How to Take Your Viral Buldak Noodles to the Next Level

Who says packaged ramen has to be boring? With some additions and modifications, you can turn your Buldak noodles into more than just a quick, simple meal without any toppings. 

The great thing about noodle hacks is how versatile they are. They are hugely versatile, and they can be done in any way - with topping choices being endless! 

For the Noodles: 

Boil noodles as usual, and add one Buldak sauce packet to the water while the noodles are boiling. Cook as many packages as desired - for my family, it was three packages. Cook until the noodles are tender, and strain. Some people prefer noodles with broth, but for this recipe, it will water down the creaminess of the noodles. Add the seasoning packets included with the noodles and mix together well, the noodles will become creamy and flavorful - but to really enhance this, add a generous amount of Kewpie mayonnaise and siracha sauce, mixing well and adding desired amounts of roasted sesame oil, furikake, and sesame seeds - all three of which are absolute staples in a majority of my cooking. For the furikake and sesame seeds, you can truly never have enough. The amount of siracha is entirely dependent on your spice tolerance, but the flavor is a must. 

For the Spam Topping:

• 1/2 cup soy sauce 
• 1/3 cup water (to dilute the soy sauce and make the sauce have more volume)
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 2 tablespoons siracha chili sauce
• 1 teaspoon chili oil 
• Around two teaspoons of ginger puree (or fresh ginger), for this recipe, puree works best.
• A generous amount of furikake seasoning

Cut the Spam into slices, then cut the slices in half if desired - the size and shape of the pieces does not matter, and it is a matter of preference. Toss the Spam in the sauce mixture, then pan-fry the pieces until fried on both sides, there should be a darker colour than before on each piece. Ensure you fry the pieces in a small amount of olive oil to prevent sticking - the soy sauce glaze is prone to burning, so add a small amount of water to the pan to cleanse between batches if it is needed. 

Transfer the Spam to a dish and sprinkle with sesame seeds, pour the remaining sauce overtop of the pieces and set aside for later.

To add even more depth to your ramen bowls, cook shrimp in roasted sesame oil and a good amount of butter, letting it melt slightly in the pan before frying the shrimp on medium (or medium-high) heat, the shrimp will not take long to cook. While the shrimp are frying in the pan, grate carrots with a cheese grater, then fry an egg (or use boiled eggs!) once the shrimp are set aside. 

With all of the toppings complete, you can assemble your noodle bowls however you would like with your preferred toppings and additional ingredients. For my bowl, I used provolone and Babybel cheese, sesame seeds, siracha, kewpie mayo, honey ham, grated carrots, furikake, sesame seeds, and crispy fried onions along with the spam, fried egg, and shrimp from the recipe.