I love ramen. After living in Japan for a few years, my ramen standards had become quite high, but I will admit that although great ramen typically takes a few days to develop those beautiful umami flavors, you can create a delicious bowl in just a few minutes…
Today, we are making creamy mayo ramen and if mayo sounds like a strange ramen pairing, let’s think about what mayo really is… eggs, oil and an acid, like citrus juice or vinegar. These three elements add a wonderful rich, creaminess to your basic instant ramen that will make it taste like far more effort was put into this 10 minute recipe.
Let’s get started…
In addition to the mayo, you will need some crushed or very finely minced garlic and an egg yolk. The egg yolk will be cooked by the heat of the boiling ramen broth, so no need to worry about eating anything raw.
If you ever have trouble separating your yolks and whites, here are some of my favorite suggestions…
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- Of course, this handy little yolk separating tool I am using above is the easiest way! You can find these tools at many homegoods stores and on Amazon!
- You can use a slotted spoon or pasta ladle in a similar way as the tool above.
- If you can crack your egg shell close to the half way point, carefully pour the yolk back and forth from half to half until the egg whites have all been removed.
- You can crack the egg into your hand and very slightly separate your fingers allowing the whites to drain leaving the yolk behind
- You can crack the entire egg into a small dish and use an empty water bottle to suck the yolk from the white
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These are just some of your options! There are even more clever ways to separate an egg that can be found with a quick google search.
Begin by boiling 3 cups of water in a small saucepan. As soon as the water comes to a boil, add your instant ramen noodles and let them boil for about 2 minutes.
Note: Let’s talk about that ramen flavor packet real quick. If you are not a fan of the ingredients, you can absolutely leave it out, but if you are a fan feel free to toss it in with the noodles. If you do not want to use the flavor packet, but still want to add that chicken or beef flavor, you can boil your ramen in chicken or beef broth instead of water. Either way, your ramen will be delicious!
While your ramen is cooking, place your egg yolk into a large soup bowl along with a heaping tablespoon of mayo (I suggest using Duke’s or Kewpie for this recipe) and a large garlic clove that has been crushed, grated or very finely chopped.
Whisk the egg yolk, mayo and garlic vigorously for a few seconds or until everything is creamy and fully combined.
As soon as the ramen is done boiling, transfer the saucepan off of the heat and ladle about a cup of the ramen liquid into the mayo mixture…
Whisk the liquid into the mayo mixture and then add the remaining liquid and noodles into your bowl.
Would you take a look at that beautifully creamy broth your noodles are nestled into? So comforting and inviting and ready to enjoy right away, but if you prefer your ramen a little more dressed up…
You can garnish your ramen with a soft boiled egg, some thinly sliced green onions and a sprinkle of some peppercorns, sesame seeds or ramen seasoning.
And if you prefer your ramen with a little kick of heat then I would highly suggest a drizzle of some chili oil…
The chili oil really does it for me. There is something about the combination of the creamy broth and a punch of heat that gives me everything I am looking for in my bowl of ramen.
I hope you enjoy this 10 minute creamy mayo ramen as much as I do. I would love to hear what you add into your bowl… veggies, meat, herbs… have fun with it! Enjoy!!
Creamy Mayo Ramen
Ingredients
- 1 package of instant ramen
- 3 cups of water or broth
- 1 tablespoon of mayo
- 1 clove of garlic, crushed or grated
- 1 large egg yolk
- soft boiled egg (optional garnish)
- green onions, thinly sliced (optional garnish)
- chili oil (optional garnish)
Instructions
- Bring 3 cups of water or broth to a boil in a small saucepan
- While the water is heating, whisk 1 tablespoon of mayo with a crushed garlic clove and a large egg yolk in a large soup bowl and set aside for now
- As soon as the water begins to boil, add the ramen noodles (optionally include the seasoning packet)
- Boil the ramen for 2 minutes and then remove from the saucepan heat
- Ladle about a cup of the ramen liquid into the mayo mixture and whisk to combine
- Add the remaining noodles and liquid
- Optionally, garnish with a soft boiled egg, green onions and some chili oil
