Old or young, instant noodles are always a hit. Whether it is the gharwali or phado wali noodles, a comforting bowl of soupy noodles can warm you up. Now, due to social media, South Korean noodles or ramyeon are the popular pick. Ramyeon, not to be confused with ramen, refers to instant noodles which dried vegetables and artificial flavoring. According to NielsenIQ, the market for Korean noodles in India is seeing a growth, from ₹2 crore in 2021 to over ₹65 crore in 2023. While you can’t go wrong with adding a few veggies and a dash of ketchup, here are some ways you can elevate your simple bowl of noodles with a few tips from Instagram.
Cheese corn ramen
A classic American-Korean side dish aka Banchan, cheese corn is made by mixing mayonnaise, shredded mozzarella cheese, sugar, salt and pepper into boiled sweet corn. Prepare the instant noodles in a flat-bottomed pan and dump the cheese-corn mixture on top of it once cooked. Cover it and let it steam so the cheese melts. Garnish with spring onions and serve warm.
Chilli oil ramen
A big trend for 2023 on food-tok was chilli oil - being drizzled on ice cream or pasta and being used to fry eggs and more. Heat oil on a gentle flame. In another bowl, add chilli flakes, sesame seeds, green onions, chopped garlic and ginger and any other spices. Pour the oil over this mixture and then let it sit for a few minutes. Dunk the cooked noodles in the oil and give it a good mix.
{{/usCountry}}A big trend for 2023 on food-tok was chilli oil - being drizzled on ice cream or pasta and being used to fry eggs and more. Heat oil on a gentle flame. In another bowl, add chilli flakes, sesame seeds, green onions, chopped garlic and ginger and any other spices. Pour the oil over this mixture and then let it sit for a few minutes. Dunk the cooked noodles in the oil and give it a good mix.
{{/usCountry}}Carbonara ramen
A popular hack that several food bloggers on social media recreated was using egg yolk and Japanese mayonnaise or kewpie mayo. Whisk the yolk, mayo and a few teaspoons of hot water together to get a creamy broth. Drain the noodles and add it to the broth. This lends the noodles a flavour that is similar to the italian pasta Carbonara.
Rabbokki
Rice cakes are a popular Korean item that is added to several dishes like Budae Jjigae (Army Stew), tteokbokki, etc. There are a variety of rice cakes including those that are filled with cheese or mini sausages. Rabbokki is a mixture of tteokbokki and ramen. To make it, add the rice cakes to the pot of water before you cook your noodles. You can also add eomuk (fish cakes), boiled eggs, dumplings and mini sausages. When serving it, add shredded cheese and seaweed strips, black sesame seeds and spring onions.