All You Need Is Butter To Get Crave-Worthy Ramen Broth

A pat of creamy, melty butter goes well on all sorts of foods: toast, croissants, cooked veggies, steak, and ... ramen? The idea of placing a pat of butter atop your bowl of soup might give you pause, but there's good reason to reach for your butter drawer the next time you're cooking up some ramen noodles. Butter is actually a fairly common add-on at ramen restaurants. Born of Western influence, the pat of butter melts into the broth and provides an extra hit of fatty richness atop the existing flavor in the seasoning.

Butter seriously upgrades instant ramen as well, especially because the broth in these quick noodles typically doesn't have the deeply luxurious flavor or texture of a classic ramen that's been simmering for hours. Adding butter can be a quick fix for a broth lacking in fat and gelatin, two key ingredients in a truly decadent, long-cooked ramen broth. The butter melts, causing the broth to thicken and become slightly creamy; it'll make everything taste just a little more fuller and enrich the flavor with hints of dairy sweetness.

It might not seem like plopping a pat of butter on top of your ramen and calling it a day would do much, but adding butter to a sauce or a dish at the end of the cooking time is actually a tried and true finishing technique. Called "mounting," or Monter au Beurre, this French technique transforms basic gravies and sauces into glossy, smooth, velvety goodness. The same can be said for instant ramen broth: The butter adds a slick of liquid gold that just enhances everything in the bowl, from the flavor to the texture.

Be aware, though, that the addition of butter can also affect other flavors in your ramen broth. For example, if your instant ramen is a spicy variety, adding dairy and fat by way of butter can actually reduce the spice level. The casein in dairy products (like butter) binds with capsaicin and lessens its effect, making highly spicy foods more tolerable. This can be a good thing if you're looking to balance a too-hot ramen.

A little butter can be a great start to a richer, creamier instant ramen broth, but there are plenty of additional upgrades you can make to really enhance that flavor and texture. While hot water is the classic liquid base for a bowl of instant ramen, working with something a little creamier to start with can lead to a more decadent finished product. Try mixing a bit of unsweetened, unflavored soy milk in with your hot water; the thick texture of the milk adds body to the ramen broth, and the hint of soy flavor combines deliciously with the savory taste of the flavoring packet.

Miso also pairs excellently with butter, and using this umami-filled, fermented paste as an add-in can both deepen flavor and thicken mouthfeel. Just be sure to use it sparingly and be mindful of salt levels: miso is a highly salty ingredient, and adding too much to an already-salty instant ramen broth can turn your delicious lunch into something inedible. With a light hand, though, it's a great enhancement for a buttery ramen broth.