How To Turn Instant Ramen Into A Hot Pot Dish
One big difference between the Korean hot pot and the Chinese hot pot is really the heating vessel. The Chinese version is a stainless steel pot with a chimney in the center where the flame flickers to keep the soup hot.
The modern Korean version is electric with a division in the middle so that you can have not one, but two kinds of soups to dunk into. One can hold a simple seasoned chicken stock and the other, the spicy hot soup that's swimming with chilis.Â
To make a hot pot, it can be a fully loaded meal with all the different vegetables, meats, seafood, and two different soups ready to be dipped into. This is a long process of prep that can take longer than to eat the meal. However, there is a quick hack you can do and it involves one of our favorite instant food packets: the instant ramen.Â
If you think about the hot pot and how the ramen would enter the meal, it's easy to figure it out: use the ramen as base of your soup! However, that means the ramen noodles would become soggy and overcooked if left in the hot pot as it simmers while dipping the rest of the ingredients.Â
How would you properly use a packet of ramen for a hot pot?Â
The logical way of doing this is to cook the ramen noodles then remove them from the simmering soup. Just like the vegetables and the meat are all on the side waiting to be dipped, so can the noodles wait for their turn to be dipped in the soup, too. You might need more than one packet too if your pot is too big to hold one serving of soup.Â
We think that would be no problem at all! The good news is that there's no need to hunt down a hot pot packet of soup seasoning just to get the flavors you want in your soup! If you want to make a hot pot using ramen noodles, here's what you do:Â
- 1 Prepare three instant noodle packets and separate the soup packets from the noodles. Prepare any side vegetables and meats and place in bowls ready to serve on the side.Â
- 2 Heat up the hot pot and add water to bring it to a boil.Â
- 3 Divide the soup packets between the division in the pot evenly so each is delicious and tasty.Â
- 4 When boiling, add the noodles to the pot and let cook 2 minutes or until just softened. (Don't overcook!)Â
- 5 Remove noodles and set them aside in bowls to serve on the side.Â
To start eating the hot pot, grab your choice of meat, vegetables, and noodles, and add it to the soup desired. Let the instant ramen noodles cook in the hot soup until just heated through, about 1 minute maximum (This is why it was important to undercook the ramen noodles). Remove and enjoy it with the vegetables and meat as desired.Â
Whichever way you like your hot pot, this way of enjoying a hot meal is an interactive way of sharing while eating.Â
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