Recipe: This Cheesy Ramen Is a Buttery Bowl of Comfort

Cacio e pepe. Mac and cheese. Cheese and pasta make a beautiful pairing. But cheese and noodles? It might seem like an unusual combo, but it’s not a new one.

Korea’s style of ramen, known as ramyun, has incorporated cheese for decades. During the Korean War, budae-jjigae (or “army stew”) gained popularity as Koreans used surplus US army food like cheese to bolster their meals.

We’re not angry about it. The combo of gooey, melted cheese with butter and instant noodles creates a perfectly creamy, comforting weeknight dish.

Cheese ramen

Makes 1 serving
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

1 packet Shin Ramyun instant noodles (including the dehydrated vegetables and chilli powder sachets)
1 tbsp (14g) butter
50ml full-cream milk
2 slices American cheese (or cheddar)
2 tsp finely grated parmesan
1 spring onion, green part only, finely sliced

Method

Bring a small saucepan or pot of water to a rolling boil over high heat. Add the instant noodles and the sachet of dehydrated vegetables. Cook the noodles according to the packet instructions. Drain the noodles through a mesh strainer, reserving 2 tablespoons of the cooking water, and set aside.

Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add the butter, then stir until melted and bubbling. Add the milk and give it a quick stir. Place the cheese slices in the pan and sprinkle in the chilli powder sachet. When the milk starts bubbling again, stir continuously until all the cheese has melted to become a thick creamy sauce. Add the noodles to the sauce and stir well until the noodles are well coated in the cheese sauce. Add the reserved cooking water and quickly stir.

Transfer the cheese ramen to a serving bowl. Sprinkle with parmesan, then garnish with spring onion.

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Images and text extracted from Noods by Smith Street Books, published in 2023 ($29.99). Photography by Emily Weaving.