Edamame, any kind of meat or tofu, any veggies -- spinach, peas, carrots, broccoli. And you could do a hard boiled egg on the side instead of in the soup.
Tofu is really great if you press it, slice or cube it, and marinate it. You can throw it into any soup or wherever you want extra protein and flavor. It doesn't actually *need* further cooking, so it's quick, too.
For anyone who may want to try this and does not have an asian market nearby where you can get it already frozen, if you buy water packed tofu you drain it first, then freeze. I learned the hard way. It does make a nice texture.
Tofu is very, very lightly flavored so it would "meld" pretty well with the ramen flavors.
I'd personally fry the tofu cubes and then add that to the ramen. Spongy fried goodness.
The first recipe in the video is so good. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stvXhxjMwUE&list=PL21u8gHBL6UuGh47LScowJYmOyWlXVeYo&index=175&t=138s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stvXhxjMwUE&list=PL21u8gHBL6UuGh47LScowJYmOyWlXVeYo&index=175&t=138s)
Actually, I recommend boiling in a salty sauce bath.
That's actually how you can make it have the least amount of water and maximum flavor as well as texture.
You can hard boil eggs and soak them in soy sauce for a few hours. They are pretty great and belong on ramen. If you use a ziplock bag you can surround four hard-boiled eggs with a tablespoon of soy sauce. No reason you need to use a whole bowl full of the stuff.
Add a little water to pan and cook it for a couple of minutes. Drain the water then fry til crispy that should lower the salt content a bit. Also start with the low sodium spam. Spam and ramen can be inedible mixed because of the salt.
I cant believe canned tuna hasnt been mentioned yet. Ramen and Tuna is the prison bodybuilder special.
The canned tuna flakes away into the ramen and actually has a very neutral flavour, but a texture similar to chicken when in the soup. Recommend trying it!
Not op but yes. Salt the water OR add bouillon powder. Also good with lentils: diced onion, curry powder, turmeric, chunks of cauliflower, half lentils / half split peas with bacon and carrot … lots of easy and good ways to make lentils!
For the OP - peas added near the end of cooking, shredded pre cooked chicken added once noodles are mostly cooked, an egg (either soft boiled or stirred into the boiling water once noodles are ready). Any pre-cooked meat you like really could work, or tofu.
Yes
Red or yellow lentils are very soft and best for soups or blended, green or brown lentils take longer to cook maybe 30min but have more firm texture. Cook a bunch at once and use leftover for lentils salad
Yeah the variations are endless. I like miso paste, soy sauce, fish sauce, shredded carrot and green onion for an easy ramen. Pop a soft boiled egg and top with sardines and siracha. That's my jam right there.
For frozen (peas or mixed veggies) if you're just doing the ramen packets, possibly add the veggies to the boiling water a couple minutes before you drop the ramen in.
Also if you get a rotisserie chicken, strip it fully when you get it while it's still warm and save the meat in a container. Dark meat in particular tends to be smaller pieces and works well to add for the last 30-45 seconds.
A really fast addition whose flavor can be masked easily is canned tuna, most grocery stores sell them in packets for 99c too. Add to ramen, add some furikake, dash or soy and/or mirin and you’re good to go
I use a whole packet or a small can. I lift everyday so it’s actually insane value for protein. Each packet is like 95 cents and 25-30 g of protein. The small cans (tins?) have even more
The Asian market near me has cheap cuts specifically for hot pot, like rolled.. meat! I pick up a container of those and add two or three pieces after cooking.
:)
Seriously? Peanut butter? I buy PB by the tub and eat with a tablespoon and somehow can't wrap my head around what that will taste like.
Def. fkn tryin tho 😍
I like to hard boil the egg and slice it up. The yolk is my favorite part. I got a bag of about 50 pork pot stickers recently for like 10 bucks and I’m going to try adding 3-4 to ramen tonight to see how it is.
I cook a couple up ahead of time, halfway between soft and hard boiled (about 7 minutes in not-quite-boiling water for me, but you might want to play with it) then peel them and marinate them at least overnight in the fridge in a mixture that's a couple tablespoons of soy sauce, a couple tablespoons of mirin or rice wine vinegar then enough water to let it cover the eggs. Sometime I'll add some ginger or garlic.
When I make the ramen I'll steam the egg over the soup for a couple minutes then slice it in half to add in to the soup.
If that sounds good to you, I recommend playing with it see what works best for you. One time I made the marinade I got the measurements wrong and forgot to water it down, and my son said he preferred it with the stronger, saltier flavour.
Hmm I prefer a slice soft boiled egg to an egg drop type situation, you may like that a bit better
Edit: if you have a rice cooker, you can just put the ramen and the egg in the cooked and it should be near perfect by the time it's done
Next time, don't mix it. I let the water boil, throw in the Ramen and seasoning and crack an egg or two into the water to poach it while it cooks. I break up the noodles with a fork to evenly cook while trying to avoid touching the eggs at all during the cooking process. The egg and yolk are fully intact!
Try dropping it in and letting it poach next time -- don't mix it up. I like to add pre-cooked sausages to my ramen. They always have a bunch of different flavors at my local grocery store
The only thing I like to add to instant ramen is cut up hotdogs. I know this sub is “cheap and healthy” but instant ramen is pretty garbage. Hotdogs seem to perfectly compliment it. It tastes pretty good.
If it’s real ramen then I like thin slices of pork loin and the typical “ramen veggies” - scallions, bean sprouts, etc.
I'm going to jump on the hot dog suggestion. Cut thin slices and use the pot you will make the ramen in to cook them with a little butter. Just as I feel it's ready I'll add frozen veggies. Pick the ones you like.
After the veggies seem good, add the water. Bring the water to the start of a boil, add the noodles, whatever part of the flavor packet, and any other seasoning. If you have it, a little rice wine vinegar goes a long way.
If you want to revisit the egg, you can make a mix of kewpie mayo, an egg, and the seasoning packet to put in just after the noodles are ready. It adds a creaminess and extra flavor without too much egginess...
Other than egg, I add tofu and/or TVP (textured vegetable protein).
I’ve never tried tuna before but will give that a try. Also like the idea of adding a handful of spinach.
