Ramen is gaining massive popularity among youngsters and children. It is a traditional Japanese dish with an excellent taste. People used to make it freshly in the past, but as time has changed, it has also changed a lot. Long ramen noodles can be served in many different ways, and this article will focus on what to eat with ramen.
1. What Is Ramen?
In the simplest form of words, ramen is a popular dish originating from China, later adapted by Japan. It has become a significant part of Korean cuisine and culture as well. Ramen noodles are typically made from wheat flour, salt, water, and kansui and are known for their long, straight, and slightly wavy strands.
There are many ways to eat ramen, but the traditional way is to use chopsticks. In restaurants and cafes, ramen is still served with chopsticks. It is served with many side dishes to enhance the flavors.
We can easily find instant ramen from the stores which saves a lot of our time. It is available in many different flavors. Although it is not very spicy, now it is available in many spicy flavors too.
2. Toppings Used In Ramen
If we want to add different nutrients to the special bowl of ramen, we can add many different toppings to it. One of the most popular toppings is egg, whether it is a half-fried egg, hard-boiled egg, or raw egg. It adds the protein to the bowl.
We can also add different kinds of fried mushrooms or seaweed. Many of us like to add kimchi to our ramen along with tteok-bokki and rice cake.
3. Dishes to Serve alongside a Bowl of Ramen
A set of dishes served with a bowl of ramen accentuates the culinary art of this Japanese cuisine. Let’s discuss such dishes:
3.1 Eggs
Almost everyone likes to eat eggs with their ramen noodles. There are a few different techniques for adding eggs to ramen, and the first one is to add them raw. When we add the raw eggs to ramen and mix them well, they can add a very creamy texture because they combine well with the broth. The second option can be a half-friend egg because it is very crispy from the bottom, and the york stays raw and creamy.
To make this we have to take a pan and put some oil in it. After this, we have to break the raw egg directly in the pan and let it stay still until it is completely cooked from the bottom. Now, we can take it out and eat it with our ramen, and it goes well with all kinds of ramen.
The third way is to eat a stained, hard-boiled egg with it. To do this, we boil eggs for 10 minutes and then add them to the soya sauce for more than 24 hours. Then, the eggs are ready to eat with ramen.
3.2 Kimchi
Kimchi is very common and famous to go with ramen all the time; even almost all the cafes serve it this way only. Ramen has a slightly sour taste with some acidity. Although traditional kimchi takes a lot of days to prepare, now there are recipes available to make instant kimchi.
To make traditional kimchi, first, we have to wash cabbages and some radishes. Then we cut them into short pieces and put some salt in. Also, make sure to put salt between the leaves of the cabbage. Keep it in an airtight container for some time, and after that, take it out and wash it again under running water. Now, grind all the ingredients needed for it.
Anyone can look for detailed ingredients on the internet. Thoroughly apply the paste on the vegetables and keep them aside for a few days. You can eat it instantly, or you can wait until it is fermented. The kimchi has a sour taste because of the fermentation.
3.3 Gyoza
Gyoza is a type of dumpling, and it goes perfectly with ramen. If you are a vegetarian, you can add chopped vegetables to it, or else you can add meat. First, we need the wrappers made from flour. We can make them on our own, or we can buy them ready-made from the market. They both taste good. Now, start putting the filling inside the wrappers and sealing them by making some twists.
When all the pieces are ready, put them in a pan on medium flame. Now it is a very important step and that is to dissolve some cornstarch in water and pour it into the pan. After that put all your pieces in the pan and put the lid on. When they are ready take them out and serve them with some chilli oil. This is the best combination to try. You can also steam them first and then put them in the pan to reduce the cooking time.
3.4 Tofu
Tofu has always been one of the first choices when it comes to ramen’s side dishes. It is healthy and tastes good when infused with flavors. We can fry the tofu in olive oil and toss it in honey. This will balance the spicy taste of ramen with its sweetness. There is another way to put the tofu directly into the pan when we are cooking ramen.
This process will allow the tofu to soak the flavours of the broth ramen and make it taste similar. If you are someone who doesn’t like to eat tofu then you can use the boiled potatoes instead of the tofu. Potato’s sweetness also goes well with the taste of ramen.
3.5 Chili Oil
Now, here is an ingredient to make your ramen spicy and greasy. Chili oil can be spicy based on the chilly flakes used in it, and red pepper flakes are the perfect choice. First, we need a lot of red pepper flakes in a bowl, and then we add some chopped spring onion to it.
Now boil some olive oil and add it directly to the bowl. Make sure to use a stainless steel bowl and not a plastic bowl. You can put it directly into your ramen or dip your gyoza dumpling. Chilli oil can be added to the instant ramen in stores.
3.6 Cucumber Salad
Cucumbers can also be a good choice because they have a fresh flavor and a pleasant smell. It would be great to make cucumber salad instead of simply putting the cucumber in it. To make cucumber salad, take some small cucumbers and cut them into small half-circled pieces or in a spiral.
Add some salt and red pepper powder to it. Mix it well, and remember to add some honey to it. If you want, then you can also add sesame seeds to it. Mix everything and serve it well. The chilli oil goes well with cucumber salad too.
4. Wrapping Up the Journey
In the past, only Japan made ramen available and praised it, but now everyone worldwide likes to have it as a midnight snack. We can make it vegetarian and nonvegetarian according to everyone’s preference and diet.
We can add vegetable broth and use fried mushrooms, pickled vegetables, tofu, and rice cakes to make vegetarian noodles. In the nonvegetarian ramen, we can add eggs in many creative ways. We can add Japanese fried chicken with some cheese. For the side dishes, cucumber salad is also a very good option.
Last Updated on by Pranshu Rakhecha