7 Tricks To Make Maruchan Ramen Better

Make Ramen Better

A Japanese-American brand that manufactures instant ramen. Making instant ramen noodles is perhaps the to-go foods for most people since it is easy to prepare, just add hot water and there you have it. A hot, delicious ramen noodles. Although nowadays, a simple packet of noodles is no longer enough to satisfy one’s craving of Ramen Noodles. There are however, different ways and tricks to make Maruchan Ramen better and we will be discussing that in this post.

If you want to upgrade Maruchan ramen to make it tastes even better, you can simply add simple ingredients such as condiments and sauces that no longer requires you cook it such as Miso Paste, Thai Curry paste, Japanese curry powder, Harissa, Fish Sauce, Vinegar, Ponzu and Chili Bean paste. Although be extra careful when adding these condiments so as not to go overboard when there are too many flavors that is competing on the ramen noodles.

If you really want to upgrade your instant ramen noodles, you may want to get for yourself a real ramen usually available in restaurants. But for today, we will be talking about upgrading Maruchan ramen to make it tastes even better.

Tricks on how to make Maruchan Ramen Better

Instant noodles packs basically contains just the noodles and its seasoning packet. If you want to take your Maruchan Ramen into a whole new level, try this ramen hacks and tricks and ways to upgrade your instant ramen below:

Use Broth or Stock

In preparing our Instant ramen noodles, we are used to just adding water to it and its seasoning packet and then allowing it to cook. But if you want to make Maruchan ramen taste even better, you can use stock instead of water.

There are ready made stock that can be bought in the supermarkets but you can also make your own homemade stock at home. When choosing the stock to purchase, be extra careful with the amount of sodium it contain since with the instant ramen packs alone already have salt content in it. You don’t want to add more sodium to your diet.


Add vegetables

Instant ramen does not usually contain any vegetables and is therefore not considered to be a healthy food, therefore try to add a little bit of your favorite vegetables to your instant ramen dish. After all, who doesn’t want a ramen packed full of fresh and healthy vegetables.

Adding quick cooking vegetables is recommended such as bean sprouts, cabbage that are thinly sliced, scallions, baby spinach are some of the quick cooking vegetables that you can add to your instant noodles.

You can also add vegetables that will take too long for it to be cooked such as cauliflower, carrots (shredded), and broccoli.

Frozen vegetables works great when added to instant noodles too. Though make sure to thaw it first by running under hot water. After draining it with water, you can directly add it to your instant ramen noodle soup.


Add Eggs

Adding hard boiled eggs to your Maruchan Ramen will not only make it taste better but will add some extra protein to your diet. Adding egg will add flavor and texture to your instant ramen.

You can either cook the eggs together with the noodles on the same pot or you can add it to the hot broth of noodles. Some prefer to poach the eggs directly to the bowl of ramen while other prefer to whisk the egg after cracking into the bowl to create a creamy texture.

There are at least 5 levels of hard boiled eggs such as:

  • Level 1 (Hard Boiled eggs) – this is very easy to prepare. You can simply add the eggs in the pot with water then allow to pot. Once egg are boiled, add in the noodles. Allow the noodles and the eggs to be cooked at the same time.
  • Level 2 (Soft Boiled eggs) – to make this level of egg. In a pot with water, wait for it to boil. Once the water is boiling, add the eggs. Remove the eggs from the pot after 3 minutes to get that soft-boiled eggs you wanted. You can drop the eggs and stir in with the noodles.
  • Level 3 (Egg drop method) – this involves dropping a beaten egg to an already cooked noodles that will create curds of egg blossoms floating around the noodles broth.
  • Level 4 (Poached eggs) – Once noodles is already halfway cooked, break in the raw egg into the center of the pot with the noodles. Put a lid on the pot and allow to sit for a few minutes.
  • Level 5 (Fried Egg) – A pan is usually required to make this. The fried eggs are then placed on top of the instant noodles ramen.

Aside from adding eggs, there are also other source of protein that you can add such as ground pork, pulled pork, shrimp, tofu cubes and sliced tempeh.


Add Meat

What other way to make your Maruchan ramen tastes even better is by adding thinly sliced meat. The flank steak, pork tenderloin or the chicken breast is the recommended meat of choice but you can also add cured meats as well such as bacon or ham. Also, leftover chicken or steak will not be put to waste as you can also add them to your instant ramen noodles. If you want to turn your ramen noodles into one of Thai style version of ramen, you can add shrimps and coconut milk too.