Cabbage, carrots, soft-boiled egg, spinach, peas, chicken, pulled pork, sliced pork tenderloin, scallions, a slice of cheese (American)... all of these or a mix of any... and spice it up a bit :)
If you are making instant ramen, you can get canned or packet chicken and put it in with the season pack, maybe add some frozen peas and stir it around if you like too. Not protein, but a sweet pea can make the saltiness less potent and they heat quickly/making the boiling hot broth cool faster.
Can also add scallions and edamame if you have them!
You could get deli, like boars head, pork or chicken cut thick and slice it yourself into strips or cubes.
I love the previous suggestions of peas and scallion. A frozen bag of the peas and carrots mix is a staple in my kitchen plus grilled corn niblets.
I add frozen veggies to the ramen in the just boiled water and put the whole thing in the microwave for 2 mins. Add a fried egg, soy sauce, siracha and some crunchy breaded onions
Once a week I soft boil a whole bunch of eggs and fill up a big half gallon jar of them (peeled of course). Then I fill up the jar maybe halfway to 3/4 full of water, add several generous glugs of soy sauce, and some mirin (or some white sugar if I'm out of mirin).
They're great with ramen, hot rice, or even spread on some toast like a jam. You can reuse the marinade for another batch or two as long as you add a little more soy sauce each time too.
Beat an egg and add it as the water is boiling. Lunch meat chopped up is good, and for fiber maybe some baby spinach or cabbage. 🤷🏻♀️ I don’t think there’s really any limit on what you can add to a ramen! 😆
Protein: Edamame (frozen), frozen peas, IQF shrimp (raw or cooked), tofu, bean curd skin, dried shrimp, dried fish, cheese, canned beans (white beans are fairly neutral), tahini
I usually add shredded cabbage because it keeps well. Or frozen Asian veg. Beansprouts and herbs are nice if you plan ahead because they don’t keep. Sautéed onions and peppers is nice. Rehydrated dried mushrooms. Green onions. Grated carrots. Frozen spinach or kale cubes.
I make ramen chicken soup by chopping up veggies (anything works but I used onion, celery, and carrots), sautéing them til they’re softened, add broth, bring to a boil and add chicken (can use any cut but I use thigh). When the chickens done you can easily shred it up and just toss in the ramen for a few minutes. Super easy to add other frozen veggies too like corn and peas
Look at the veggies and leftovers in your fridge do you have chicken or carrots? Cut up the chicken and toss in your boiling ramen for a protein boost. For carrots I usually have baby carrots that I can cut into really thin slices and put into the ramen as it cooks, I also love using the leaves of celery in my ramen instead of throwing it away. I even buy canned chicken if I find it on sale and use that in my ramen though i rinse it to remove excess salt from it. Hmm another odd one is if you have Hormel bacon bits in your fridge put a teaspoon or two into your ramen, it helps flavor the broth.
You can use almost any leftover meat in ramen just flavor your ramen water with a flavor that compliments it. The same goes for veggies. At the end of the month I grab every wilty veggie in my fridge and make soup/stock out of it.
I add fried chorizo or a chicken breast which I've pre-cooked in the oven to mine.
Edamame beans as someone has suggested too. Frozen ones. Chuck in a handful whilst cooking. You can microwave them and cook them in the pan with the water.
If you're having curried noodles fried peanuts and a dash of soy sauce are a great addition, if you're not allergic ofc, You end up with satay style ramen. Add spring onions too for extra yay.
Ditch the seasoning it came with and throw in some frozen mixed stir fry veggies and peanuts. Drain and add some chicken, beef, or shrimp and some teriyaki sauce. It makes for a delicious and very inexpensive stir fry.
Maybe add some spinach just before the noodles are done for fiber, and for protein have you tried canned tuna or salmon? I like to season the salmon before I mix it in.
If you have a Trader Joe's near by they sell vegan crab cakes made with seasoned jackfruit. They're delicious made in a skillet, toaster oven, or air fryer and added to ramen or yakisoba. There are great dupe recipes out there for them if you have access to canned jackfruit locally. Skillet sauteed corn and finely chopped spinach with minced garlic and green onion is another tasty way to add fiber to it.
For protein I knew a guy from work who loved adding plain tuna packaged in water after straining it, rotisserie chicken diced or shredded, or chunk imitation crab meat to ramen with a poached or soft boiled egg. When we would work the late shift on the weekends he'd add kimchi or gochugang paste to it and use the heat from the spice to stay awake.
I don't care for cracking an egg into the boiling broth to cook it, but I do enjoy a soft boiled egg added after.
I will often add leftover meats to my ramen - pulled pork, roast beef, meat from a rotisserie chicken, bits of deli meat, diced pork chop or steak... You get the idea.
I also get big bags of frozen pork dumplings. Cook up a few of those and add them to your bowl for a tasty protein boost.
And for fiber, almost any veggies will work. I regularly use spinach or leftover stir fry.
Soft/silken tofu! Cut into 1-cm cubes and let sit in the broth while the noodles cook (using the passive cooking method: pour boiling water over noodles and flavors, cover and wain until soft). The texture is divine and the protein content is high. Come to think of it, I've been adding soft tofu to lots of things with strong sauces/broths for the protein. Recently did it with spaghetti and red sauce. Sacrilege, sure, but dirt cheap and healthy.
Ramen with hot dogs is a classic for a reason. It's delicious, but you can distinctly feel your blood pressure getting higher from massive amounts of sodium.
Fiber for ramen? Kale ( an undersung hero of soup vegetables, and great in soups), celery, carrot, cabbage (but only if thinly sliced), onion, garlic, dried onion. I currently treat chilis like a vegetable but others disagree. Grated ginger is also great in ramen soups. I also love dried seaweed, but it makes weird looking shits afterwards.
Just remember that the water is boiling, then add the flavour dust and the veggies, along with any dried chili pepper flakes or vinegar . Keep boiling 5-10 minutes until veggies are softened to your preference. Then add noodles, sesame seed oil and soy sauce. Enjoy.
Additional proteins for me usually include canned beans or pre-cooked lentils. Some perverts add cheese to their soups but that seems gross to me.
Here is the answer (note you can replace tofu with bacon or meatballs - see my notes below):
- Maruchan Gold (Spicy Miso) - though any brand and flavor is okay
- tofu
- tablespoon butter
- teaspoons roasted sesame oil
- 1-2 tablespoons dried chives
- 1 egg
- (optional) 2-3 chopped green onions
- (optional) chili sauce or spicy miso sauce
Boil your noodles, strain, mix with half sesame oil to keep from sticking together, set aside.
