If you think about the word ramen, you may think about Naruto Ichiraku Ramen, Japanese Food, or even Japan itself. However, the secret to my delicious recipe is not for those who love Japanese ramen. In my dish, you will be using KOREAN ramen to make the best and cheapest ramen you will devour. As a child, I have learned this form of Korean art from my parents who have learned it from their parents. The food I will teach you today is one of the many various versions using different types of Korean Ramen. This recipe is for single people (like me). Due to the numerous steps being used, the noodles may become too soggy when having too many noodles. This is why I suggest you eat this when you're by yourself. When I was reviewing my recipe, I noticed that some of the ways you could make it are all optional. BEFORE MAKING THE RAMEN: please read the whole receipt first. The recipe contains details of timing and suggested items that might interrupt you while cooking this delicious delight. I have added images to the bottom, so you may see how the ramen looks while it's being prepared and the result! I will say some unnecessary items to make the ramen spicier. Here are my own 10 rules for cooking ramen, which I regard as a MUST when cooking ramen:

First of all, before we even start making the ramen, we need to prepare some items. Please prepare onions, garlic, and green onions. Starting from the onions, use only one-fourth of the onion. Slice the onions into finger size. This will allow the onions to be eaten without further cutting. Next, slice the garlic. You only need one piece since the ramen is only for one person. Cut that one piece of garlic into many pieces. Lastly, clean green onions and slice them into the size of your pinky. We are preparing this right now so that while actually cooking the ramen, no time will be wasted. Secondly: Using the pot used to cook your ramen, put any food oil in. Cook all of the onions, all of the garlic, and half of the green onions. This mixture is added to make the soup taste deeper. When cooking the vegetables, turn the stove on high. You will have your stove on high until it is time to eat, so DON’T touch the stove! Thirdly, one should find good ramen to make the dish. I recommend using Shin Ramen or Jin Ramen. Shin Ramen is for those that like the taste of true Korea. Jin Ramen is not as tasty in my opinion, but when you don’t have Shin Ramen, it will be alright as a replacement. Jin Ramen has two types of ramen, mild and spicy. If you can not tolerate spice, don’t make the ramen as you will not have the best experience. But, if you want to, you may use the non-spicy Jin Ramen. Fourthly, you need to pour in the water. The bowl you use to cook the ramen does not matter, but the quantity of water is very important. For those that like their ramen saltier, please put Leeds water to make the soup more saturated. If you like your soup less saturated, you may like the exact amount of water or more if pleased. I enjoy the richness of flavoring and a bit salty texture so I add less water than the package suggests. Fifthly, as soon as you pour in the water, turn on the heat to high, and immediately put in the soup powder. We need the soup to taste as if it has been made for a very long time, creating a rich taste from the soup and mixed vegetables. If you want, you may put it in the vegetable packet as well but it is not needed due to already having fresh vegetables for the ramen. Wait until the broth is boiling before doing anything. Sixthly, add the dumplings to the soup. Some people may wonder why we put the dumpling first. The answer to the question is that dumplings take more time to cook.

The type of dumpling does not matter for everyone has their favorite dumpling. I suggest adding two dumplings, for people that don’t eat too much but not too little. Seventhly, after the dumpling has been cooking for about a minute, you may add the ramen. When you add the ramen make sure the noodles are contacting the soup from all faces. Use your utensils to push down the ramen for around 10 seconds. After another 30 seconds of the ramen in the soup, it should start separating. AT THIS MOMENT, taste the soup. If you like it spicier, please add some hot pepper powder. (Also known as 고춧가루 in Korea). Add half a spoon of hot pepper powder to make it a bit spicier. Mix gently to have the powder contact the soup but not strong enough to rip the dumplings. Eighthly add the other half of the green onions. Ninthly: crack an egg and mix the yolk and the egg white in a separate bowl. DO NOT CRACK THE EGG INSIDE THE POT. ADDING AN EGG DIRECTLY INSIDE THE POT DOES NOT ADD ANY TASTE TO THE RAMEN. The egg must be added to a mixture that would mix with the soup. If you like your eggs soft, you may crack the egg before the nine steps. However, I enjoy an egg that has been mixed for a short time so that the eggs aren’t too fluffy and can’t be picked up using chopsticks. 2 minutes after the noodles are added, pour in the egg mixture around the whole pot VERY quickly. If you pore in too slow, the eggs that you have poured first will already be cooked before serving. You want the egg to still be cooking while eating the ramen. Lastly: Don’t touch the ramen for another minute to not disturb the eggs. During this time, you may get the table set up. If wanted, you may have some kimchi while eating ramen as a small side dish. (반찬: Many Koreans have these small dishes in their meal). Finally, turn off the stove and put the ramen on the table. The ramen is now ready to eat! This recipe is for those who like their noodles cooked medium. For those that like their ramen noodles cooked more firmly or soggy, you may change the time of adding the noodles. The topic of how to cook your ramen is a very controversial matter, however, the one I use is one that many Koreans use. This recipe is for those that are craving ramen but don’t want to go to a restaurant. For those that do not have much time, I suggest just cooking the ramen as the label says.