Instant noodles are a staple for a lot of households both in the east and the west. Because of how cheap a pack of instant noodles is, it can help if you’re on a tight budget or if you need to save up for something else. Here are Ramen with a Twist!
Because of how cheap and quick to make the meal is, it saves you money and time! I mean, there’s no prep needed. Boil a pot of water, plop in the noodles, add in the seasoning packets, and you’re good to go.
Ramen with a Twist
However, if you’re looking to spice up that pack of instant noodles and turn a cheap meal into a sea of flavors, you’re in the right place! Here are six instant ramen recipes that’ll make your taste buds tingle.
Instant Noodle Carbonara
If you want to make carbonara but don’t have pasta ready to go, this might be a very close alternative! This works best for two packets of instant ramen, and you don’t even need the seasoning packets.
Get an egg, a ton of pepper, and some grated parmesan or pecorino cheese and whisk them together in a small bowl. As you do this, boil the instant noodle pasta, and once it’s cooked, drain the pasta water (save some of it for later). Then, add the egg mixture on the pasta in batches so that you don’t scramble the eggs and toss in some of that pasta water to make a wonderful sauce.
Spicy Kimchi Ramen
If you have a stockpile of kimchi always on your fridge, mixing it to the seasoning broth on your instant ramen pack will give you deeper flavors and an extra kick to the soup!
Heat some vegetable stock or use water and the ramen seasoning packet (it depends on you). Add in the kimchi and let it boil and let the flavors mix for a while. After that, you can add in the noodles and then toppings of your choice from tofu to vegetables, and you can even add more kimchi!
Miso Noodle Broth
Miso is a Japanese seasoning ingredient made by fermenting soybeans with salt, and it can bring umami to anything. This includes your noodle broth! Drop 1-2 teaspoons of miso on a quart of water and bring it to a boil. Add your noodles and some scallions after the soup develops, and you’re good to go!
One-Pan Instant Noodle Meal
Incorporate the flavors of your choice into one big skillet fry-up! Soften up the noodles by soaking it in water for 3-5 minutes. Then, saute some shallots, garlic, and veggies in oil and wait for the vegetables to soften up. Once soft, add the noodles and let it fry by itself to develop a bottom crust. Lastly, season it with salt, pepper, and garlic chili oil.
Although that should be good enough, cracking an egg in the center and making a runny sunnyside up on top glues the whole thing together.
Instant Coconut Curry Ramen
What can you do with half a can of coconut milk and half a bottle of Thai curry paste? A breakthrough. Combining these two simple ingredients makes a beautiful creamy broth with a kick that you will be craving for the rest of your life.
Add some veggies, scallions, and tofu on top, and you mostly have a great dinner that can impress any guest you have over. They won’t even notice that you used instant ramen to create such a magnificent dish!
Lazy Takeout Noodles
If you’re never had peanut butter noodles before, you’re missing out on a lot. The nutty flavor that comes with the sauce and the taste of toasted sesame seeds is enough to make anyone foodgasm and left satisfied. You don’t have to get takeout every time you have this because instant ramen is the perfect base for creating a dish like this.
The squiggly shape of instant ramen noodles can catch a lot of the sauce and is eerily similar to the noodles you find in fast food joints. Thin out some peanut butter with water or vegetable broth, add a whole crushed clove of garlic or minced garlic, season with salt and pepper and whisk it all together until adequately incorporated.
You can add in some chili oil as well to balance out the nutty flavor. Toast up some sesame seeds and put them on top or chop up some scallions for color and presentation.
Be sure to check out our other recipe guides and cooking tips here on Local NYC!
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