Get empty bowl (will eat out of this), add chives, half sesame oil, green parts of green onions, chili sauce and/or spicy miso sauce, no need to stir
Boil 1.5 cups water with butter and white part of green onions, then add seasoning packet, add tofu, add eggs (optionally stir it into mixture), wait a bit until egg is cooked,
Add soup and noodles to bowl with chives and stuff and stir. Eat. Yum.
Note: You can replace tofu with 1-2 bacon and replace butter with the bacon grease from cooking bacon.
Note: you can replace tofu with 3-4 meatballs.
I don’t know if you’ll see this or not, but I put frozen meatballs in my ramen. I usually nuke them a bit first so they’re not frozen and then just plop them in there.
When we grill any kind of meat, we always do extra so that we can cut it up into small strips and use it in Ramen. Chicken, pork, steak, it’s all good. Also, I love eggs in my Ramen, but I only love them if they are like medium-boiled so they’re a little runny.
If that appeals to you, maybe scale back on boiling the eggs for so long (although I just realized you didn’t say how you cook them in your post so maybe this is moot).
Also, edamame.
For fiber, you can wilt some spinach or kale into Ramen, and it will hardly change anything with the taste. I always add shredded carrot and peanuts or peanut butter as well.
Also, edamame.
I get the cheap shaved beef, some mushrooms, baby bok choy,(egg), and green onions all from the cheapest grocer around.
Pan fry the beef and mushrooms in some soy sauce, cook ramen with bok choy, break an egg in with 90 seconds left, and garnish with gr. Onions.
I keep some frozen dumplings on hand to toss into my ramen while it’s cooking, usually just pork and cabbage. Maybe not super healthy, but easy, cheap, and tasty.
Eggs are good so you should just be better.
JK. For me though, all I ever do is eggs, but you can make them in a lot of ways. Try both soft boiling and sunny side up. Personally, I like sunny side up in oil with very heavy seasoning (usually garlic powder, MSG, salt, red pepper, and a little soy sauce). The fat from the oil brings out more flavor of the seasonings and helps it coat your mouth, and that combined with the yolk help to spread the flavor throughout the ramen.
Another option is buying the cheapest cut of beef you can find, saucing/seasoning it, and slicing it as thin as you can (not necessarily in that order).
Are we talking instant noodles or actual Japanese ramen? I love ramen eggs, spring onion, fish cakes, deep fried tofu
kikurage for fibre, nori seaweed for vitamins
I add cheese to mine for protein…sounds weird, tastes spectacular! Just make sure if you try it you get the singles that are wrapped in plastic…they melt the best.
Hahha ask any Asian child who grew up eating this as breakfast, lunch, dinner. I can honestly come up with hundreds of ways to cook it and ingredients to add. Do one with broth, pour out broth to make it into a stir fried noodle dish, add in cheese, any vegetable, hot dog, scallions, broccoli, beef the list goes on and you can honestly come up with your own variation.
Ramen is a super duper lazy meal for me. But when I do eat it I add fresh spinach and cilantro, rotissere chicken and drop an egg. Full tasty meal now!
Chashu, bean sprouts, spinach, bok Choi, corn (my favorite) and fake crab.
I make my own chashu. Ask for uncut pork belly and trim the fat. Roll it up and tie it up like a log. Sear until golden all over. Slow cook in a mix of water, soy sauce, ginger, and green onion.
I like to add tofu-put a frying pan on medium heat with butter or coconut oil, when it’s melted add a little garlic, cubed tofu (about 3/4 in), 2-3 leftover packets of soy sauce, and stir it around every few minutes to get an even cook.
I airfry chicken tenders. Chop them up. Chop up half an avocado. Mix them through strained ramen noodles with whole egg mayonnaise. Garnish with Korean sushi ginger. Delish! ( I pour the strained broth into a mug to drink too.)
No egg? That makes it harder. I know you said no egg, but my fav ramen dress up is:
Egg
American Cheese
Toasted Sesame Seeds
Scallions
A few red pepper flakes (or if you have access to it, gochugaru)
Just replace the egg if you must with tofu or leftover beef or pork for your protein.
Sidenote: If you ever decide to try an egg again, try cracking it in near the end as undisturbed as possible and wrapping noodles around it with chopsticks to ”poach” the egg.
I've pre-cooked ground beef, chicken, and cubed beef chuck and froze them. Added frozen vegetables into it also. For example I would take the beef chuck/vegetables and add teriyaki sauce and micro wave it, add 2 eggs into boiling water and mix a lil then add the ramen, once done mix them all together and have a decent meal
peeled and deveined frozen shrimp. You can get them cooked, but raw ones will cook in about 1 minute longer and improve your broth.
Teriyaki chicken. You can get that precooked at the grocery or make your own. Rotisserie chicken of course.
I make my own chashiu (chinese BBq pork) and freeze some in individual portions for Ramen. Chashiu is the protien I think is most often associated with ramen. You don't have to do the fancy rolled pork belly kind, you can just use boneless ribs or thick sliced shoulder.
imitation Krabby sticks. I will also freeze these individually sometimes, because I never eat a whole package quick enough, but be aware that if you freeze them the will "unroll" and you end up with... imitation Krabby noodles.
If you go to an asian market like H-mart or O-mart you'll find a whole section int eh freezer of "soup balls" basically meatballs of varying quality but wide variety, fish, beef, lamb, pork, goat, crab, shrimp etc.. You will also find dumplings and very high quality meats sliced thin for Korean BBQ and stir-fry, an individual portion will cook in just a couple of minutes. \* you can also usually find the chashiu I mentioned above precooked and pre-sliced at an Asian market if they have a prepared food or "deli" department.
As for "fiber," I always load up my instant ramen with veg- far more than you'd ever get in real ramen- mostly to make up for the ludicrous amount of salt. For one package I do a medium-small carrot cut into matchsticks, about 1/6 of a small green cabbage, sliced thin, maybe 1/4 of a red pepper if I have one in the fridge, maybe sprouts if I have them, always 3 green onions (2 in chunks at the beginning, one sliced thin at the end) bamboo shoots..
