Ramen: Ultimate comfort food in a bowl

The little joys of winter include chilly nights, cosying up in a blanket and slurping away one of our favourite comfort foods — ramen. It is an immensely versatile dish and can be cooked in so many different ways: try it with vegetables, try it with an abundance of protein, and the options for broth are endless.

Here are some ramen recipes for you to try and complement the weather that has settled in.

CHINESE PEPPER CHICKEN RAMEN

Ingredients
1 pack ramen
1 pack ramen spice/sauce
2 chicken thighs 
½ cup mixed bell pepper
1 spring onion
100g baby tomatoes
1 tsp Chinese five spice
1 tsp Sichuan pepper
1 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 garlic clove
2 tbsp oil
Method
To prepare the chicken, cut them into bite-size pieces and marinate them with soy sauce, oyster sauce, and grated garlic. Meanwhile, in a hot pan with oil, add diced onions, and bell pepper followed by the chicken pieces. Sprinkle with Chinese five spice, Sichuan pepper, and black pepper. Toss. Finally, add in chopped spring onion greens before removing from heat.

In the same pan, lightly toss baby tomato halves with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Prepare the ramen in boiling water along with the sauce or spice that has been provided. Once done, serve it in a bowl and top with the cooked chicken and tomatoes. You can also include another side of your choice such as crabsticks or chicken balls.   

MUSHROOM AND SEAWEED RAMEN

Ingredients
1 pack ramen
1 pack ramen spice/sauce
3 sticks of sausage
6 crabsticks
1 egg
6 sheets of dried seaweed
100g dried shitake mushrooms
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
Method
Prepare by soaking the mushrooms in warm water — in a bowl, add adequate warm water to soak the mushrooms and then add the soy sauce. Mix these and let the mushrooms soak for 20 – 30 minutes. Once done, remove the mushrooms and slice them.
Boil the ramen according to package instructions and add the mushroom-infused liquid into the boiling water – you can soft boil the egg here as well. Slice and lightly fry the sausages and crabsticks. Once the ramen is cooked, leave a little bit of the cooking water and add the ramen spice or sauce that is provided. Then add oyster sauce and mix. Serve this in a bowl and top with crabsticks, sausages, mushrooms, sliced egg, and seaweed.

SPICY SEAFOOD RAMEN  

Ingredients
1 pack ramen
1 pack ramen spice/sauce
6 fish balls
6 crabsticks
500g mixed seafood
1 tbsp gochujang
1 tbsp chilli powder
2 tsp sugar
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp Cajun spice
1 tbsp oil 
1 tbsp cornstarch
¼ cup water
Method
Lightly fry the fish balls and crabsticks and set aside. Boil the ramen with the sauce or spice pack that has been provided. To cook the seafood, first, make the sauce — combine gochujang, chilli powder, sugar, soy sauce, Cajun spice, and stir. To make the cornstarch slurry, mix cornstarch and water.
Add oil in a pan and when slightly hot add in the seafood. Lightly cook this and then add in the sauce. Stir to coat the seafood and then pour the cornstarch slurry. The sauce will instantly become thick and glossy. Pour the ramen into a bowl and top with cooked seafood, fish balls, and crabsticks.      

GRILLED CHICKEN RAMEN

Ingredients
1 pack ramen
1 pack ramen spice/sauce
2 chicken breasts
1 large tomato
1 egg
1 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp honey
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chilli powder
2 tsp oil
Method
Cook the ramen according to package instructions with the sauce or spice that has been provided and boil the egg as well. Mix the soy sauce and honey and set aside. To cook the chicken, make gashes and slather them with oil, and sprinkle over garlic powder, salt, black pepper, and chilli powder. Rub this over the pieces of chicken breast and then grill them over a hot griddle pan.

Slice the tomato in half and sprinkle with some salt and pepper; grill the slices in the pan as well. Brush the chicken slices with the soy sauce mixture while flipping them. Grill the pieces until cooked and let them rest. Serve this over the cooked ramen along with the tomato slices and sliced egg.     

Food: Fariha Amber