022 - Milk Instant Ramen (a cure for munchies)

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