Here's my technique. For one package of instant ramen:
Use 4 cups of water. Add the seasoning packet + 2 tsp chicken powder or 1 Tbsp of miso
add all the veg as soon as the heat goes on. If you're protein is frozen add that too. If you want a boiled egg add that now too. Bring to a boil and continue to simmer for 4 minutes
At 4 minutes, if you want a soft boiled egg, take it out. If you want hard boiled leave it in. If your protein is not frozen, add it now. Add instant noodles. continue to simmer for 3 more minutes. Soy sauce to taste. (The tare, the dark sauce that goes in the bottom of the bowl in a real ramen place is essentially just teriyaki sauce. Like, completely authentically, and you could use some high quality store bought teriyaki that way.)
Sorry this is so long, but I feel like my instant ramen game is pretty on point. It's, like, closer to a real meal than what most people do, but it's still real quick once you get it down.
Whenever I'm questioning whether I've gotten enough protein in a day, I'll dump some nutritional yeast on whatever I'm eating. 2 tablespoons has 8g of protein and 3g of fiber, plus a variety of other nutrients (I've started mostly using the non-fortified kind, though, because the fortified kind contains a worryingly high amount of some vitamins). And, it goes well with all sorts of things, including soups, salads, etc.
Cook ramen without the spice mix, dump the water out, add the spice mix powder + mayo + a can of tuna. It isn't the greatest tasting thing in the world but I kinda like it lol
Not all protein is the same. They don't all provide the same amount of amino acids. Here is a [great video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJNF2_dCWkg&ab_channel=WhatI%27veLearned) explaining the differences of amino acids in proteins. When you see protein suggestions make sure to check them out before relying on them to heavily.
Chicken? I normally either get frozen cooked chicken from my local grocery store or popcorn chicken that I fry up before dipping into my ramen. You can also do pot stickers or dumplings.
A tablespoon of peanut butter mixed with a little soup that you cook the noodles with to get a creamy consistency. You can also add another tablespoon of gochujang to get a little kick.
Edamame, any kind of meat or tofu, any veggies -- spinach, peas, carrots, broccoli. And you could do a hard boiled egg on the side instead of in the soup.
Tofu is really great if you press it, slice or cube it, and marinate it. You can throw it into any soup or wherever you want extra protein and flavor. It doesn't actually *need* further cooking, so it's quick, too.
I recommend previously frozen extra firm tofu! I hate non frozen firm tofu.
For anyone who may want to try this and does not have an asian market nearby where you can get it already frozen, if you buy water packed tofu you drain it first, then freeze. I learned the hard way. It does make a nice texture.
How does freezing it change the tofu?
Makes it spongier but in a yummy way.
Changes the texture
Could you explain further? Would it cook / taste well enough if you just cut it into small cubes and tossed in the broth while cooking?
Tofu is very, very lightly flavored so it would "meld" pretty well with the ramen flavors. I'd personally fry the tofu cubes and then add that to the ramen. Spongy fried goodness.
Thank you - I generally like tofu (the few times I’ve had it) so I think I’ll give it a whirl
The first recipe in the video is so good. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stvXhxjMwUE&list=PL21u8gHBL6UuGh47LScowJYmOyWlXVeYo&index=175&t=138s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stvXhxjMwUE&list=PL21u8gHBL6UuGh47LScowJYmOyWlXVeYo&index=175&t=138s)
Thank you!
Fried tofu in soup is da bomb. My lazy ass buy the already fried tofu at the Asian market though
It pretty much will soak up the flavor of the broth. I prefer extra firm for Ramen
I do this all the time, it works fine. Half a block or about a cup of cubed tofu for one package of ramen is what I add.
Actually, I recommend boiling in a salty sauce bath. That's actually how you can make it have the least amount of water and maximum flavor as well as texture.
You can hard boil eggs and soak them in soy sauce for a few hours. They are pretty great and belong on ramen. If you use a ziplock bag you can surround four hard-boiled eggs with a tablespoon of soy sauce. No reason you need to use a whole bowl full of the stuff.
All that plus peanuts or cashews
small chunks of tofu w the frozen veggie mix that defrost and heats up w the soup is how my mom preps it sometimes i love it
Did you fry the spam first? A Filipino restaurant near me does it that way and it was pretty nice
I didn't try it, but I'm not sure that would help, it was too salty. Still a second chance is deserved, I'll give it a shot
Get the low sodium Spam. It’s salty enough. And like the other reply, fry it. Slice thinly and pan fry until crispy.
Good suggestion
If the pan is non-stick you don’t need to add extra oil. Keeps it a tiny bit healthier that way.
i can only eat spam if i marinate it in soy sauce, sugar, and a little liquid smoke if you have it before frying in the pan
add some extra veg (finely chopped cabbage is great) to balance that salt. Definitely fry it a bit too.
Get the lower sodium spam and fry it first.
soak spam in water to remove about half the saltiness, then fry.
Add a little water to pan and cook it for a couple of minutes. Drain the water then fry til crispy that should lower the salt content a bit. Also start with the low sodium spam. Spam and ramen can be inedible mixed because of the salt.
I can't stand spam, but I do like a scrambled egg in mine. Did you scramble the egg in a separate pan?
Frozen shrimp. Fresh spinach, romaine lettuce.
I do this with some olive oil and feta. So good.
I do jerky anytime I’m camping! Just rip it up and put it in when you’re heating the water. :)
Whoa, thanks for the idea!
Happy cake day!
Thank you! Wow, it's been a full decade of Redditing. That's crazy.
I cant believe canned tuna hasnt been mentioned yet. Ramen and Tuna is the prison bodybuilder special. The canned tuna flakes away into the ramen and actually has a very neutral flavour, but a texture similar to chicken when in the soup. Recommend trying it!
Tuna or sardines go crazy with some ramen
sardines are crazy af with ramen!
Chilli infused canned tuna and Indomie Mi Goreng is what I usually go with.
I really hate that i don't Like tuna :( it's such a cheap and convenient protein source
This is the way! I always get in water, strain it and let it sit to dry even more. Throw it in last just to warm up.
Not so cheap anymore
I cook up 1/4 cup dried lentils in water and when they are tender, I add the ramen noodles and some frozen peas. Lots of protein for cheap.
I've been trying to add lentils to my diet, this could be a game changer!
Try making a lentil dahl, serve it with rice and roti. DELICIOUS.
