By By: TAYLOR WALDRON
Web Editor/Staff Writer
@taylor_sumiko
Ramen is probably the most “college-esque” meal there is. It’s cheap, easy to make, and
quite frankly it’s delicious. Whether you’re a fan of chicken, beef, or if you skip the flavor packet altogether, ramen is the quick snack, the 2 am munchies meal, and the fuel you need to get through the tough days.
After one-too-many weeks of nothing but ramen for dinner, I scoured the internet for some sort of “hack” to spice up my noodle game. I googled “fancy ramen” and I was immediately hit with hundreds of recipes that were geared at elevating the average pack of ramen. For me, the most interesting search result was a play on Thai peanut noodles: Broccoli Peanut Butter Ramen.
The thought of scooping some extra crunchy JIF into my ramen seemed scandalous, but I was intrigued. I ran to my pantry to search for the ingredients:
1 package ramen noodles
1 cup shredded broccoli slaw
2 Tablespoons peanut butter
1 package ramen flavoring
2 Tablespoons sliced green onions
Sriracha hot sauce (optional, but please try it!)
I had everything but the shredded broccoli slaw and the green onions. Other than those ingredients, everything else should be pretty easily accessible from an average pantry. For the shredded broccoli slaw and green onions, I went to Kroger and scored both for a total of $3.49! This meal was super affordable and easy to make. Now let’s get to the cooking.
Start with a skillet. I like to make my ramen in a skillet rather than a pot because it’s easier to control the texture of your noodles. My Japanese mother detested the way that Americans approach making ramen so she always used a cast iron skillet. For this ramen, I used a basic non-stick skillet.
I filled the skillet with about a cup of water, just enough to boil the noodles in. After pouring the water into the skillet, I set the stove burner to high heat and waited for the water to boil. Because it’s such a small amount of water, it takes very little time to boil, so watch it carefully.
Once the water is boiling, place your cube of ramen in the skillet and begin to help it separate using either tongs, a fork, or chopsticks! Chopsticks are a wonderful tool to help you cook and then consume your ramen! Plus, if you only use the chopsticks through the process, you’ll be dirtying one less dish.
After the noodles have cooked for about 2 minutes or until your desired tenderness, add the broccoli slaw to the skillet for one minute to soak up some of that liquid. After cooking the broccoli slaw, turn off the burner and use a lid to help drain out almost all of the excess water, but leave a little, by holding back the noodles and pouring the water into the sink. No need to use a colander to strain the noodles or anything.
Once you’ve drained out some of the water, place the pan back on the stove and add your ramen flavoring packet and peanut butter. Mix your noodles until they reach a smooth consistency. Pour your noodles into a bowl and top with your green onions and Sriracha.
The flavor is almost an exact replica of classic Thai peanut noodles. Next time, I’ll think about adding chicken to fully round out the dish. If you like Thai food, but are living on a ramen budget, definitely give this dish a try. It changes the game for cheap eating!
Broccoli Peanut Butter Ramen
- 1 package ramen noodles (flavor of your choice)
- 1 cup shredded broccoli slaw
- 2 Tablespoons peanut butter
- 1 package ramen flavoring
- 2 Tablespoons sliced green onions
- Sriracha hot sauce (optional)
- Boil about 1 cup of water in a skillet on high heat.
- Place noodles in skillet and cook for about 2 minutes, then add broccoli slaw for 1 minute
- Drain almost all of the water, but leave a little in the skillet
- Mix in the flavor packet and the peanut butter
- Top with green onions and Sriracha
- Plate and serve
