Do you have a super secret comfort food that you like to cuddle with during the lockdown? A pleasure so guilty that you only enjoy with you doors double bolted, under the cover of night, clad in your softest pjs?

Well, I do and since I’ve already confessed that I may or may not drink gravy when I’m home alone, I figured I’d share my ramen stir fry recipe — one of my favourite culinary inventions.

Despite having a father who level of cooking expertise is such that he owns a mini blowtorch specifically for finishing off steaks, my brothers and I loved when he’d make us dry-packaged ramen noodles. What can I say? We’re animals.

You know the packaged ramen I’m talking about — you throw a rectangle of noodles in to boiling water for a couple minutes, drain and slide the wavy strands into a bowl with the packet of MSG seasoning it came with and some more water for the soup. Maybe you add some greens if you’re pretending that it’s a healthy meal.

Over the years, I’ve developed a love of broth-less ramen —

mazeman, abura soba, Dan Dan noodles, stir-fried rice noodles, etc… GIMME GIMME GIMME!

I mean, I love noodles in any form they come. I’m so noodle-obsessed that I Photoshopped myself in a bowl of them.

My love of noodles in combination with my hatred of wasting food resulted in the invention of my own ramen stir fry concoction.

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Not only is this dish super simple, but it makes use of leftover scraps loitering around the fridge that would otherwise be headed for the compost. It’s not earning Michelin stars any time soon and it won’t be impressing any food critics, but it’s the perfect comfort meal to enjoy during lockdown.

But who are we kidding? This is shit I’d eat any day, quarantine or no.

Leftover Ramen Stir Fry 

Ingredients

✧ 1 package of ramen noodles (with seasoning packet)
✧ 1 small onion, sliced
✧ A handful of spinach or bok choy
✧ 3 – 5 mushrooms, sliced
✧ 1/3 C corn (I usually get a frozen kernels)
✧ 1 egg
✧ 1 tsp sesame oil (SO essential)
✧ Chilli flakes

Instructions

➊ Sauté vegetables: Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil on low heat, sauté the sliced onions until soft and transparent. Add the sliced mushrooms and cook until also soft. Add spinach or bok choy and corn. Turn heat low.

➋ Add the ramen: Bring a medium pot of water to boil and throw in dry ramen noodles Cook according to the package instructions. When cooked, drain the noodles and add to pan with vegetables. Sprinkle the seasoning that came with the ramen and chilli flakes and drizzle sesame oil on top. Mix thoroughly

➌ Cook the egg: On a separate frying pan, heat some vegetable oil and cook a sunny side up egg over low heat. Don’t overcook! Yolk should be nice and juicy. Yea, I said it — juicy.

➍ Put it all together: Transfer noodles and sautéed vegetables to a bowl and slide the egg on top. When you break the yolk on top, it’ll coat the noodles yum yum yum!

Notes:
+ Sesame oil makes ALL the difference! You don’t need much because it’s very concentrated.

+ Only use half the package of seasoning to start and taste before adding more.

+ Sometimes I add a splash of Maggi sauce on top which kind of like the Asian version of Worcestershire sauce.

+ For the packaged ramen, I use Sapporo Ichiban Original (classic!) but you can probably use almost any kind. Obviously the flavour will be difference because you’re using the seasoning packet it comes with.

This is one of my favourite go-tos that I make when I’m craving ramen but pretending like I’m being healthy. It’s so, so easy to make and you can pretty much use any leftovers you have kicking around. The ingredients I’ve included are just what I always have in my fridge.

If you’re looking for other recipes to try at home during the lockdown, here are some from my fav foodies.

Keep your stalking game strong and follow me @teriaki if you aren’t already!