EPT
Today I bring you my preparation method for ramen that I've worked on over a while now, in my quest for the perfect bowl of spicy ramen.
I'm very much a lover of spicy food. I grew up in the Middle-East and then finally Australia (where you'll find so foods from so many cultures; Thai, Korean, Turkish, Indian etc). I've always been an ardent fan of foods that make my mouth burn but also contribute such intense flavours that seem to match the intensity of the heat so well.
This, coupled with the inevitable love of Korea and it's culture after joining TL all those years ago, has lead to me craving and enjoying ramen!
So this is my recipe for all the spicy food lovers out there.
What You'll Need:
- Shin Ramyun
![[image loading]](http://goofyasians.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/shin_ramyun.jpg)
(You can substitute for your favourite kind, but I'm going to go with the popular Korean brand!) - Sriracha, a piquant and flavoursome chilli & garlic hot sauce. Available at most Asian grocery stores (ones that want to be considered 'real' Asian grocery stores anyway, if they know what's good for them).
![[image loading]](http://hotnspicyfoods.com/sauce_cart/images/uploads/sriracha.jpg)
- Cheese
- Canned tuna in brine
- 1 egg
- Spring onion
- 1/4 of a red onion
- 5 Hot chillies (red are hotter, and when it comes to normal chilli varieties, the smaller the hotter!)
- Cayenne Chilli Powder
- White vinegar
- Salt & pepper
- Bacon bits (or a rasher chopped up)
Preparation & cooking instructions:
- Dice/Finely slice the red onion.
- Slice as much spring onion as you like.
- Slice the hot chillies into 1/2cm bits, keeping the seeds.
- Fry the bacon until you get the texture you prefer, soft/crispy.
- Mix the tuna with the cayenne pepper powder in a small bowl.
- Boil water in a small pan on the stove. What I normally do is measure about 400ml of water into the kettle, boil it in there while I'm preparing the other ingredients, and then pour it into the pan after heating it on the stove for a while. This means you get the water on a rolling boil and are ready to start cooking the ramen straight away. It also means you'll have the perfect amount of soup.
- Snap the ramen into halves, I do this by just wrenching the two folded parts apart. Means you'll have less trouble eating it when it comes to that vital part!
- Add the sachets (the dried vegetables and spicy soup mix) to the boiling water and stir.
- Add a few drops of vinegar (will help with the egg poaching and prevent the noodles from sticking together, I also find it gives the noodles a better texture.)
- Add the ramen into the pan.
- Next add the sliced red onion.
- When the ramen has begun to soften, push down with a wooden spoon to create a little cavity (while the ramen is still bunched together), crack the egg into this cavity.
This allows it to sit there on top of the noodles and poach really well. If it slides off, no real dramas, it just means you'll have bits of egg rather than a whole egg. - Add the sliced hot chillies to the pan.
- Add the tuna/cayenne pepper powder mix towards the end of the noodles being cooked, you're aiming so that the tuna doesn't have a chance to boil, but just gets some warmth.
- Remove the ramen from the pan and pour all of it into a noodle bowl.
- Add cheese and bacon on top of the ramen, and then give it a liberal dose of Sriracha.
- Dust with salt & pepper, and then sprinkle the sliced spring onion on top.
- Chopsticks or fork & a spoon and you're ready to go! Get a glass of milk...you may need it
Optional ingredients:
- Hot sauce - I will often add a really hot sauce to it, just for that extra kick (I know in the US it's very easy to get any number of really good hot sauces), personally I use Blair's Jersey Death sauce, which is fucking hot...so only a few drops.
- If you want to get all Korean up in the joint, serve with a side of Kim-Chi it goes really well. (The brand I use is probably the tastiest Kimchi I've ever had, feel free to use your own favourite brand.)
![[image loading]](http://www.orientalmart.co.uk/images//products_sml/kimchi300g.jpg)
- Garlic in any form; powder, granules, dried, minced, or freshly sliced. (If it's minced or fresh, you'll want to fry it along with the bacon so you're not in garlic overload mode, unless that's of course what you desire. I'm a big garlic lover, much the behest of any girls I meet.
- Fresh vegetables; carrot or broccoli I've tried in the past and they just add a bit more nutrition to the bowl without overcomplicating it.
There you have it, my own personal ramen preparation; if you balance all of the potent ingredients, you'll find it compliments the soup base really well, and the cheese takes a slight edge off the heat. The tuna adds protein, and the chillies will give your metabolism a swift kick in the testicles. Try this recipe + and energy drink then play Starcraft...your APM will double. Fact.
Bon appetit.
<3 Smurg.
*** Update *** Pics by Request:
Tuna/Cayenne mix:
![[image loading]](http://imgur.com/ffIcy.jpg)
Chopped chillies: My local Asian grocery had run out of the Thai Red chillies, so I substituted for green, not as hot but still with a definite kick!
![[image loading]](http://imgur.com/RFWjR.jpg)
Ramen Halves:
![[image loading]](http://imgur.com/uTlMR.jpg)
Ramen cooking with egg poaching on top and chillies abound:
![[image loading]](http://imgur.com/JKecc.jpg)
Final result (the egg poached whole, but it is underneath the noodles):
![[image loading]](http://imgur.com/xaamn.jpg)
Ready to eat! (w/ Kim Chi and a tall glass of milk.)
![[image loading]](http://imgur.com/iuOmX.jpg)
Additional sauce used:
![[image loading]](http://imgur.com/NmIjc.jpg)
This is a sauce I found at a local store. Since I recently moved to the UK I don't have my beloved bottle of Blair's Jersey Death. I found this sauce has a similar taste, and a good kick. Definitely not in the same league as Jersey Death, but a nice addition I found.
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