Ramen-Fried Eggs Are a Textural Delight

The ramen fried egg is an umami-packed breakfast full of satisfying textures, with instant ramen acting as the transformative canvas of choice. Depending on how you cook them, ramen noodles can be soft and spongy, or airy and crunchy. In this frying pan preparation, we shall have both. Grab your favourite flavour (the red, orange, blue, or pink flavored pouch) — it’s instant breakfast time.

You’ll need a frying pan and a lid, preferably one that fits, or mostly fits. I only have a slightly too-small lid and one that’s way too big, and if this is the case for you, use the one that’s slightly too small to get a tighter fit. Pour a quarter-cup of water into the frying pan and add a tablespoon of cooking oil. I like California Olive Ranch olive oil, but vegetable or canola oil would be fine. Ramen soup preparation is a just-add-water situation, but I wanted the bottoms of the egg and noodles to fry at the end. This is where the oil will give us a hand. Adding it in the beginning ensures the pan will be oily once the water evaporates, whereas oiling the pan at the end would be trickier.

Turn the burner on medium-low heat and add the seasoning mix, as little or as much as you like, but save any leftover seasoning for dip and popcorn. Drop the brick of noodles into the pan and cover with your lid (ill-fitting or otherwise). Let the noodles simmer for three to five minutes. Uncover the pan and flip the noodles. If the water has evaporated, add another quarter-cup of water and cover. Simmer for another three to five minutes, and uncover. The noodles should be soft, but not mushy. Spread out the noodles to fill the pan and arrange a small hole in the centre.

If you’re using two eggs, make two divots. The water should be nearly gone at this point. Drop eggs into the spaces you’ve made and cover with the lid again for about a minute, just to set the egg whites on top. If you like a fully cooked yolk, then leave it on for another minute. Uncover and let the eggs and noodles fry for about five minutes, or until the bottoms of the noodles have browned and are becoming crispy.

Slide the entire fried egg-noodle mass onto a plate, and enjoy with chopped scallions, golden mountain sauce, or gochujang. The bottom of the noodles will have a light and crisp snap, with a softer texture on top. You don’t even need to add additional flavours to this dish; the salty, savoury water soaks into the noodles and concentrates a bit on the bottom of the egg. Scoop up a bit of the runny yolk with some stretchy noodles and enjoy.

Ramen Fried Egg

Ingredients:

• ½ cup water (divided into 2 quarter-cups)
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 pack instant ramen noodles
• 1 or 2 eggs

In a small skillet, add 1/4 cup of water and the oil. Add the seasoning pack to the water and place the noodle-brick on top of the liquid. Cover the skillet with a lid and simmer over medium-low heat for three to five minutes. Uncover and flip the noodles. Add the other 1/4 cup of water if the liquid has evaporated. Cover with the lid and simmer for another three to five minutes. Uncover and spread the noodles around to make a space in the centre. Crack the egg into the space, and cover with the lid again for about a minute. Uncover and fry until the water is completely gone and the bottoms of the noodles become brown, crispy, and dry. Serve hot.