Make or Buy? Ramen Noodle Soup

Ramen noodle soup is the very definition of instant gratification. Chewy noodles with a warm savory broth in the time it takes to boil a cup of water? Yes, please. Is it possible to make a homemade version that's just as instantly gratifying as what comes from a package?

Since very few of us make our own ramen noodles, what we're really talking about here is instant ramen noodles straight from the package and then a kind of "amped-up" version using those same noodles with our own homemade additions. For the instant ramen, we'll use our old college standby: Maruchan Chicken Flavor Ramen Noodle Soup. For the amped-up ramen noodles, we'll use the recipe for miso ramen from Jaden Hair of Steamy Kitchen. All costs were taken from Peapod Online Grocery unless otherwise noted.

• Maruchan Chicken Flavor Ramen Noodle Soup
• Miso Ramen Recipe from Steamy Kitchen
• Peapod Online Grocery

COST BREAKDOWN

• Maruchan Chicken Flavor Ramen Noodle Soup

TOTAL: $1.50 (6 packages/12 servings)
PER SERVING: $0.12

• Miso Ramen Recipe

4 eggs: $0.80
10 oz dried ramen noodles 3 packages of instant ramen = 9 oz. Close enough!): $0.36
1/2 cup fresh or canned bamboo shoots Sourced on Amazon.com: $1.38
1/2 cup fresh or canned corn kernels: $0.25
1/3 cup defrosted frozen or fresh spinach: $0.29
8 cups store-bought or homemade pork or vegetable broth: $4.00
2 teaspoons instant dashi granules Sourced on Amazon.com: $0.75
1 tablespoon soy sauce, or to taste: $0.09
4 tablespoons fresh miso paste Sourced on Amazon.com: $1.11
1 cup fresh bean sprouts Couldn't find fresh online; estimating price: $1.00
1 stalk green onion: $0.09
4 teaspoons chili oil (optional) Sourced on Amazon.com: $0.69

TOTAL: $10.81
PER SERVING (4 TOTAL): $2.70

TIME BREAKDOWN

• Maruchan Chicken Flavor Ramen Noodle Soup: About 5 minutes
• Miso Ramen Recipe: About 20 minutes

Much of the time for making this homemade ramen involves boiling the eggs (10 minutes) and then re-using the egg-cooking water for boiling the noodles. To speed things up, you could prepare the noodles and broth in a separate saucepan while the eggs are cooking. This would bring the cooking time down to just about ten minutes. Of course, if maximum speed is your goal, you can also just skip the eggs.

CONVENIENCE

Ramen is endlessly adaptable. The ingredients from Jaden's recipe give you some great ideas, and then you can let your creativity loose. Whatever you have in your fridge, freezer, or pantry is fair game here.

What this means is that as long as you have the base ingredients (namely, the ramen noodles themselves), you can always make yourself a bowl of ramen. Even the dashi, miso, and soy in the broth are flexible (I've made ramen before with just soy sauce!).

The seasoning packet that comes with the noodles eliminates the need for any other flavorings, but making your own is not that much more difficult, arguably. And a meal in 20 minutes is still a quick dish in my book.

TASTINESS AND HEALTHFULNESS

This is where the homemade version really edges ahead for me. While the flavor of those instant ramen broths holds a certain taste-nostalgia for most of us, it just doesn't hold up when you compare it to a broth made with ingredients from you pantry.

And when you add fresh ingredients from your fridge and freezer, this quick soup becomes something much more satisfying and delicious than just a pile of noodles in a salty broth.

The ingredient list on a package of ramen noodles reads like Michael Pollan's worst nightmare. Unpronounceable words and obvious additives everywhere. Some of these are in the noodles, but most are in the flavoring packet. Toss the flavoring packet and the soup automatically becomes a much better meal idea.

Want an even better bowl of noodles? Visit your local Asian grocery store and check out the noodle aisle. Lots of amazing dried, fresh, and frozen noodle options there!

MAKE OR BUY?

There's no denying the quick convenience of a straight-up bowl of ramen soup from the packet. But with very little extra effort, we can have a meal that's ten times as good. Sorry, Maruchan, I'm going "make" on this one.

VERDICT? Make

What do you think?

(Images: Peapod and Jaden Hair of Steamy Kitchen)

Comments (13)

I make miso-ramen soup all the time. Fresh bean sprouts would cost about 8 cents for a big bag. I usually use LaChoy canned ones, though, because this is a pantry meal for me. I don't add some things you've got, and I buy much better ramen noodles than the ones that come in the Marukan insta-package, but still, I think the per-serving for homemade is high.

Once you've done it, it's about as easy as pasta and sauce, so why eat the little package of dust?

9 out of 10 times, I'll make my own ramen from scratch. But when I get the really really good instant ramen from Japan, I'll always have that.

The fresh frozen ramen is the best, but can only be found in asian supermarkets. The noodle quality is out of this work and the broth is amazing in these things. If I want to jazz it up a bit I'll throw in whatever frozen veg I have and maybe a few frozen shrimp and I'm in heaven.

Just had mine, with shrimp, corn, and fresh herbs. It was lovely.

Cup Noodle is my guilty pleasure food.

But here in SF, we have Hapa Ramen at the Ferry Building market on Tuesday and Thursday.
They also do pop-ups at Bar Tartine once or twice per month on Monday nights.

The best ramen I've ever put in my body.

I buy Japanese Nissin ramen cup whenever I can and I add an egg and some nori and I'm done. They're just perfect.

I made some last night!
http://wildjavelina.tumblr.com/post/10263319925/tofu-udon-and-cabbage-in-kombu-dashi

I LOVE adding an egg to store bought ramen. When I am sick, there is no better dish to feed the soul and one's body.

Bowl Noodle, spicy chicken flavor. I think it's a Korean brand, but it's pretty easy to find in the states (I assume anything that's at Wal-Mart is everywhere.) It may not be good for me, but it's the best comfort food ever. And frankly, tastier than most of the fresh ramen I've had. Spicy enough to clear out my nose, full of strange unidentified lumps of fish paste/soy. No clean up, because it's in it's bowl! Sometimes I'll add tofu or veggies, but mostly I eat it plain. I'll have to try egg.

Definitely make!

I don't think I've ever eaten any ramen without doctoring it up...even in my college days I'd throw some fish cake, cilantro, and some green onions in there. And it's a good base to for leftovers too (some chicken, whatever veggies).

I pretty rarely eat plain ramen, even if I use some of the seasoning (only the oriental!) I've always tossed a handful of mushrooms and some scallions in.

My go-to has always been Kung-Fu noodles. I add savoy cabbage, a tomato to flavor up the broth, an egg, scallions, cilantro, a squeeze of lime and Sriracha for some kick. Takes a little more time but definitely hits the spot.

You can get the same kind of noodles from any Asian market, or maybe at regular grocery stores in bigger cities. You can get better quality for less cost, as well as having less packaging for you to toss/recycle. And making the soup is so easy and quick. Check out Ching-He Huang's recipe from her show Chinese Cooking Made Easy. It ran in Britain, and then again in the US when Cooking Channel premiered. You can find it on the web.