Perfect Instant Ramen

By Jeff Gordinier

Y I E L D 1 serving

TIME 10 minutes

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.”

INGREDIENTS PREPARATION

1 pack ramen noodles with Step 1

flavor packet Bring 2 1/2 cups of water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the
1 large egg noodles and cook for 2 minutes. Add the flavor packet, stir,
and continue to cook for another 30 seconds.
½ teaspoon butter
2 slices American cheese Step 2
¼ teaspoon toasted sesame Remove the pan from the heat and carefully add the egg. Do
seeds not stir; pull the noodles over the egg and let sit for one minute
½ scallion, green part only, to poach.
thinly sliced on the bias,
optional Step 3
Carefully transfer everything to a serving bowl, add the butter,
cheese and sesame seeds and mix. Garnish with the scallions if
desired.

PRIVATE NOTES

Leave a Private Note on this recipe and see it here.

Adapted from Roy Choi