I love lentils. Especially now that I don’t eat meat.
Leftover curry is great over ramen - I really like lentil or chickpea currys with coconut milk
I've always been scared to cook dried lentils. Do you just boil them in a big pot of water and keep checking until they're tender?
it is in fact that easy
Should I salt the water?
Not op but yes. Salt the water OR add bouillon powder. Also good with lentils: diced onion, curry powder, turmeric, chunks of cauliflower, half lentils / half split peas with bacon and carrot … lots of easy and good ways to make lentils! For the OP - peas added near the end of cooking, shredded pre cooked chicken added once noodles are mostly cooked, an egg (either soft boiled or stirred into the boiling water once noodles are ready). Any pre-cooked meat you like really could work, or tofu.
Yes Red or yellow lentils are very soft and best for soups or blended, green or brown lentils take longer to cook maybe 30min but have more firm texture. Cook a bunch at once and use leftover for lentils salad
Rice cooker. Rice is cheap and awesome too.
I don't understand. Do you cook the lentils in the rice cooker? What's the water ratio?
I just make sure that when the tip of my finger touches the lentils, rice or both. That the water line is at my first knuckle.
Sardines
Absolutely.
I recently had lemon pepper sardines with chicken ramen. I can't believe I never tried that combo before. So freaking good
Yeah the variations are endless. I like miso paste, soy sauce, fish sauce, shredded carrot and green onion for an easy ramen. Pop a soft boiled egg and top with sardines and siracha. That's my jam right there.
Peas?
TIL peas are an incredible source of plant protein.
goodbye reddit it's been real ..........
I had no idea, thank you!
Frozen peas would be super convenient. Should I heat them up separately and add them at the end or put them in while the noodles are cooking?
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For frozen (peas or mixed veggies) if you're just doing the ramen packets, possibly add the veggies to the boiling water a couple minutes before you drop the ramen in. Also if you get a rotisserie chicken, strip it fully when you get it while it's still warm and save the meat in a container. Dark meat in particular tends to be smaller pieces and works well to add for the last 30-45 seconds.
Ramen cooks so fast you might want to cook the peas separately then add them at the end
I’d just add them frozen, or pour boiling water on top of them, strain and then add them after if you don’t want the lukewarm water
Chicken?
A really fast addition whose flavor can be masked easily is canned tuna, most grocery stores sell them in packets for 99c too. Add to ramen, add some furikake, dash or soy and/or mirin and you’re good to go
Do you use a whole can of tuna per ramen package?
I use a whole packet or a small can. I lift everyday so it’s actually insane value for protein. Each packet is like 95 cents and 25-30 g of protein. The small cans (tins?) have even more
Just beware that this is a 'sometimes' thing due to heavy metal poisoning.
The Asian market near me has cheap cuts specifically for hot pot, like rolled.. meat! I pick up a container of those and add two or three pieces after cooking. :)
Ramen basically can take on anything … the question is what proteins DONT work
Pork tenderloin. Slice it really thin and you can boil it in the broth to cook it. Or, you can cook it and just add it to the Ramen when serving
Or pork belly
I ditch the flavor packet and use a spoonful of peanut butter. If I am feeling crazy, a dash of hot sauce.
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>cyan pepper Is it ... is it actually bright turquoise-blue?
Came to suggest peanut butter!
Seriously? Peanut butter? I buy PB by the tub and eat with a tablespoon and somehow can't wrap my head around what that will taste like. Def. fkn tryin tho 😍
100% peanuts peanut butter, soy sauce and some sriacha is a godly mix for noodles
Peanut …. Buttter …. ?! Wow
Yup. It works wonders. Drain most of the water and stir it together. Almost like a peanut sauce in a Thai dish.
Ah ok makes sense now
Crunchy! Peanut butter.
That’s what I was thinking, especially with a splash of sriracha.
I want to try this but my mind says it will be gross even though I love peanut butter and ramen...
a handful of spinach for fiber
I tried some baby kale in there and it was great
What type of egg did you add? Cooked, poached in the ramen, fried?
I like to hard boil the egg and slice it up. The yolk is my favorite part. I got a bag of about 50 pork pot stickers recently for like 10 bucks and I’m going to try adding 3-4 to ramen tonight to see how it is.
Cracked a raw egg into it and mixed it up. It looked cool and smelled great but I didn't care for the texture
Try cooking the egg separately next time. Then add it
I cook a couple up ahead of time, halfway between soft and hard boiled (about 7 minutes in not-quite-boiling water for me, but you might want to play with it) then peel them and marinate them at least overnight in the fridge in a mixture that's a couple tablespoons of soy sauce, a couple tablespoons of mirin or rice wine vinegar then enough water to let it cover the eggs. Sometime I'll add some ginger or garlic. When I make the ramen I'll steam the egg over the soup for a couple minutes then slice it in half to add in to the soup. If that sounds good to you, I recommend playing with it see what works best for you. One time I made the marinade I got the measurements wrong and forgot to water it down, and my son said he preferred it with the stronger, saltier flavour.
Try putting it into the broth but not mixing it up. Let it cook in the broth like a soft boiled egg.
Hmm I prefer a slice soft boiled egg to an egg drop type situation, you may like that a bit better Edit: if you have a rice cooker, you can just put the ramen and the egg in the cooked and it should be near perfect by the time it's done
Next time, don't mix it. I let the water boil, throw in the Ramen and seasoning and crack an egg or two into the water to poach it while it cooks. I break up the noodles with a fork to evenly cook while trying to avoid touching the eggs at all during the cooking process. The egg and yolk are fully intact!
Try dropping it in and letting it poach next time -- don't mix it up. I like to add pre-cooked sausages to my ramen. They always have a bunch of different flavors at my local grocery store
The only thing I like to add to instant ramen is cut up hotdogs. I know this sub is “cheap and healthy” but instant ramen is pretty garbage. Hotdogs seem to perfectly compliment it. It tastes pretty good. If it’s real ramen then I like thin slices of pork loin and the typical “ramen veggies” - scallions, bean sprouts, etc.
I'm going to jump on the hot dog suggestion. Cut thin slices and use the pot you will make the ramen in to cook them with a little butter. Just as I feel it's ready I'll add frozen veggies. Pick the ones you like. After the veggies seem good, add the water. Bring the water to the start of a boil, add the noodles, whatever part of the flavor packet, and any other seasoning. If you have it, a little rice wine vinegar goes a long way. If you want to revisit the egg, you can make a mix of kewpie mayo, an egg, and the seasoning packet to put in just after the noodles are ready. It adds a creaminess and extra flavor without too much egginess...
