have access to kitchen appliances (such as college students living in a dorm).
General Tips:
Stock
Stock is very easy to use, and it heavily improves your ramen-eating experience. Plus, stock is widely available, meaning you can find it in most grocery stores. To use stock, first, find one that works well with the flavors of your ramen and any other ingredients that you'll be adding. There are many different ramen stocks, such as beef, bone, and chicken. The reason you want to match the flavor profiles of the stock with your ramen is that you use stock as a replacement for the water you cook ramen in. As a result, with the stock, the noodles will soak up that good, tasty-flavored water and add a little more power to the food.
Eggs
Eggs are easy to add to your ramen. You can boil them with the shell on and remove the skin before adding it to your food. Or you can fry them on a skillet and place them on your ramen (preferably one without broth, but you do). I'm not the biggest fan of eggs in my ramen because the yolk gets everywhere and they don't taste as good as beef. However, if you like the taste of carrots, beef, or chicken with eggs, then they should work well!
Tofu
For me, tofu is not a replacement for meat, and you shouldn't treat it as such. However, you shouldn't say, “Meat is better than tofu,” as it is like saying, “Pickup trucks are better than sports cars.” Sure, you may be correct, but meat and tofu are used for widely different things. With that being said, tofu is very good, and there are many different ways of eating it. My favorite is frying my tofu and covering it in soy sauce. However, you don't have to fry it; rather, you can chop it up and add it to your dish with no consequences. Tofu works especially well with beef ramen or spicy ramen.
Greens
I don't have as much experience adding greens to my ramen as I dislike bok choy and most broccoli family offshoots (except for broccoli itself); however, most greens can still be added to your ramen. To add greens to your ramen, simply wash them beforehand and then boil them in the same water (or stock) you are using to cook the ramen. Typically you want to add them towards the end, but it is up to you. Also, I have found that greens go really well in ramen with peas, carrots, corn, and scallions, which should be added at the end due to their delicate nature.
Meat
Adding meat to your ramen is a great way to enhance its flavor, and it's quite easy to do. There are three excellent meat options for ramen: shaved steak, which can be purchased in a package; roasted pork, which can be bought in cuts, although it tends to be a bit pricier; and chicken. You can buy a half-roasted chicken at most stores, and you can tear the meat off the bone (without the need for a knife). After you have the meat, you can add it to your boiling water. The meat is sure to enrich the flavor, and it also provides chunks that you can chew on. However, you should note that the shaved steak only takes a minute to cook, ensuring you get those delicious meaty bites.
Cost-Effective Tips:
When making ramen, there are specifically two things you want to know how to cook: shaved steak and sauce. Both of these are very easy to do, and quite frankly, I prefer their use cases over the regular ones.
Shaved Steak
To cook shaved steak without a pot, you need two things: boiling water (from the kettle) and someplace to put the steak. You can put the steak in either a bowl or pan, and then you should fill it with boiling water. You'll need to let it sit longer, though, because it's not on a hot stovetop. Another alternative is laying the steak out and pouring boiling water on top of it. To do so, I got a small metal pan and laid the steak across it. I then poured the water on top. I exchanged the water twice to keep a constant heat on it, and I drained the water both times. Your steak should then be cooked all the way through, and you can season it. However, I don't recommend adding pepper, as it doesn't taste good with ramen.
Sauces
Finally, there are the sauces. It doesn't matter if you add them as you're cooking the ramen or after it is finished. Sauces are subjective, but I highly recommend using a spicy soy sauce when making ramen. Now, that's it. Have fun eating!
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