79 Ramen Toppings: Upgrade from Instant Noodles to Gourmet!

Welcome to The Storied Recipe, a podcast about food, culture, and love! 

My podcast guest, Suwanee Lennon, introduced me to her Hot and Spicy Ramen Noodle Recipe in her episode, "We Were Not Leprosy" about her childhood living in a Thai leprosy camp. Make sure you listen to her story while you choose your add-ins and make your very own gourmet noodle bowl from a humble package of instant ramen noodles!

Tip: To see all 79 ideas in a quick list form, hit "Jump to Recipe".

An artfully made bowl of instant ramen noodles is the ultimate in quick, cheap, and creative comfort food. Even if you're a novice cook on a limited budget, you can make a healthy and elevated meal with nothing more than a package of noodles and a few leftovers.

There are endless ways to transform a package of cheap instant noodles into personalized, gourmet ramen noodle bowls for a quick and nutritious meal anytime. Making fancy ramen is a lot more about knowledge than skill - and you just need to know this one thing:

The Toppings

Spicy

Every good ramen has a little kick of heat. Add to your preference!

1. Raw ginger
2. Thai chili flakes
3. Shichimi Togarashi - Japanese blend of chili peppers, orange peel, and other seasonings
4. Vegan Chili Oil with Sichuan Peppers
5. Dried Japones Peppers
6. Jalapeno Peppers
7. Hot sauce
8. Gochujang (Red chili paste)
9. Traditional Korean Kimchi
10. Shaoxing Chinese Cooking Wine

Sweet

This can easily be overdone, so use a measured hand. But a good bowl of ramen will have just a little hint of sweet. My favorite? - #2 Kecap Manis!

1. Hoisin sauce
2. Kecap Manis (Indonesian Soy Sauce)
3. Brown Sugar
4. Bachan's Japanese Barbecue Sauce
5. Mirin (Sweet Japanese Cooking Wine)

Sour/Tangy

If you're American, like me, you may not have trained your sour palate. But any Asian cook will tell you - sour is imperative to a good dish.

1. Lime juice
2. Rice wine vinegar
3. Pickled vegetables
4. Tamarind paste
5. Lemongrass
6. Plum powder
7. Yuzu juice (or powder or paste)

Salty or Umami Flavor

A flavorful broth always has a salt or umami flavor - or, preferably, both. (Salty is not the same as umami, but American palates often conflate the two. Read more about umami flavors here.)

1. Nori (seaweed)
2. Soy sauce
3. Sesame oil
4. Fish sauce
5. Oyster sauce
6. Miso paste
7. White fish paste or fish balls
8. Black garlic oil

Crunchy

Top your hot noodle soup with one or more of these crunchy toppings - or feel free to add your own and let me know what you choose!

1. Sesame seeds
2. Fresh green onions
3. Bonito Flakes
4. Crispy fried onions
5. Crunchy Fried Shrimp Sambal
6. Chopped peanuts

Broth 

The easiest and quickest way to bring your ramen to the next level is to use broth instead of water. Careful - if you choose a commercial (rather than homemade) broth, it's likely to have a lot of salt (even the low sodium varieties!). Consider going with a homemade ramen seasoning made by mixing elements from the lists below rather than the packet, which will also be crammed with sodium.

1. Vegetable Broth (or Mushroom Broth)
2. Chicken broth
3. Beef broth
4. Seafood broth

Creamy

Truthfully, creamy isn't really the goal of ramen noodle bowls. However, more and more creamy ramen recipes are filling the internet and social media, so I decided to include a few ideas here if that's what you're going for. You can find the best recipes here.

1. Peanut butter
2. Coconut Milk
3. Tahini
4. Kewpie Mayo

Proteins

Turn this into a filling meal with eggs, meat, or plant-based protein. A little goes a long way!

1. Narutomaki (Fish cake)
2. Imitation Crab Sticks (also made from fish paste) 
3. Soft-boiled egg (4-5 minutes)
4. Hard-boiled egg (up to 10 minutes)
5. Poached, scrambled, or fried egg
6. Pork belly
7. Chicken breast / Chicken thigh
8. Shrimp
9. Tofu
10. Black lentils 
11. Mongolian beef
12. Ground beef, turkey, or pork
13. Chicken - thinly sliced breasts or grilled thighs

Leafy Greens (and Fresh Herbs)

Go crazy shopping for Asian greens in H Mart or your local Asian grocery stores! Here are a few of my favorites:

1. Baby bok choy
2. Pak choi
3. Mustard Greens 
4. Broccolini
5. Spinach
6. Cilantro
7. Napa Cabbage
8. Watercress

Fresh Vegetables

Each and every one of these will add lots of nutrients and micronutrients to your personalized ramen bowl. Go crazy!