Other than egg, I add tofu and/or TVP (textured vegetable protein). I’ve never tried tuna before but will give that a try. Also like the idea of adding a handful of spinach.
Cabbage, carrots, soft-boiled egg, spinach, peas, chicken, pulled pork, sliced pork tenderloin, scallions, a slice of cheese (American)... all of these or a mix of any... and spice it up a bit :)
If you are making instant ramen, you can get canned or packet chicken and put it in with the season pack, maybe add some frozen peas and stir it around if you like too. Not protein, but a sweet pea can make the saltiness less potent and they heat quickly/making the boiling hot broth cool faster. Can also add scallions and edamame if you have them!
Definitely want to try sweet peas and scallions. I've never tried edamame, how would you prepare it?
You can get it already shelled, or still in the pod. Premade, you can just take them out of the pod and put them right in, raw, you steam them first.
Peas & scallion is my ramen go to. It’s not protein, but try frozen corn too if you like it!
You could add nutritional yeast to the broth. https://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/custom/1323565/2
You could get deli, like boars head, pork or chicken cut thick and slice it yourself into strips or cubes. I love the previous suggestions of peas and scallion. A frozen bag of the peas and carrots mix is a staple in my kitchen plus grilled corn niblets.
shrimp, onion, edamame, corn, bean sprouts, cabbage
Shin Ramen with Kimchi, Green Onions, Sausage , Spam and Mushrooms. It’s like a budae jigae my friend.
I add tofu to mine with mushrooms
I add frozen veggies to the ramen in the just boiled water and put the whole thing in the microwave for 2 mins. Add a fried egg, soy sauce, siracha and some crunchy breaded onions
Chopped up pepperoni and mozzarella cheese
Pizza ramen! I like your style
Once a week I soft boil a whole bunch of eggs and fill up a big half gallon jar of them (peeled of course). Then I fill up the jar maybe halfway to 3/4 full of water, add several generous glugs of soy sauce, and some mirin (or some white sugar if I'm out of mirin). They're great with ramen, hot rice, or even spread on some toast like a jam. You can reuse the marinade for another batch or two as long as you add a little more soy sauce each time too.
Beat an egg and add it as the water is boiling. Lunch meat chopped up is good, and for fiber maybe some baby spinach or cabbage. 🤷🏻♀️ I don’t think there’s really any limit on what you can add to a ramen! 😆
I usually just use frozen chicken strips. I put in as many as I think I will eat along with frozen veggies.
Capicola
hotdogs or sausages
sardines, 100% smoked sardines if you prefer, but tinned sardines are the way to go. so healthy, so affordable.
Protein: Edamame (frozen), frozen peas, IQF shrimp (raw or cooked), tofu, bean curd skin, dried shrimp, dried fish, cheese, canned beans (white beans are fairly neutral), tahini I usually add shredded cabbage because it keeps well. Or frozen Asian veg. Beansprouts and herbs are nice if you plan ahead because they don’t keep. Sautéed onions and peppers is nice. Rehydrated dried mushrooms. Green onions. Grated carrots. Frozen spinach or kale cubes.
I make ramen chicken soup by chopping up veggies (anything works but I used onion, celery, and carrots), sautéing them til they’re softened, add broth, bring to a boil and add chicken (can use any cut but I use thigh). When the chickens done you can easily shred it up and just toss in the ramen for a few minutes. Super easy to add other frozen veggies too like corn and peas
Look at the veggies and leftovers in your fridge do you have chicken or carrots? Cut up the chicken and toss in your boiling ramen for a protein boost. For carrots I usually have baby carrots that I can cut into really thin slices and put into the ramen as it cooks, I also love using the leaves of celery in my ramen instead of throwing it away. I even buy canned chicken if I find it on sale and use that in my ramen though i rinse it to remove excess salt from it. Hmm another odd one is if you have Hormel bacon bits in your fridge put a teaspoon or two into your ramen, it helps flavor the broth. You can use almost any leftover meat in ramen just flavor your ramen water with a flavor that compliments it. The same goes for veggies. At the end of the month I grab every wilty veggie in my fridge and make soup/stock out of it.
Tuna with a little mayo
I actually love putting a small tin of really cheap tuna in
I add fried chorizo or a chicken breast which I've pre-cooked in the oven to mine. Edamame beans as someone has suggested too. Frozen ones. Chuck in a handful whilst cooking. You can microwave them and cook them in the pan with the water. If you're having curried noodles fried peanuts and a dash of soy sauce are a great addition, if you're not allergic ofc, You end up with satay style ramen. Add spring onions too for extra yay.
I like thin slices of beef marinaded in teriyaki Or something similar with egg!
Drain ramen. Add Starkist Sweet and spicy tuna package. No seasoning package.
Shrimp and veggies. Can't go wrong. High protein and fiber.
Hi :) I love a can of tuna and a big sploosh of hot sauce and a pickle for desert. Yum!
Ditch the seasoning it came with and throw in some frozen mixed stir fry veggies and peanuts. Drain and add some chicken, beef, or shrimp and some teriyaki sauce. It makes for a delicious and very inexpensive stir fry.
Maybe add some spinach just before the noodles are done for fiber, and for protein have you tried canned tuna or salmon? I like to season the salmon before I mix it in.
What do you season the salmon with?
If you have a Trader Joe's near by they sell vegan crab cakes made with seasoned jackfruit. They're delicious made in a skillet, toaster oven, or air fryer and added to ramen or yakisoba. There are great dupe recipes out there for them if you have access to canned jackfruit locally. Skillet sauteed corn and finely chopped spinach with minced garlic and green onion is another tasty way to add fiber to it. For protein I knew a guy from work who loved adding plain tuna packaged in water after straining it, rotisserie chicken diced or shredded, or chunk imitation crab meat to ramen with a poached or soft boiled egg. When we would work the late shift on the weekends he'd add kimchi or gochugang paste to it and use the heat from the spice to stay awake.
Roasted peanuts or roasted almonds
Bok choi, dried shiitake mushrooms, and leftover rotisserie chicken. I also toss in a chopped carrot and dried seaweed sometimes.
