The Ultimate Guide to Tastier Ramen

We all know that one of the best things about instant ramen is that it’s fast and easy to cook.

But, did you know, with just a little extra effort (we know, sometimes boiling water feels like an effort!), you can upgrade your ramen to have a richer and tastier experience.

There are four types of ramen soup; shio (salt), shoyu (soy sauce), miso (fermented soybeans) and tonkotsu (pork bone). The best ingredients or seasonings to add to your ramen will depend on what type of soup base it has.

Let’s begin our journey of how to make your ramen even more delicious! 😋

All Types

Egg

Simply break an egg onto the noodles, add boiling water and wait for a few minutes or as written in the description. You can also make an aji-tamago, a tasty flavored boiled egg, by soaking a soft-boiled egg in a sauce made with shoyu, garlic, mirin (not essential) and sugar for several hours.

Green onion

Green onion adds a pleasant flavor and freshness to ramen. In Japan, ramen is usually always served with negi, whatever the soup is.

Bean sprout

Bean sprouts are an underrated vegetable in our opinion! Not only are they cheap, but they are nutritious and a great ingredient to add to ramen. Some ramen shops, including the famous Ramen Jiro, offer an option of adding a mountain (literally!) of bean sprouts.

Shio Ramen

Chashu

The soft, melt-in-mouth pork belly is a nice topping for any ramen, but light shio ramen is especially a good choice to go with the heavy meat.

Lemon juice

Salt and lemon always work well together. Just add a tiny drop of lemon juice to give it a refreshing aftertaste. Lemon-flavored shio ramen makes a great dish in summer. 🍋

Sesame

Little sesame (goma) seeds have the big power to make your ramen a whole lot tastier. Once you try it, you’ll never be able to go without it!

Shoyu Ramen

Shrimp

Boil or stir-fry some shrimps and add them to your shoyu ramen. Though shrimp is not always a common choice, the juicy taste and texture boost the deliciousness of ramen.

Chicken meatball

Many instant shoyu ramen products contain chicken meatballs, but it never hurts to add more!

Mushrooms

Mushrooms, especially the Japanese types of shimeji or shiitake, not only add a delicious flavor, but also texture to any dish. And ramen is no exception!

Miso Ramen

Corn

Miso ramen with corn has always been an iconic dish in Hokkaido, but now people all across Japan like it, no matter where they live. If you're in a rush, canned corn works, but if you have a bit of extra time, fry off some fresh corn in butter. So good!

Butter

As they say, everything tastes better with butter! Adding butter to your miso ramen will make the soup taste even deeper and richer.

Potato

Potato is a secretly popular topping for miso ramen. The soft and fluffy vegetable is delicious when soaked in the soup.

Tonkotsu Ramen

Menma

A refreshing or piquant ingredient is preferred for heavier types of ramen and that is why menma (fermented bamboo shoots) is a good choice. The bamboo shoots also have a pleasant texture.

Mentaiko

Hakata, Fukuoka is the number one producing area of mentaiko (pollock roe). Japanese people love it as a condiment with tonkotsu ramen, which is also a famous dish in Hakata. The flavor of the mentaiko is light in the strong and thick tonkotsu soup, but it still adds a great taste.

Takana

Takana is a kind of tsukemono (Japanese preserved vegetables), made from mustard leaves. Heavy tonkotsu ramen tastes just right when combined with the mild spice and crunch of the takana.

We hope we've given you some ideas on how to take your instant ramen to the next level!

Check out our current Ramen Pack, which is always filled with delicious ramen! 

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