1. Bean sprouts
2. Radishes
3. Bamboo shoots
4. Bell pepper
5. Green beans
6. Mushrooms
7. Cherry tomatoes
8. Corn
9. Carrots - cut into matchsticks or julienned
10. Celery
11. Snow peas/Snap peas
12. Lotus root - for an eye-catching display plus nutrients
13. Super huge hurry? - Pop in a 1/2 cup of frozen veggies and let the boiling water cook them

Thanks for reading! What's YOUR favorite Ramen Add-In? Tell us and I'll add it to the list!!

Listen to Suwanee's Episode: "We Were Not Leprosy"

Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player

Recipe

79 Ramen Toppings: Upgrade from Instant Noodles to Gourmet!

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Description

79 topping ideas to take everyday instant ramen to the next level! Organized by Spicy, Sweet, Sour/Tangy, Salty/Umami/, Crunchy, Creamy, Broth Options, Proteins, Greens, and Vegetables.

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Ingredients

Make sure you listen to Suwanee's episode of The Storied Recipe Podcast, "We Were Not Leprosy" while you make her amazing Spicy Ramen recipe.

SPICY

1. Raw ginger
2. Thai chili flakes
3. Shichimi Togarashi - Japanese blend of chili peppers, orange peel, and other seasoning
4. Vegan Chili Oil Sauce with Sichuan Peppers
5. Dried Japones Peppers
6. Jalapeno Peppers
7. Hot sauce
8. Gochujang (Red chili paste)
9. Traditional Korean Kimchi
10. Spicy Shaoxing Chinese Cooking Wine

SWEET

1. Hoisin sauce
2. Kecap Manis (Indonesian Soy Sauce)
3. Brown Sugar
4. Bachan's Japanese Barbecue Sauce
5. Mirin (Sweet Japanese Cooking Wine)

SOUR/TANGY

1. Lime juice
2. Rice wine vinegar
3. Pickled vegetables
4. Tamarind paste
5. Lemongrass
6. Plum powder
7. Yuzu juice (or powder or paste)

SALTY/UMAMI

1. Nori (seaweed)
2. Soy sauce
3. Sesame oil
4. Fish sauce
5. Oyster sauce
6. Miso paste
7. White fish paste
8. Black garlic oil
9. Worcestershire Sauce (Thanks to reader augieboose!)

CRUNCHY

1. Sesame seeds
2. Fresh green onions
3. Bonito Flakes
4. Crispy fried onions
5. Crunchy Fried Shrimp Sambal
6. Chopped peanuts

BROTHS

1. Vegetable Broth (or Mushroom Broth)
2. Chicken broth
3. Beef broth
4. Seafood broth

CREAMY

1. Peanut butter
2. Coconut Milk
3. Tahini sauce (in Japanese style bowls)
4. Kewpie Mayo

PROTEINS

1. Beautiful Narutomaki (Fish paste)
2. Crab sticks (also made from fish paste)
3. Soft-boiled egg (4-5 minutes)
4. Hard-boiled egg (up to 10 minutes)
5. Poached, scrambled, or fried egg
6. Pork belly
7. Chicken breast / Chicken thigh
8. Shrimp
9. Tofu
10. Black lentils
11. Mongolian beef
12. Ground beef, turkey, or pork
13. Chicken - thinly sliced breasts or grilled thighs

GREENS & HERBS

1. Baby bok choy
2. Pak choi
3. Mustard Greens
4. Broccolini
5. Spinach
6. Cilantro
7. Napa Cabbage
8. Watercress

FRESH VEGETABLES

1. Bean sprouts
2. Radishes
3. Bamboo shoots
4. Bell pepper
5. Green beans
6. Mushrooms
7. Cherry tomatoes
8. Corn
9. Carrots - cut into matchsticks or julienned
10. Celery
11. Snow peas/Snap peas
12. Lotus root - for an eye-catching display plus nutrients
13. Super huge hurry? - Pop in a 1/2 cup of frozen veggies and let the boiling water cook them

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

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Instructions

Choose One of Each

• Add ONE thing from each of these 4 categories - Spicy, Sweet, Sour (and/or acidic), and Salty (and/or umami).

Go Crazy with Add-ins

• Add as much as you'd like from each of the protein, vegetable, leafy greens, crunchy, and creamy categories. Mix and match the add-ins to YOUR liking - it's impossible to go wrong!