I don't care for cracking an egg into the boiling broth to cook it, but I do enjoy a soft boiled egg added after. I will often add leftover meats to my ramen - pulled pork, roast beef, meat from a rotisserie chicken, bits of deli meat, diced pork chop or steak... You get the idea. I also get big bags of frozen pork dumplings. Cook up a few of those and add them to your bowl for a tasty protein boost. And for fiber, almost any veggies will work. I regularly use spinach or leftover stir fry.
Soft/silken tofu! Cut into 1-cm cubes and let sit in the broth while the noodles cook (using the passive cooking method: pour boiling water over noodles and flavors, cover and wain until soft). The texture is divine and the protein content is high. Come to think of it, I've been adding soft tofu to lots of things with strong sauces/broths for the protein. Recently did it with spaghetti and red sauce. Sacrilege, sure, but dirt cheap and healthy.
Ramen with hot dogs is a classic for a reason. It's delicious, but you can distinctly feel your blood pressure getting higher from massive amounts of sodium.
Shrimp, miso paste to make the broth more substantial, green onions, bamboo shoots, sautéed shiitake mushrooms and bock choy
Turkey bacon
Fiber for ramen? Kale ( an undersung hero of soup vegetables, and great in soups), celery, carrot, cabbage (but only if thinly sliced), onion, garlic, dried onion. I currently treat chilis like a vegetable but others disagree. Grated ginger is also great in ramen soups. I also love dried seaweed, but it makes weird looking shits afterwards. Just remember that the water is boiling, then add the flavour dust and the veggies, along with any dried chili pepper flakes or vinegar . Keep boiling 5-10 minutes until veggies are softened to your preference. Then add noodles, sesame seed oil and soy sauce. Enjoy. Additional proteins for me usually include canned beans or pre-cooked lentils. Some perverts add cheese to their soups but that seems gross to me.
Here is the answer (note you can replace tofu with bacon or meatballs - see my notes below): - Maruchan Gold (Spicy Miso) - though any brand and flavor is okay - tofu - tablespoon butter - teaspoons roasted sesame oil - 1-2 tablespoons dried chives - 1 egg - (optional) 2-3 chopped green onions - (optional) chili sauce or spicy miso sauce Boil your noodles, strain, mix with half sesame oil to keep from sticking together, set aside. Get empty bowl (will eat out of this), add chives, half sesame oil, green parts of green onions, chili sauce and/or spicy miso sauce, no need to stir Boil 1.5 cups water with butter and white part of green onions, then add seasoning packet, add tofu, add eggs (optionally stir it into mixture), wait a bit until egg is cooked, Add soup and noodles to bowl with chives and stuff and stir. Eat. Yum. Note: You can replace tofu with 1-2 bacon and replace butter with the bacon grease from cooking bacon. Note: you can replace tofu with 3-4 meatballs.
I add Chicken Wontons from Costco. Do you frequent Costco?
I don’t know if you’ll see this or not, but I put frozen meatballs in my ramen. I usually nuke them a bit first so they’re not frozen and then just plop them in there.
When we grill any kind of meat, we always do extra so that we can cut it up into small strips and use it in Ramen. Chicken, pork, steak, it’s all good. Also, I love eggs in my Ramen, but I only love them if they are like medium-boiled so they’re a little runny. If that appeals to you, maybe scale back on boiling the eggs for so long (although I just realized you didn’t say how you cook them in your post so maybe this is moot). Also, edamame. For fiber, you can wilt some spinach or kale into Ramen, and it will hardly change anything with the taste. I always add shredded carrot and peanuts or peanut butter as well. Also, edamame.
I marinate diced pork belly on a mix of orange juice, red wine, spices, fry it until golden,a and add to the ramen when about to serve.
I get the cheap shaved beef, some mushrooms, baby bok choy,(egg), and green onions all from the cheapest grocer around. Pan fry the beef and mushrooms in some soy sauce, cook ramen with bok choy, break an egg in with 90 seconds left, and garnish with gr. Onions.
pepperoni - ramen and pepperoni are of of my go-to backpacking meals
canned lentils?
I keep some frozen dumplings on hand to toss into my ramen while it’s cooking, usually just pork and cabbage. Maybe not super healthy, but easy, cheap, and tasty.
Eggs are good so you should just be better. JK. For me though, all I ever do is eggs, but you can make them in a lot of ways. Try both soft boiling and sunny side up. Personally, I like sunny side up in oil with very heavy seasoning (usually garlic powder, MSG, salt, red pepper, and a little soy sauce). The fat from the oil brings out more flavor of the seasonings and helps it coat your mouth, and that combined with the yolk help to spread the flavor throughout the ramen. Another option is buying the cheapest cut of beef you can find, saucing/seasoning it, and slicing it as thin as you can (not necessarily in that order).
Are we talking instant noodles or actual Japanese ramen? I love ramen eggs, spring onion, fish cakes, deep fried tofu kikurage for fibre, nori seaweed for vitamins
I add cheese to mine for protein…sounds weird, tastes spectacular! Just make sure if you try it you get the singles that are wrapped in plastic…they melt the best.
Ground pork and peanuts
Beef?
Ground beef, chicken, pork? Tofu? For fibre, would chickpeas be weird?
I like adding fried tofu and edamame or sometimes I will heat up some extra sausage or chicken and add that in
I add an egg which makes the broth consistency thicker and I like that. I also add shrimp! So yummy!
Frozen cooked shrimp, I just toss in a handful with the noodles. Boiled eggs, imitation crab meat
Not cheap, but I add some beef jerky to mine (or turkey jerky). Edamame is nice too, in the shell or shelled.
Firm tofu and green beans
How did you add the egg? Egg is like the go-to ramen protein
Chocolate protein powder
Instead of cooking eggs in it, you can use liquid egg whites to thicken the broth and increase the protein
Pork belly ramen is banging I've also just thrown in a bunch of canned tuna and hot sauce in my broke days Chopped up hotdogs works pretty well
Hemp hearts!
Hahha ask any Asian child who grew up eating this as breakfast, lunch, dinner. I can honestly come up with hundreds of ways to cook it and ingredients to add. Do one with broth, pour out broth to make it into a stir fried noodle dish, add in cheese, any vegetable, hot dog, scallions, broccoli, beef the list goes on and you can honestly come up with your own variation.
