Who among us doesn’t have a trick or two up their sleeve when making instant ramen? A vegetable or egg in the pot, your special sauce or powder, and if you have game, maybe a garnish on top. All good. Congratulations. But this soup has several facets.
My breakthrough came when I stopped thinking about what ingredients to add to my ramen and instead started thinking about a packet of instant ramen as an ingredient itself, a raw material that can be used to create a truly unique bowl of noodle soup.
This time of year, the young farmers markets are full of greens, packed with nutrients, fiber, and flavor. The radishes are green, and everything else is green. Lettuce, kale, bok choy, herbs, pea shoots, spinach, watercress, chard, onions, chives, garlic, scallions, green onions, and many other shades of green. If you like things seasonal, like I do, that means a decidedly green ramen. And aside from lettuce (yuck), almost any green will work. I like to add a mix of greens to my ramen. This variety gives the broth a unique and delicate bouquet.
Most enthusiasts have their preferred brand and model of instant ramen. Mine is from the Korean brand Nongshim. It’s called Premium Shin Black with beef bone broth and is sold in packs of four that cost over $15. It’s also extremely spicy, although that’s not mentioned anywhere on the package. Another great Nongshim product is Spicy Seafood. For me, ramen has to be spicy. If the block I’m working with isn’t, I have to customize it with my own level of spiciness.
Green Ramen
Ingredients
- 1 pack of Nongshim Premium Shin Black with beef bone broth or instant ramen of your choice
- Various cooked vegetables, ideally three of the following: kale, pak choy, gai long, mustard leaves, spinach, chard…
- 1 or two eggs
- Mayo, hoisin, soy sauce, hot sauce, etc.
- Coriander, basil, chives or spring onions to garnish
Instructions
Clean and chop 4-6 cups of greens. Crack the egg(s) into a small bowl.
Pour 4 cups of water into a saucepan with a lid. Add the contents of the flavor packets from the instant ramen package to the still cold water. Place the noodle block on top. Turn the heat to high. Put the lid on.
When the ramen is rolling, add the vegetables, spreading them out so they are evenly spread over the noodles. Gently pour the egg(s) on top of the vegetables to ensure they are stable. Replace the lid and cook for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and assess. You don’t want to overcook the egg. Or maybe you do. Cooking eggs is a personal matter. If you think the egg needs a little more cooking, put the lid on for another minute.
At this point, the lettuce will have formed a mat on top of the noodles. Using a spatula or wide spoon, scoop the lettuce and eggs into a bowl. Then, using a fork or chopsticks, add as many noodles as you want to eat to the bowl.
Before eating, pour the remaining broth into a separate container, such as a small pot or cup. Don’t leave extra noodles in the broth like a novice. They will soak it up and become too mushy to be of any use.
Finally, decorate your bowl with garnishes and sauces. Chopped chives or coriander. Hoisin sauce. Vegenaise, mayonnaise.
