Ramen with Egg :: Screwed Up Something

Question

I was using some variant Veg. Ramen Noodles (The one with the noodle brick and the TasteMaker) and wished to add some "real" protein in the form of egg.

I cooked the Ramen as follows:

• I got the water to a boil and added the brick
• After about a minute, I added the TasteMaker and stirred
• I added 1 egg and stirred.

However, once I added the egg, the whole noodle mixture got congealed and semi-solid and no matter how long I let it be, it didn't change form.

I inferred that I should have added the egg just before I was ready to take it off. This reinforced my inference. However, I tried again and this time, I added the egg 30 seconds before I was ready to take it off but now it tasted weird.

I wanted something more like scrambled eggs in Noodles.

Note: As always, I am on a student budget.

EDIT: A minute ago, I found a video on youtube which stated that I should throw away the extra water a minute after I add the egg. This doesn't seem right, does it?

Answer 1

Here are two really good, really easy ways to make ramen with eggs:

The easiest way is to just boil an egg and toss it in. If you eat this a lot, you can boil a few and keep them in the fridge. They should stay good for about 3-5 days. If you like liquid yolk in your soup, soft boil the eggs (boiled between about 3 and 9 minutes, to taste). Just cook your ramen, peel the egg, and drop it in for about 90 seconds right before you eat it. Cut the egg in half if you like. It is best to use older eggs for this. What I like to do personally (and remember this comes from the internet, so listen to me at your own risk) is use them for boiling if they have passed the expiration date, since that date (in the US) is based on the thickness of the egg white, not food safety. Older eggs don't stick to the shell when they are boiled, but new eggs do.

The slightly harder (but tastier) way is to poach the egg in the ramen. To do that, cook your ramen, and make sure you have tasted your broth and you like it. If you don't like the seasoning pack from the ramen, you can add any combination of soy sauce, grated ginger, crushed garlic, oyster sauce, miso paste, sriracha, etc. There are lots of tasty, cheap things to add depending on where you live. Try them! Anyway, back to the eggs... You want to cook the ramen until is is soft but not cooked all the way. Turn the heat down to almost nothing. Crack a very fresh egg (fresh eggs have a nice thick white) into the pan once it stops bubbling. Give it a few minutes. If you want to feel busy, you can spoon the hot broth onto the top of the egg to cook it faster. If you are particular about how cooked it is, jab a knife into the middle of the yolk and check it out.

Here is the last egg and ramen tip: My friends and I just called this noodle slop, but it tastes good, uses fresh at least a few fresh ingredients, and is super cheap. Cook some ramen noodles and drain them. In a big skillet, add some oil and fry some combination of celery, onions, chopped cabbage, ginger, fresh chili peppers, garlic, matchstick carrots, bell peppers, chopped scallions, cucumber, zucchini, etc. You want to cut them to the size you get in Chinese takeout and cook them until they get a bit soft. Then, scramble one egg per ramen package in with the veggies. When the egg is cooked, add the noodles and mix it all together. Add some salt and pepper, or the seasoning from the ramen if you are into the whole MSG thing. It is like cheap chow mein.

Answer 2

I make it all the time with egg. Learned to make it this way while on a tour in Asia. Here is my method:

1. Bring water and flavoring to a boil.
2. Add noodles, bring back to a boil.
3. Crack an egg in a separate bowl, add some water (a couple tablespoons) to it and scramble it with a fork or chopsticks.
4. While stirring the pot slowly add in the egg.
5. Remove from heat and add let sit for a couple minutes.

Answer 3

The late-night noodle snack we make goes like this:

• Boil water, dump noodles in, stir a bit as the noodles soften
• When the water boils again, take the noodles off, dump the water and rinse the noodles with cold water. Every Chinese person I've ever seen make ramen always rinses the noodles, the idea is to get rid of some of the oil that the noodles were deep-fried in.
• The flavour packs that come with the noodles are generally awful concoctions full of MSG and god-knows-what so we use Better than Bouillon Organic (Beef or Chicken, since those are the only flavours Costco carries)
• Add hot water (that you boiled while the noodles were cooking) and bouillon to taste
• Heat the noodle/soup until it just starts to boil
• Crack an egg into a bowl
• Dump the noodles and soup on top of the egg and wait a minute, swirl the noodles around to break the egg. The hot water is enough to cook the egg and you get a sort-of egg swirl soup effect.

Answer 4

I would avoid dumping raw egg into water altogether (unless you're poaching it) and fry the egg separately in a frying pan or wok.

Get a thin layer of vegetable oil very hot in the pan, and pour the egg mixture into it. It will immediately puff up. Let it set a little, then start breaking it up with a spatula and stir fry the pieces until they're the consistency you like.

Then drain your otherwise ready noodles, dump in the eggs and mix through.

Or you could do what they do in Chinese soup, and drizzle the eggs in a thin stream into the simmering noodle water just before serving, but since you're draining the liquid out you'll probably end up losing some egg.

In either case, if you want the egg to taste authentically Asian, whisk it with some soy sauce, salt, pepper and a little toasted sesame oil first.

Answer 5

I put oil in the saucepan and cook the egg first. When the egg is done, add water to the saucepan and then add the ramen and seasoning. Don't wait till the water is boiling before you add the noodle. This will save you time and prevent the egg from being overcooked. Simon

Answer 6

You have to cook the noodles well, then strain the water and put them back on the warm (but off) burner, where you crack the egg in, mix in seasonings, and stir well. With this dish it's the raw egg you want.

Answer 7

You could just cook it easy with these steps: 1) cook the ramen the way you would ie. Boil water, pour in the ramen noodles and seasoning, cook it like normal.

2) cracking an egg into the pan/pot/cooking item you use to cook ramen maybe like 20 to 30 seconds before you take it off the heat.

3) Stir it around. Carefully if you prefer the yolk to not be broken (me), or go crazy and mix it all in.

end result: yolk not broken: really yummy, chewy noodles and good broth plus yolk Yolk broken: you get like a really delicious broth because you stirred it all together so it tastes better.

Protip, add a cheese slice if you wanna with the egg. Tastes good but don't cook it too long or else it mixes with the broth and you get a creamy broth.