Ivan Orkin of Ivan Ramen Shares His Ramen Making Tips

One of the most important rules in ramen eating is that it should be consumed hot – super, super hot. In fact, according to chef Ivan Orkin of Ivan Ramen on the Lower East Side, eating a bowl of ramen is exactly like eating a slice of pizza; it should be inhaled as quickly as possible, with a significant amount of slurping to guard against burning your mouth.

“Try to eat ramen while it’s smoking hot and alive," he said during a recent, residents-only virtual tasting for our latest Atlas Club event, "I really do think it's alive, but obviously I have a crazy relationship with ramen.”

All attendees of the event received custom ramen kits, prepared by Ivan Ramen and featuring his custom noodles, meat and – of course – Ivan's magical, rich broth. Read on for Ivan's tips on how to best prepare the kits (or whatever ramen you have on hand).

Ingredients

 

-Meat of your choice

-Noodles

-Broth

-Whole egg (cooked)

-Shio kombu

-Scallions (for garnish)

To prepare: 

 

1) Start by taking a sauté pan to heat up your meat. You want to do this very gently to avoid overcooking it. Do the same for the broth in a pot – cook it until it simmers and then turn off the heat. Do not let the broth reduce.

2) Bring a good amount of water (6 to 8 quarts) to boil for the noodles. Don't skimp on the amount of water! There's no need to add salt since the noodles already have their own flavor.

3) Before cooking your noodles, break them up with your hands or chopsticks so they don't clump together. Then put into the pot and boil for one minute, stirring regularly.

4) Strain your noodles, careful to drain any last extra drips of water (shake the colander a few times).

5) Assemble your ramen: pour the broth into a bowl (a large ceramic one works best if you have), then add the noodles, meat, egg, shio kombu, and sprinkle the scallions on top.

6) And enjoy – really, really, fast!

To hear more from Ivan – including what he really thinks of instant ramen packs – watch the full recording of his talk, below.

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