79 Ramen Toppings: Upgrade from Instant Noodles to Gourmet! - The Storied Recipe (2024)

Last Modified: Apr 9, 2024 · This post may contain affiliate links

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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!

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:

Step One: Hit the Notes

To elevate your noodle bowl, you just need to hit a note in each of 4 categories - Spicy, Sweet, Sour (and/or acidic), and Salty (and/or umami). I've curated lots of options in each category below and I guarantee you have some of them in your pantry!

Step Two: Choose Your Add-ins

Then, to make a complete and healthy meal, add things from the protein, vegetable, leafy greens, crunchy, and creamy categories. Mix and match the add-ins to YOUR liking - it's impossible to go wrong!

If you're not the mix and match type, you can check out this post: How to Make Instant Ramen: 37 Best Recipes Around the World.

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. VeganChili Oil Sauce with Sichuan Peppers
5. Dried Japones Peppers
6. Jalapeno Peppers
7. Hot sauce
8. Gochujang(Red chili paste)
9. TraditionalKorean Kimchi
10. SpicyShaoxingChinese 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. Banchun's OriginalJapanese BBQ 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 brothalways 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
8. Black garlic oil
9. Red pepper paste

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 chose!

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

Broth

The easiest and quickest way to bring your ramen to the next level is 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 of the best recipes here.

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

Proteins

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

1. BeautifulNarutomaki(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

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 juliianned
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 into the list!!

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

79 Ramen Toppings: From Instant to Gourmet!

Recipe by Guest of The Storied Recipe Podcast

5.0 from 1 vote

Servings

4

servings

See Also

Are Ramen Noodles Bad for You? Here's What a Dietitian Has to SayThe Ultimate Guide to Choosing Healthy Noodles: Dietitian's PicksAre Instant Ramen Noodles Bad for You, or Good?Is eating instant noodles for breakfast harmful? - VnExpress International

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

5

minutes

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.

Cook Mode

Keep the screen of your device on

Ingredients

• SPICY

• Raw ginger

• Thai chili flakes

• Shichimi Togarashi - Japanese blend of chili peppers, orange peel, and other seasonings

• Vegan Chili Oil Sauce with Sichuan Peppers

• Dried Japones Peppers

• Jalapeno Peppers

• Hot sauce

• Gochujang (Red chili paste)

• Traditional Korean Kimchi

• Spicy Shaoxing Chinese Cooking Wine

• SWEET

• Hoisin sauce

• Kecap Manis (Indonesian Soy Sauce)

• Brown Sugar

• Banchun's Original Japanese BBQ Sauce

• Mirin (Sweet Japanese Cooking Wine)

• SOUR/TANGY

• Lime juice

• Rice wine vinegar

• Pickled vegetables

• Tamarind paste

• Lemongrass

  See Also

  10 Ingredients to Spice Up Your Ramen - Outward Bound Blog

• Plum powder

• Yuzu juice (or powder or paste)

• SALTY/UMAMI

• Nori (seaweed)

• Soy sauce

• Sesame oil

• Fish sauce

• Oyster sauce

• Miso paste

• White fish paste

• Black garlic oil

• Worcestershire Sauce (Thanks to reader augieboose!)

• Red pepper paste

• CRUNCHY

• Sesame seeds

• Fresh green onions

• Bonito Flakes

• Crispy fried onions

• Sambal Crunchy Fried Shrimp

• Chopped peanuts

• BROTHS

• Vegetable Broth (or Mushroom Broth)

• Chicken broth

• Beef broth

• Seafood broth

• CREAMY

• Peanut butter

• Coconut Milk

• Tahini sauce (in Japanese style bowls)

• Kewpie Mayo

• PROTEINS

• Beautiful Narutomaki (Fish paste)

• Crab sticks (also made from fish paste)

• Soft-boiled egg (4-5 minutes)

• Hard-boiled egg (up to 10 minutes)

• Poached, scrambled, or fried egg

• Pork belly

• Chicken breast / Chicken thigh

• Shrimp

• Tofu

• Black lentils

• Mongolian beef

• Ground beef, turkey, or pork

• Chicken - thinly sliced breasts or grilled thighs

• GREENS & HERBS

• Baby bok choy

• Pak choi

• Mustard Greens

• Broccolini

• Spinach

• Cilantro

• Napa Cabbage

• Watercress

• FRESH VEGETABLES

• Bean sprouts

• Radishes

• Bamboo shoots

• Bell pepper

• Green beans

• Mushrooms

• Cherry tomatoes

• Corn

• Carrots - cut into matchsticks or juliianned

• Celery

• Snow peas/Snap peas

• Lotus root - for an eye-catching display plus nutrients

• Super huge hurry? - Pop in a ½ cup of frozen veggies and let the boiling water cook them

Directions

• 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!

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