Every now and then, I’m hit by this undeniable craving for a huge bowl of salty broth and curly ramen noodles. I’m forced to give in. At these moments, it’s unlikely I’ll hop in the car and drive to the Asian market for some legitimate dried ramen noodles, and what should I? A few little tweaks, and a bowl of 15¢ dried Top Ramen can be immensely satisfying–earthy, nutty, salty, spicy, and creamy, with plenty of umami.

I chose to top my ramen with a poached egg, since I’m in my POACHED EGG OMG phase, but you could opt for a fried egg instead. I personally love the rich creaminess the perfectly poached yolk adds to the broth, and the gentle texture of the white. I added mushrooms, because, obviously, I love mushrooms, and their earthiness works well with the sesame broth. Finally, the sweet oniony flavor of scallions add a much-needed bit of green to the bowl and pair perfectly with the understated spiciness.

Easy Upgraded Ramen: Mushroom Sesame Ramen with Poached Egg

Serves: 1

ingredients

– one package of dried ramen
– 2 cups broth or water (I used the packet of seasoning that came with the noodles, partly because we just moved in and I have no idea where most of my stuff is, and partly because of its guilty MSGed sodium extravaganza)
– 3-4 large button mushrooms, sliced (or other mushroom, depending on your preference and what you have.. fresh shiitake are great!)
– 1 scallion (thick part sliced into 1″ pieces on a diagonal, greens sliced thin)
– 1 teaspoon sesame oil (more or less to taste)
– 1/2 teaspoon chile-garlic paste (or sambal olek or Sriracha or whatever you have!), more or less to taste
– 1 egg, room temperature preferable
– 1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar

directions:

– For the poached egg: grab a nonstick saucepan and fill with about 2″ water and place over high heat
– Pour in about 1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar, to acidulate the water to help the egg coagulate better when dropped in
– Meanwhile, as the acidulated water heats, bring the 2 cups of broth to a boil
– As the acidulated, poaching liquid approaches a boil, and you begin to see bubbles forming at the bottom of the pan, crack an egg into a small bowl, then gently drop the egg into the poaching liquid. I have better luck just dropping the egg in, rather than lowering it halfway in the water, but do what works best for you
– Turn off the heat and allow the egg to cook about 2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and wait to place on finished noodles. The egg will continue to cook in the broth, so you want to slightly undercook it during the actual poaching process
– Throw the noodles, mushrooms, and thick scallion slices into the broth and cook for three minutes
– Pour noodles into serving bowl, add in sesame oil, chile-garlic paste, and additional salt/seasoning to taste, then top with poached egg, and finally, thinly sliced scallion greens. Tada! Beautiful, unbelievably simple lunch