You read that right … SPAM. Lovely SPAM!
Ramen dishes have been a hot thing for a few years now (excluding the ever popular CupONoodles we bought for 10 cents in college) but this was our first attempt at an authentic and truly flavorful bowl of noodles. And it was delicious!
Although we have some great grocery stores in the UP, they are a bit lacking in ethnic food ingredients so we ordered from Amazon Prime Pantry, but we were able to get kimchi at Angeli’s, our local store.
Makes two large bowls.
Ingredients:
- 1 t HonDashi (instant dashi – aka bonito fish soup)
- 2 C chicken broth
- 1 T soy sauce
- Dried ramen noodles (we used Hime Japanese Dried Ramen noodles, 1 bundle)
- 1/2 tub of SPAM
- 1/2 C green onions, chopped
- 1/2 C kimchi, chopped
- 1 T butter
- 2 eggs
Directions:
This meal is really about the meez – prepping the ingredients. It comes together quite quickly.
First, prep the noodle bowl toppers. Chop the green onions. Chop the kimchi into bit sized pieces. Slice the Spam into 1/4″ thick slices and cut each slice in half (or you may want to matchstick them).
Heat the chicken stock and add the HonDashi and soy sauce. Stir and taste. You are looking for a mildly salty, oceany taste. You can add more HonDashi or broth to get to the right taste – there is no right or wrong here.
Get a pot heating to boiling with about a quart of water (and just a sprinkle of salt – not nearly as much as you would add if you are doing Italian pasta).
Toss the Spam into a non-stick pan and brown, flipping occasionally. Get a non-stick pan heating up nicely and add the butter and add your two eggs. You’ll want a runny yolk, but you can do over easy or sunny side up, your choice.
Toss the noodles into the boiling water and cook for 4 minutes, then drain and add to your serving bowls.
Pour over the “enhanced” chicken broth. Now arrange green onions, spam and kimchi over the noodles and top with the fried eggs.
Grab some chopsticks get ready to slurp. For maximum fun, use the chopsticks to grab chunks of the goodies and some noodles and slurp it down, then alternate with bringing the bowl to your lips and drinking some broth (oh, okay, you can use a spoon if you have to!).
Protip: You can amp up the spice level by drizzling a little hot chili oil into your bowl before eating.
We served this with crab rangoons. Extra nummy!