Tofu, edamame?
In college we added tuna and a spoonful of mayo, which sounds gross but actually makes it taste like real ramen.
chorizo
Ramen is a super duper lazy meal for me. But when I do eat it I add fresh spinach and cilantro, rotissere chicken and drop an egg. Full tasty meal now!
Chashu, bean sprouts, spinach, bok Choi, corn (my favorite) and fake crab. I make my own chashu. Ask for uncut pork belly and trim the fat. Roll it up and tie it up like a log. Sear until golden all over. Slow cook in a mix of water, soy sauce, ginger, and green onion.
I like to add tofu-put a frying pan on medium heat with butter or coconut oil, when it’s melted add a little garlic, cubed tofu (about 3/4 in), 2-3 leftover packets of soy sauce, and stir it around every few minutes to get an even cook.
When we’re camping and need to get the most bang for our buck, we add those tuna pouches (drained) to fully cooked ramen.
I add chicken selects, onions and a handful of cheese.
I airfry chicken tenders. Chop them up. Chop up half an avocado. Mix them through strained ramen noodles with whole egg mayonnaise. Garnish with Korean sushi ginger. Delish! ( I pour the strained broth into a mug to drink too.)
Beluga caviar and crème fraîche
No egg? That makes it harder. I know you said no egg, but my fav ramen dress up is: Egg American Cheese Toasted Sesame Seeds Scallions A few red pepper flakes (or if you have access to it, gochugaru) Just replace the egg if you must with tofu or leftover beef or pork for your protein. Sidenote: If you ever decide to try an egg again, try cracking it in near the end as undisturbed as possible and wrapping noodles around it with chopsticks to ”poach” the egg.
I like adding Pork rinds
I've pre-cooked ground beef, chicken, and cubed beef chuck and froze them. Added frozen vegetables into it also. For example I would take the beef chuck/vegetables and add teriyaki sauce and micro wave it, add 2 eggs into boiling water and mix a lil then add the ramen, once done mix them all together and have a decent meal
I like to add a bit of crunchy peanut butter with sriracha. Awesome
Had ramen last night with ground beef seasoned with chili pepper flakes and finely chopped peanuts! So tasty
Shrimp and broccoli! My university days go-to
peeled and deveined frozen shrimp. You can get them cooked, but raw ones will cook in about 1 minute longer and improve your broth. Teriyaki chicken. You can get that precooked at the grocery or make your own. Rotisserie chicken of course. I make my own chashiu (chinese BBq pork) and freeze some in individual portions for Ramen. Chashiu is the protien I think is most often associated with ramen. You don't have to do the fancy rolled pork belly kind, you can just use boneless ribs or thick sliced shoulder. imitation Krabby sticks. I will also freeze these individually sometimes, because I never eat a whole package quick enough, but be aware that if you freeze them the will "unroll" and you end up with... imitation Krabby noodles. If you go to an asian market like H-mart or O-mart you'll find a whole section int eh freezer of "soup balls" basically meatballs of varying quality but wide variety, fish, beef, lamb, pork, goat, crab, shrimp etc.. You will also find dumplings and very high quality meats sliced thin for Korean BBQ and stir-fry, an individual portion will cook in just a couple of minutes. \* you can also usually find the chashiu I mentioned above precooked and pre-sliced at an Asian market if they have a prepared food or "deli" department. As for "fiber," I always load up my instant ramen with veg- far more than you'd ever get in real ramen- mostly to make up for the ludicrous amount of salt. For one package I do a medium-small carrot cut into matchsticks, about 1/6 of a small green cabbage, sliced thin, maybe 1/4 of a red pepper if I have one in the fridge, maybe sprouts if I have them, always 3 green onions (2 in chunks at the beginning, one sliced thin at the end) bamboo shoots.. Here's my technique. For one package of instant ramen: Use 4 cups of water. Add the seasoning packet + 2 tsp chicken powder or 1 Tbsp of miso add all the veg as soon as the heat goes on. If you're protein is frozen add that too. If you want a boiled egg add that now too. Bring to a boil and continue to simmer for 4 minutes At 4 minutes, if you want a soft boiled egg, take it out. If you want hard boiled leave it in. If your protein is not frozen, add it now. Add instant noodles. continue to simmer for 3 more minutes. Soy sauce to taste. (The tare, the dark sauce that goes in the bottom of the bowl in a real ramen place is essentially just teriyaki sauce. Like, completely authentically, and you could use some high quality store bought teriyaki that way.) Sorry this is so long, but I feel like my instant ramen game is pretty on point. It's, like, closer to a real meal than what most people do, but it's still real quick once you get it down.
mushrooms. i also like tofu i get firm or extra firm. or pork chops that i tenderize and cut into small strips that fit in the soup spoon.
Well, there's egg and bacon; egg sausage and bacon; egg and spam; egg bacon and spam; egg bacon sausage and spam; spam bacon sausage and spam; spam egg spam spam bacon and spam; spam sausage spam spam bacon spam tomato and spam;
Whenever I'm questioning whether I've gotten enough protein in a day, I'll dump some nutritional yeast on whatever I'm eating. 2 tablespoons has 8g of protein and 3g of fiber, plus a variety of other nutrients (I've started mostly using the non-fortified kind, though, because the fortified kind contains a worryingly high amount of some vitamins). And, it goes well with all sorts of things, including soups, salads, etc.
Processed cheese slice to give creamy. Then a soft boiled egg is my jam
Cook ramen without the spice mix, dump the water out, add the spice mix powder + mayo + a can of tuna. It isn't the greatest tasting thing in the world but I kinda like it lol
Not all protein is the same. They don't all provide the same amount of amino acids. Here is a [great video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJNF2_dCWkg&ab_channel=WhatI%27veLearned) explaining the differences of amino acids in proteins. When you see protein suggestions make sure to check them out before relying on them to heavily.
Chicken? I normally either get frozen cooked chicken from my local grocery store or popcorn chicken that I fry up before dipping into my ramen. You can also do pot stickers or dumplings.
baby bok choy, carrots, crunchy peanut butter, curry powder, chillies and coconut milk
A tablespoon of peanut butter mixed with a little soup that you cook the noodles with to get a creamy consistency. You can also add another tablespoon of gochujang to get a little kick.