Make some instant ramen. Slide an egg into the hot broth, then some butter. Crown the steaming noodles with slices of American cheese. Scatter a bunch of toasted sesame seeds and chopped scallions across the top, if you want to. Hardly a recipe! But for the chef Roy Choi, who gave it to The Times in 2014, doctored instant ramen is a taste of Korean-American straight-from-the-bag soul food. The butter, egg and cheese help coat the ramen noodles and deepen their flavor. “It’s our snack, it’s our peanut butter and jelly sandwich, it’s our bowl of cereal,” Mr. Choi said. “It’s something that has been a part of my life forever.” —Jeff Gordinier
It tells you something about the philosophy of Roy Choi that one of the recipes in his 2013 book, “L.A. Son,” doesn’t seem at first glance like a recipe at all. You make some instant ramen. Slide an egg into the hot broth, then some butter.
Flavor Dense Cooking
But as with so much of Mr. Choi’s flavor-dense cooking, the dish contains more complexity and cultural history than may be apparent. For many Korean – American children, instant ramen qualifies as after-school-or-after-the-party, straight-from-the-bag soul food. “It’s our snack, it’s our peanut butter and jelly sandwich, it’s our bowl of cereal,” Mr. Choi said. “It’s something that has been a part of my life forever.”
Instant Ramen on the Room-Service Menu
It’s also on the surprise-packed room-service menu at the Line, the new Los Angeles hotel where Mr. Choi oversees the food. Adding butter, cheese and an egg helps coat the noodles and deepen the flavor. And according to Mr. Choi, making the dish helps deepen you. “When you make instant ramen, it’s your own personal journey,” he said. “It’s kind of like religion. We’re all finding ourselves through that same energy source.”
Another great article to read: Instant Ramen: Perfect Budget Meal
Article First Appeared in the NYT: Ramen: A Quick Fix for the Soul