Instant Ramen with a Kick.
Japan Centre offers a delicious wealth of Japanese foods. That’s no surprise, but they also stock a wide range of Korean food products including the ever-popular instant ramen.
Delief Rabokki Original Sweet and Spicy Instant Rice Cake Noodles were new to me. The traditional noodles were joined by the classic Korean chewy rice cakes. Anybody who has visited Korea or Korean restaurants around the world will recognise these unique bouncy and chubby cakes. It’s as much about texture as taste. These become coated, along with the noodles, in a sweet and spicy sauce. Easy to prepare by simply adding hot water followed by a quick whiz in the microwave, they constitute a speedy and satisfying snack.
Nong Shim are a famous brand, and they are the producers of Gourmet Spicy Shin Ramen, a Korean variety of noodle flavoured with spicy chilli. This packet of instant ramen noodles contains enough dried ramen and rice cakes for one serving and a sachet of hot and spicy Korean chilli to make the soup. As South Korea’s largest manufacturer of snacks and instant noodles, Nong Shim’s Shin Ramen are now the best-selling instant noodles in South Korea.
And try Garak Instant Seafood Ramen: a flavourful instant ramen with seafood-inspired ingredients. Including a dried shrimp and savoury broth packet, these convenient noodles are quick and easy to prepare, and made even more interesting when topped with, say, chopped ‘seafood’ sticks.
As with all Korean instant noodles, these pots have sachets containing hot yet flavourful spices. The trick to making delicious broth to your taste is to add perhaps half the packet to start, as it’s easier to add more flavour rather than trying to rinse it out! Lots of social media ‘stars’ have enhanced the reputation of ramen, and that of themselves, by making signature dishes. For instance, by adding egg yolk and processed cheese (you know, those soft individually wrapped slices) to the broth. I have indeed tried this, and it actually works!
To make these noodle pots into a smarter meal one can add a host of extras such as soft-boiled eggs, seaweed, more veggies, seafood, meat, tofu – and even garnish with tempura. Instant noodles can be a tasty and practical larder staple for those evenings when time is tight. Japan Centre has a comprehensive selection.