This Canned Vegetable Works Wonders For Scrumptious Instant Ramen

Yes, it may feel like grabbing a packet of instant ramen is a bit of a last resort when you can't be bothered to cook much else, but that's not to say you can't make the meal feel more intentional. It's all in the additions. There are many ingredients you should be using in your instant ramen, and canned corn deserves a place amongst some of the best. Its sweet juiciness and soft pops of texture can bring a much needed contrast to a savory broth. And since canned corn is already cooked, you don't need to spend any time chopping, steaming, or waiting on corn cobs to do their thing. Simply drain them and they are ready to go. 

Before anything else though, give the corn a quick rinse under cold water. This helps wash away some of the packing liquid and can also give the canned corn a better flavor, as it'll taste a little cleaner and fresher.It can even help reduce canned corn's sodium content, which doesn't hurt when adding it to a relatively high-sodium meal like instant ramen. 

While it's perfectly fine to simply pop come canned kernels on top of the noodles, you can also make a sort of Sapporo-style ramen by combining the corn with miso and a little butter. Sapporo, the capital of Hokkaido, is famous for ramen dishes that use rich miso broth and the addition of butter and sweet corn, which together help create a very distinct combination of flavors. The butter adds richness, rounding out the soup, the miso ramps up the umami, and the corn brings some much-needed sweetness and texture.

If you've got a large can of corn on your hands, don't think you need to dump the entire thing in for just one bowl of ramen. In fact, for one standard instant ramen serving, just 4 tablespoons (or about a ¼ cup) should be more than enough without tipping it over into corn soup territory. You'll want to add the corn in toward the end so the kernels retain their crunch and don't go soggy. Saute the drained kernels in that butter (if you're going that route) until they start to brown, stir in the miso, and then spoon them over the noodles as a garnish.

No canned corn in the house? No problem, you can also jazz up instant ramen with frozen veggies. Frozen corn is no exception to this rule — simply throw the kernels straight into the hot broth as they'll usually only take a few minutes to heat all the way through. Then try finishing the ramen with scallions, chili crisp, toasted sesame oil, nori, or a soft-boiled egg for a bowl that suddenly feels like less of an emergency situation and much more of an intentional meal.