Perfect Instant Ramen

Recipe from Roy Choi

Adapted by Jeff Gordinier

Updated Nov. 25, 2024

Perfect Instant Ramen
Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards.
Total Time
10 minutes
Rating
5(10,518)
Comments
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Make some instant ramen. Slide an egg into the hot broth, then some butter. Crown the steaming noodles with slices of American cheese. Scatter a bunch of toasted sesame seeds and chopped scallions across the top, if you want to. Hardly a recipe! But for the chef Roy Choi, who gave it to The Times in 2014, doctored instant ramen is a taste of Korean-American straight-from-the-bag soul food. The butter, egg and cheese help coat the ramen noodles and deepen their flavor. “It’s our snack, it’s our peanut butter and jelly sandwich, it’s our bowl of cereal,” Mr. Choi said. “It’s something that has been a part of my life forever.” —Jeff Gordinier

Featured in: Ramen: A Quick Fix for the Soul

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Ingredients

Yield:1 serving
  • 1pack ramen noodles with flavor packet
  • 1large egg
  • ½teaspoon butter
  • 2slices American cheese
  • ¼teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
  • ½scallion, green part only, thinly sliced on the bias, optional
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (1 servings)

607 calories; 32 grams fat; 16 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 11 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 56 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 2 grams sugars; 24 grams protein; 2059 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Bring 2½ cups of water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the noodles and cook for 2 minutes. Add the flavor packet, stir, and continue to cook for another 30 seconds.

  2. Step 2

    Remove the pan from the heat and carefully add the egg. Do not stir; pull the noodles over the egg and let sit for one minute to poach.

  3. Step 3

    Carefully transfer everything to a serving bowl, add the butter, cheese and sesame seeds and mix. Garnish with the scallions if desired.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
10,518 user ratings
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Comments

jenny

I poach the egg first, set it aside and add on top at the very end. I do NOT understand why so many people feel compelled to comment on this recipe when they are never going to make it. No one cares about your inane opinions about why this is not a healthy recipe (seriously, NO ONE) and how you make your own seasonings etc. The fake cheese is a great addition and when I have some, I now always add it. I also add the entire evil death-bringing flavour packet, plus extra salt-ridden soy sauce. YUM

Barbara G.

I looked through all the readers' notes, and while many of their suggestions for other ways to prepare ramen sounded amazing, I wanted to know what was so remarkable about Chef Choi's version that the Times would share it. We prepared it without deviation. It was WONDERFUL. The broth soft-cooked the egg and melted the butter and cheese, which lightly coated the noodles. The impression I had was that of enjoying a rich cheese-omelet-flavored dish. We will absolutely make this again.

Peter

Okay. I love ramen and saw this a while ago and was: naw. American cheese? Hardly cooked egg? But tonight, I tried it. Oh, my God. Whatever is in "American cheese," -- it's not cheese -- melts instantly and alchemically gives the broth the lovely thickened rich texture of real ramen shop noodle broth. I don't know how it works and I don't care. Never eating instant ramen any other way again.

Melissa

Brilliant! And for those who object, American cheese starts as cheddar cheese, altered just a tiny bit so that it melts evenly and quickly. I add sugar snap peas to the water when I add the noodles, for a bit of crunch, and always scallions. Since I'm old, white, and live on the east coast, I had never had ramen (yes, really! but I love phô) until I tried this. Easy peasy and delicious. Now it's in the once-a-month rotation.

Carolyn

This was total comfort food!! Such an improvement over straight from the shelf preparation. I added a tiny amount of toasted sesame oil for richness. I LOVED this!

KarenChicago

Made this for my Mom. We have ramen every other week and this was a treat! American cheese and poached eggs, gorgeous.

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Credits

Adapted from Roy Choi

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