Butter-Soy Ramen
Instant ramen with butter and soy sauce stirred in. A 40-cent packet acting like it costs money.
8 min
Quiet
Stovetop
One thing to wash
Serves 1
Vegetarian
Instant ramen is already good. Butter and soy sauce make it taste deliberate — the butter rounds the broth into something silky, the soy adds depth the seasoning packet only gestures at. If you drop an egg in during the last two minutes, this becomes a legitimate meal and you can stop feeling like you're eating a dorm food.
You’ll need
-
Butter
1 knob (about a tablespoon) -
Instant ramen
1 packet -
Soy sauce
a small splash No soy sauce? Half the seasoning packet more, if no soy sauce. -
Chili crisp
optional
a spoonful on top No chili crisp? Hot sauce works differently but works. -
Eggs
optional
1 -
Frozen vegetables
optional
a handful, straight from frozen
Salt, pepper, oil, and water are assumed — if the salt is missing too, we can’t help tonight.
The way through
- Boil about two cups of water in a small pot. A lid makes it boil faster and quieter.
- Add the noodles and half the seasoning packet (the full packet plus soy sauce is too much salt — trust this).
- If you're adding an egg: crack it into the pot now and don't stir for 2 minutes, so it poaches into a soft cloud. If you like it mixed through, stir immediately instead.
- Frozen vegetables can go straight in from the freezer — they'll thaw in the broth.
- When the noodles are just loose (about 3 minutes), kill the heat. Stir in a knob of butter and a small splash of soy sauce.
- Chili crisp on top if you have it. Eat from the pot; it's late, the pot knows what it is.
Night-kitchen noteKill the heat before adding butter. Butter stirred into just-off-the-boil broth emulsifies and goes glossy; butter boiled hard just becomes an oil slick.