You're Doing It All Wrong: How To Elevate Your Ramen

You've probably grabbed a package of ramen from your local convenience store, boiled some water, and mixed in a seasoning packet for a quick meal. But ramen can be so much more than just tearing open concentrated seasonings and calling it dinner. In this You're Doing It All Wrong video, Chowhound's Chef Josh shows off simple, creative ways to elevate instant ramen into three impressive dishes: a spicy buldak ramen carbonara, a Voodoo chip-coated katsu chicken ramen, and a veggie ramen topped with a classic ajitama soft-boiled, soy-marinated egg. And no, you don't need to toss that seasoning packet in the trash; just use it a little differently.

The best part to boosting your ramen is that you likely have most of these ingredients already in your kitchen, ready to help you build incredible flavor with just a little added effort. You'll be surprised to learn what a difference a few key techniques and a couple of choice ingredients — a bit of reserved ramen water, a squeeze of Japanese mayo, and fresh garnishes — can make to this comfort dish's presentation and taste. From trying a new cooking method to utilizing unexpected ingredients, elevating basic ramen is so much easier than you thought.