Lately, there has been a buzz in
the internet about this crazy dish that swapped the regular water used in
instant ramen with milk. You read that right. MILK. Dairy and instant ramen,
that’s not something you hear every day doesn’t it?
I googled the thing and it turns
out the origin of this dish in Indonesia is a bit vague (I’m still assuming a
desperate student with heavy munchies on month end came up with this), but it
apparently gained popularity early-mid 2013-ish with this warung (think a
small, dark stall with cheap and tasty food) at Yogyakarta brought it into the
spotlight.
Most of people who’ve tried the
recipe recommend the use of ingredient I always hated in instant ramen: Cheese
and Butter. Dude, seriously, Instant Ramen is no Italian dish. STAHP.
Anyway, the recipe is fairly
cheap. It’ll probably cost you IDR 6.000-7.000 (US$ 0.60-0.70!) if you’re
sticking with the basics. But my version will cost you a bit more, but trust
me, it tasted like one hell of a fusion dish!
Without further ado, I present to
you….MILK INSTANT RAMEN. (The name sucks, I know).
You will need:
1 packet of soupy instant ramen of your choice. Indomie is the one
for me, NOTHING ELSE COMES CLOSE
300 ml of plain milk. Feel free to substitute with your favorite
milk!
THAT’S IT!!
BUT…..since this is my twist on
the recipe, I’m adding:
1 tsp of smoked paprika powder
½ tsp of garlic powder
2 tsp of sesame oil (this shit is magic, trust me)
For the topping, you are free to
choose. I’m going with:
1 soft boiled egg
Heaps of sautéed shitake mushrooms. Stir fry the mushroom with a
bit of olive oil, season with salt, finish with a splash of mirin.
Garnish with enough spring onion.
Ready? Here We Go!
Step 1 – Cook your instant ramen as instructed. After it’s done,
strain and rinse under running cold water. Set it aside for a while, just like
your bittersweet memories from the past. LOL JK. That thing should be
forgotten!
Step 2 – Heat a small saucepan over medium high heat, and pour in
your milk. Let the milk come up to a boil, BUT DON’T LET IT BOIL. Boiling the
milk will make this weird membrane-y thing pop up, and it looked ugly. Wanna
prevent this from happening? Stir the milk constantly. This process should take
around 4-5 minutes, depending on the temperature when the milk hits the pan.
Pour all your feelings, whoops, milk out. |
Stir, stir, stir |
Step 3 – Remember the spice pack that came with the ramen? Put it
in! But skip the oil! Once boiling, if you’re taking my step on the recipe, add
in your paprika powder, garlic powder, and sesame oil, and stir constantly,
again, preventing it from boiling. By this time, the broth will smell like
heaven (thanks to the sesame oil). After a minute or two, the broth is done!
Warning: More MSG than you can handle |
Step 4 – Serve!
Remember the toppings? Yes, this
is what I use. The egg was boiled for around 6 minutes, and was cut with dental
floss to ensure a clean cut. Knife won’t do in this kind of job!
I would describe the taste of
this dish to be a fusion of Italian-Asian. The milk help to create this
creamy-almost Italian-esque flavor, while the sesame oil made it whole lot more
Asian. Interesting combination I must say!
Anyway, give this a go, you’ll be
hooked in no time.
Peace
xx