How to Improve Your Instant Ramen - Japanese Techniques and Hacks

Would you like to enhance your instant ramen with just a little extra effort? Here, I will share some Japanese techniques and hacks for improving its flavor without too much hassle.

There are several techniques recognized in Japan for enhancing the flavor of instant ramen, but my top recommendation is to use kombu dashi (kelp stock) instead of water.

Kombu dashi is a traditional Japanese stock made from kombu (dried kelp) and is one of the fundamental stocks used in various Japanese dishes. It is often used in making authentic ramen, where its natural umami component, glutamic acid, enhances the flavor of the ramen.

It pairs particularly well with chicken, pork, and seafood-flavored ramen. While kombu dashi enhances dishes on its own, combining it with other umami components significantly boosts each flavor. In other words, the combination of glutamic acid in kombu dashi with the inosinic acid found in chicken, pork, or seafood enhances the dish even further through a synergistic effect.

In Japan, there are various types of dashi stocks, such as bonito dashi, anchovy dashi, and shiitake dashi (shiitake mushroom stock), that contain a variety of umami components. However, these dashi varieties can overpower the original taste of ramen, so using kombu dashi is still the recommended choice.

The recipe below uses kombu to make kombu dashi, but if you have kobucha (kombu tea powder) on hand, you can also use that. In that case, sprinkle a pinch per serving and let it blend into your ramen soup.

For more information about kombu dashi, please refer to the linked page.

The next technique I highly recommend is adding protein of the same type as the soup base.

For chicken ramen, add chicken; for tonkotsu ramen, add pork. Since these ingredients need to cook together when boiling water, this method works with packaged instant ramen rather than the type in which you just pour hot water.

The reason for adding protein is to deepen the original flavor of the ramen. By adding a flavor component with a similar profile to the soup base, you can enjoy a richer taste. While the added protein is edible, its main purpose is to enhance the stock, so you can also remove it before eating or use it in other dishes.

When preparing protein, it is recommended to slowly heat it starting from room temperature in water. In this way, you can fully extract the umami component from the protein.

While it may not necessarily enhance the flavor of all instant ramen, adding sake (Japanese rice wine) is a method worth trying.

Sake is a classic seasoning commonly used in Japanese cuisine to elevate the flavors of dishes. Although it is alcoholic, its alcohol content evaporates during boiling noodles in a pot, making it safe for children to consume (please note that the alcohol component will remain if added to cup-style instant ramen, which is prepared by pouring hot water).

However, keep in mind that the richness of sake can affect the flavor of ramen. Therefore, it may not be effective for all varieties of instant ramen. Personally, I find that it pairs well with shio ramen (salt-flavored ramen). When adding, use about 1 tablespoon per serving and reduce the amount of water by an equal measure.

Similar to authentic ramen, instant ramen can be enhanced by including toppings to improve its flavor and visual appeal. In Japan, common toppings include the following:

• Green onions/scallions
• Nitamago/Ajitama (ramen eggs)
• Chashu pork (Japanese braised pork slices)
• Menma (seasoned bamboo shoots)
• Nori seaweed

Since convenience is a key feature of instant ramen, in Japan, it is common for some people to simply add green onions. On the other hand, some health-conscious individuals add vegetables such as bean sprouts and cabbage, in addition to the mentioned ingredients.

When adding vegetables to instant ramen, cooking them together in the pot is an easy method. However, for a tastier experience, it is recommended to cook them separately from the noodles. Sprinkling about ½ teaspoon of the flavor packet per serving over the vegetables before microwaving them on medium power (500W) for about 2 minutes can easily season them without compromising their flavor and texture of the vegetables.

In addition to adding ingredients, you can improve instant ramen by getting creative with the preparation method. Here are some hacks known in Japan for enhancing packaged instant ramen. Try incorporating them into your routine when making instant ramen.

• After two-thirds of the indicated time on the package has passed (so 2 minutes if the boiling time is 3 minutes), loosen the noodles

When making instant ramen, you might feel tempted to loosen the noodles while they are boiling, but resist the urge. If you do so while they are still firm, they can break or crack, resulting in a loss of chewiness.

While it might not be noticeable when eaten alone, comparing noodles that were loosened immediately after starting to boil with those that were not will reveal a distinct difference in texture.

• Add the flavor packet after turning off the heat

If the flavor packet is added to the pot from the beginning and cooked, it will cause the flavor to diminish. To preserve the flavor, it is best to add it after the noodles are cooked and the heat is turned off.

However, keep in mind that this is a hack for eating Japanese instant ramen and may not apply to the instant noodles you usually eat. For example, Korean instant noodles often taste better when the flavor packet is added to the pot initially because they contain different ingredients and are manufactured differently from Japanese ones.

• Cooking noodles and soup separately

Cooking noodles and soup separately and then combining them later is a recommended method, especially for those who are health-conscious.

Instant noodles usually contain oil, so cooking them separately from the soup in a different pot allows the excess oil to drain, resulting in a cleaner taste. In this case, since the noodles don't absorb water from the soup, be sure to reduce the amount of water for the soup by about 20%.

Additionally, it is recommended to add baking soda when cooking the noodles separately.

Adding baking soda changes the texture of instant noodles to be more like authentic ramen noodles. Authentic ramen noodles are made by kneading kansui (lye water, which consists of sodium carbonate or potassium carbonate) into the dough, while instant noodles can achieve a similar texture by cooking them with baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), which belongs to the same chemical family.

The amount to use is ½ teaspoon per 2 cups (500 ml) of water for boiling. Be cautious not to add baking soda to the water for the soup, as it might cause bitterness.

However, there are considerations with this method. Each instant noodle manufacturer assumes that the water used to boil the noodles will be used to make the soup, so if you prioritize taste over health, it is still better to cook the noodles and soup in the same pot. Therefore, this hack is for those who enjoy the texture of the noodles more or are health-conscious individuals. Feel free to try it according to your preference.

Ingredients

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Instructions

🕒 Total: 45 mins mins

This recipe provides instructions on how to make instant ramen with chicken flavor taste better. For techniques and hacks related to instant ramen in general, please refer to the information provided above.

Step 1
Put the specified amount of water from your instant ramen package into a pot along with kombu, and let it sit for at least 30 minutes until the kombu softens.

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Step 2
Add chicken to the pot and simmer it together with the kombu over very low heat for about 10 minutes. When small bubbles appear on the surface of the liquid, remove the kombu.

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Step 3
Bring the pot to a boil and skim off any scum that rises to the surface. Place the noodles into the pot, under the chicken, and cook without stirring until two-thirds of the cooking time indicated on the instant ramen package has elapsed.

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Step 4
Loosen the noodles and continue simmering for the remaining one-third of the time.

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Step 5
Turn off the heat, then mix in the flavor packet. Serve in a bowl and add ramen toppings according to your preference.

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Kombu dashi (kelp stock) made with this recipe is one of the traditional Japanese stocks. When making it, please note the following points:

• Soak the kombu in water for at least 30 minutes. Kombu that hasn't been soaked will not yield as much dashi stock.
• When simmering kombu, cook slowly over very low heat. High heat will not bring out the full flavor of the kombu. Additionally, remove the kombu before it starts boiling. Once small bubbles appear on the surface of the liquid, it is a sign to take it out. As the water comes to a boil, the distinct odor of kombu will become stronger, and the kombu will release its slimy components.

For more information about kombu dashi, please refer to the linked page.