Turn Basic Ramen Into A Heartier Meal With One Type Of Ingredient

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Confucianist Zhu Zhiyu served the first version of ramen in Japan to Tokugawa Mitsukuni in the 17th century. The country still considers it an important cultural dish, but its fan base has since gone global due to its affordability and easy preparation (particularly thanks to instant packages), as well as its versatility. There are countless easy ways to upgrade a basic bowl of instant ramen, like sprinkling on fresh herbs, dropping in an egg, adding veggies, or drizzling in canned coconut milk. But if you want to transform this dish from a mere snack into a hearty meal, all you need to do is add sliced meat of your choice.

It doesn't matter if you're using a packet or packaged bowl of this soup, or even if you're making a homemade version. Adding sliced meat to the finished product will add a boost of hunger-crushing protein. Additionally, meat will impart its own flavor into the noodles and broth, giving the soup a fantastic hit of umami, and add a complementary chewiness to the otherwise soft noodles. In a nutshell, adding meat to your ramen creates an elevated experience for almost all of your senses.

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Deciding which type of meat will pair best with your ramen may seem intimidating, but tradition provides some helpful guidelines. For example, Japanese ramen typically comes in four flavors: shoyu (soy sauce), tonkotsu, miso, and shio (salt). Three of these are commonly served with slices of pork belly, while shio is topped with fish cakes. But if you're building your bowl of ramen from a package of instant noodles, use the flavoring packet as your guide.

Chicken, pork, and beef ramen are all pretty self-explanatory: Simply match the meat to the broth flavor. And while sliced chicken breast, pork chops, or leftover steak will work just fine, you can also think outside the box. For chicken ramen, fry up some seasoned chicken meatballs or thighs. For pork ramen, consider super-flavorful pork shoulder (the versatile and affordable alternative to steak) or some pork sausage. Try adding a slice of leftover meatloaf, brisket, or short ribs to your beef ramen.

As for ramen labeled as chili- or soy sauce-flavored, use any type of meat you like. Again, soy sauce ramen (or shoyu) is traditionally paired with sliced pork belly, but you could opt for ground pork, sliced chicken, or even crispy prosciutto instead. Try chili-flavored ramen with fried chicken tenders , ground beef, or sliced Spam.