Ramen challenge

Ways to turn packaged noodles into satisfying bowls.

Gosh, now that ramen’s a dining trend, why would anyone eat the packaged stuff? Isn’t instant ramen just for college kids?

If you ever hear anyone say that, I want you to tell them how wrong they are, how snobby they sound, how much money they are wasting.

I know plenty of smart people with impeccable palates — including talented chefs and persnickety food writers — who are not too proud to eat packaged ramen.

Indeed, it is an astonishingly cheap, time-efficient and foolproof way to fill the belly.

Especially if you eschew, or augment, the package directions and doctor up your dish with an easy homemade broth, fresh veggies, and a protein (be it a fried egg, grilled chicken breast, or handful of shrimp). Whatever you have in the fridge or condiment cabinet can be used to put a personal stamp on your bowl.

Cool it down with fresh herbs, sprouts or lettuce (I love chopped romaine). Add citrus-y zing with a squirt of lemon or lime. Pep it up with hot sauce, fresh chilies or pickled peppers. Impart crunch with a scattering of crushed peanuts or toasted sesame seeds. Heck, I know folks who like it with cheese.

Considering that my everythingbut-the-kitchen-sink approach has yielded some real deliciousness over the years (even when I use the salt-and-MSG-laced flavor packet) I figured some Atlanta chefs might have a few quickramen tricks in their repertoire. So I asked three talented professional cooks I admire to teach me some hacks for packaged ramen.

Happily, they were not ashamed to admit they sometimes slurp packaged noodles, and the ideas they shared were revelatory.

Jason Liang, executive chef and owner of Brush Sushi Izakaya in Decatur, sent me a lovely recipe for chicken and clam ramen.

Liang steams Manila or Little Neck clams in a broth of sake and rich chicken stock, finishes the soup with soy sauce and butter, pours it over noodles, and tops it with a softly cooked egg, sliced chicken breast, and a sprinkling of scallions and shallots. (He suggests Korean noodles, like Ottogi brand Jin Ramen, because they are thicker and stronger in texture.)

Reminiscent of linguini with clams, at once homey and luxurious, Liang’s noodle bowl strikes me as the ideal supper for two. Paired with cold sake, white wine or beer, it’s the perfect thing to make for someone you love on Valentine’s Day.

Jarrett Stieber, the playful, punloving chef of Eat Me Speak Me, told me likes to transform pedestrian ramen into fake pho. After making a broth steeped with aromatic spices like cinnamon and star anise, he adds beef flavor packets (Maruchan brand) to create a soup that evokes the classic Vietnamese bowl. Finally, he dolls it up with seared skirt steak, thin slices of eye-of-round roast, a platter full of herbs, and lots of condiments.

That’s when he feels like getting fancy.

“Honestly, I usually just mix a beef and a chicken flavor packet together and pour a ton of Cholula hot sauce in it,” he told me via email. “Simple but delicious.” (Hey, don’t knock it. Some people just like soy and butter on their ramen.)

Rob Velazquez, The General Muir chef de cuisine in charge of the restaurant’s Monday-night ramen pop-up, starts with a broth of chicken, shiitakes and scallions. He injects the base with a flavor bomb of shoyu tare: a soy-andmirin-based condiment you can stir up in minutes and will want to use later on everything, from fish to fowl.

He softens packaged noodles (Nissin Top Ramen to be exact) in the broth, then tops it off with egg, nori, shredded cabbage, sliced radishes and peppadew peppers. His is a composed bowl that’s evocative of Japan and beautiful to look at.

STYLING BY WENDELL BROCK / CONTRIBUTED BY CHRIS HUNT Eat Me Speak Me chef Jarrett Stieber makes an easy, pho-like soup topped with seared skirt steak, rare eye-of-round and tons of condiments for his Pho-style Ramen Makeover.