Easily Upgrade Store-Bought Ramen With One Citrusy Sauce

Ramen is considered a labor of love in China and Japan, where slurping up the noodles is a compliment to the chef and shows appreciation for the meal. While it's possible to make your own beef, pork, or chicken ramen soup at home, the process can be time-consuming, especially if you make the noodles from scratch to get that same rich ramen taste that restaurants serve. When you're short on time, though, it's okay to turn to store-bought ramen with a quick addition to level up the flavor: ponzu sauce.

The word "ponzu" means "juice squeezed from sour oranges" in Japanese. As an all-purpose condiment, the sauce is made with soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and a citrus juice — commercially lemon or lime but traditionally yuzu, sudachi, or kabuso — as well as bonito flakes, mirin, and kelp. The balance of salty, sweet, and sour makes it delicious in numerous applications. Use it to dip dumplings, spring rolls, and tempura; add it to fish and chips batter; marinate meat, fish, and vegetables; or mix with oil to make salad dressing. Best of all, add it to your instant ramen broth!

Although ponzu consists of soy sauce, the other ingredients added to it muddle the saltiness and boost the sweetness, which is ideal because the season packets that come with packaged noodles typically contain plenty of sodium. It only takes about 1 tablespoon of ponzu, but you can add more or less according to your taste buds. Just make sure that you wait to add it until after preparing the broth so that the tangy, citrusy flavor doesn't cook out.

Ponzu sauce is only one of the ingredients that upgrade store-bought ramen. Whether you choose classic Maruchan Ramen, gourmet Nongshim Shin Noodle Soup, or convenient Nissin Cup Noodle, adding various proteins, herbs, and other toppings can make this instant soup taste more homemade and hearty.

Since meat and vegetables are usually added to authentic ramen, there's no reason not to add them to your instant bowl. When it comes to the meat, choose one that will complement the season packet in your package. Bite-sized pieces of top sirloin or flank steak, for example, go well in beef ramen. Broccoli, carrots, and mushrooms are all good vegetable choices, too. Cook these in the seasoned broth so that they absorb some of the flavor and don't taste plain.

When your ramen broth and noodles are done, you can add fresh herbs, such as basil, cilantro, and chives. Mung bean sprouts, sliced scallions, and shredded cabbage add some crunchy texture, and you can even add sliced or diced peppers for crunch and spicy heat. Eggs are another fantastic ramen topping, and you can add them fried, hard-boiled, or classic nitamago style, the latter of which is a marinated, soft-boiled egg commonly used in ramen. Alternatively, add a couple of beaten eggs into the simmering broth like you would for egg drop soup.