Meat Ideas that you can add before eating instant ramen:

  • Chicken
  • Meatballs (frozen)
  • Barbeque meat
  • Bacon (thinly cut)
  • Sliced beef (thinly cut)
  • Pork Belly (Thinly cut)
  • Tofu
  • Sliced mushrooms
  • Bok Choy (Chopped)
  • Kimchi – a Korean side dish made of fermented vegetable such as cabbage.

Add some extra to the seasoning packet

The seasoning pack that is usually included in the instant ramen noodles packs are used to season and add flavor to your noodles. But you can add some extra condiments to make it even more flavorful and mouthwatering.

If you want your ramen to have a nutty flavor, you can simply add peanut butter or sesame paste. Whisking together the peanut butter with sesame oil, soy sauce, honey, garlic, ginger and then add to the serving bowl of hot noodles.

Miso paste can also be added to your ramen to turn instant ramen into miso ramen soup. A hint of dashi powder will definitely brings out a rich umami flavor.

However, if you prefer your own condiments with sodium content you can choose not to add ramen seasoning packet first then add it later if there’s a need to do so.

If you like to add a little heat, try adding Sriracha or sambal hot sauce that will add spice and a kick of sweet heat to your instant ramen noodle dish. Sriracha mixed with garlic and red chili added to a bowl of instant ramen will definitely give the noodle a nice kick of spice.

Add spices and condiments such as:

  • Fats: toasted sesame oil, animal fat or chili oil.
  • Spices: Sichuan pepper, chili flakes or white pepper. You can also add star anise of coriander seeds to the simmering broth.

Add Some Garnish

To make Maruchan ramen taste even better, the final touch would be to garnish with some toppings. Garnish your instant ramen with scallions, chopped cilantro, sliced green onion or nori sheets (Dried seaweed).

You can simply the ramen the usual way, the garnished or top it with diced scallions and Toasted sesame seeds.

Other tasty toppings for for your instant ramen includes but not limited to:

  • Eggs
  • Cilantro
  • Toasted sesame seeds
  • Furikake (salty seasoning)
  • Bamboo Shoots
  • Scallions

Before adding garlic and ginger, make sure to mince garlic first and then grate the ginger. Then sauté both ingredients in little amount of oil and then add to your hot bowl of instant noodles.

Extra Trick: Bowl and Chopsticks

Using the right bowl size and chopsticks will make your ramen better. It would make you feel like you are eating ramen at a restaurant instead of eating in just a bowl of instant ramen. Use the correct size of bowl, not to hollow and not too deep. Just enough size that would fit your instant ramen noodle.

Upgrade Maruchan Ramen or Instant ramen Recipe

  • Cooking time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 10 minutes
  • Serving size: 2

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 tablespoon cooking oil
  • 1 clove of garlic (minced)
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger (grated)
  • Sliced mushroom (a handful)
  • 1 cup vegetable hot broth
  • 1 cup of water
  • 1 pack Maruchan Ramen or Instant ramen
  • Fresh Spinach (a handful)
  • 1 egg (large size)
  • 1 sliced green onion
  • Sriracha to add heat and spice

Directions

  1. In a small pot over medium heat, add oil, garlic and ginger then sauté for a minute.

  2. Add sliced mushrooms and sauté for a minute

  3. Add vegetable broth and cup of water. Bring it to boil.

  4. When broth and water are boiling, add instant ramen or Maruchan Ramen. Bring to boil for at least 3 minutes or until noodles are tender. Make sure not to overcook the noodles.

  5. Add spinach and lower the heat down a notch.

  6. Crack an egg into the hot broth and allow to simmer for at least 6 minutes. To cook the egg whites.

  7. Transfer cooked ramen into a serving sized bowl. Garnish with sriracha (for added heat) or just plain sliced green onion on top.

  8. Serve and enjoy the delicious ramen!

Conclusion

There are different ways on how you can upgrade your Maruchan ramen to make it taste better. Upgrading it just a matter of mixing the add-ons for that delicious instant ramen.

What other add-ons have you tried to your instant ramen? Try the recommended add-ons mentioned above and let us know what you think. Kindly share your thoughts.

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