You thought you had cooking ramen all figured out. After all, it is not rocket science; it just comes down to boiling and draining. You may have even tried some popular ramen hacks and used vinegar, fish sauce, Japanese curry powder, Thai curry paste, chili bean sauce, miso paste, or even added egg, meat, or vegetables.
Perhaps you have even made ramen stir fry or ramen burger and felt pretty proud of yourself, and you should!. But you think you know everything?
Well, I have a ramen hack that would make you never look at instant ramen noodles the same way again!
What Is This Ramen Hack?
It is called Ramnut. The Ramnut is a Donut made from ramen.
What Is Ramnut, And What’s The Story Behind It?
A creation of culinary nihilist (or fearless explorer?) and the author of Culinary Bro-Down Cookbook Josh Scherer, the Ramnut is one in a line of many junk food crossovers that have found their way onto the internet in recent years.
The trend of blending unremarkable snacks together has brought the world barbaric classics like ‘Brownie Pizza’, ‘Cheeseburger Ramen Soup’, and the Ramnut’s more famous (and arguably less crazy) cousin, the ‘Cronut’.What separates the Ramnut from mash-ups like the Cronut, is that it doesn’t acknowledge the value of food families.
That is to say, that coupling ramen and donuts together is straight-up weird.
According to Scherer though, that is not of concern. If anything, it may well be a compliment. As the Ramnut was made solely in the interest of what he describes as “science” and “progress.”
Writing on his blog, Scherer outlines his motivation for creating this Frankenstein delicacy, stating:
“I want to do things that are unique, things that have never been done before, and whether they taste good or not is tertiary to the real goal of progress. I’m going to shotgun method the foodie frontier until I hit a f*#king bullseye.”
Josh Scherer – Food Writer
His disdain for taste as a useful metric, is quite clear, and he adds:
“If I only ate things that tasted good, I’d carry around fat bags of Splenda, MSG, and Spicy Sweet Chili Doritos and just stuff them in my face all the time. Even though it would be awesome, and I’m considering this as a viable lifestyle change, it wouldn’t be at all fulfilling. There’s more to food than taste.”
Josh Scherer – Food Writer
In essence, Ramnut is an absurd junk food experimentation. It’s fusion-cuisine, minus all culinary principles.
Okay Then. Does It Taste Any Good Though?
The warming comforts of ramen plus the sugary delights of a donut. That must equal something wonderful, right?
No. Not really.
Food, like many things in life, doesn’t work that way. Combining two powerhouse ingredients is not a promise of success, not in the kitchen, not in any realm. Often, quite on the contrary.
Case in point: I love cheese. I also love mint ice cream. But together? In my mouth?
That tastes like divorce. That tastes like an imminent nuclear disaster in my stomach.
Not to say that the Ramnut is bad. I have made it, more than once.
After all, food is highly subjective.
One man’s gastronomic hate crime is another’s delicious cheese sundae.
Perhaps a better question and one which you should ask yourself before proceeding is:
Do you believe in the Ramnut?
Do you believe in the potential of ramen and donuts to co-exist as a single entity?
Further to that – and probably of greater importance – is it something you’d be willing to put in your mouth?
If the answer is yes, then welcome to the cult.
The only way to truly know whether the Ramnut is any good is to try one for yourself.
And given its status as a niche, underground specialty, the quickest way to try one is to make your own.
Do you believe it?
If you do, then grab an apron and follow me!
How To Make A Ramen Donut – The Ramnut!
Ingredients:
- 2 Packs of instant Ramen
- 1 Whole Egg
- 2 cups (16 oz) of Horchata
- Non-stick spray (or parchment paper)
- Oil for deep frying
- Various frostings, fillings, and toppings
Instructions:
- Lock all the doors. Trust me; it’s easier than having to explain yourself to any by-passers.
- Using a saucepan, set the Horchata to boil.
- Throw in all the ramen noodles and say a small prayer. There’s no going back now.
- Cook ramen for three to four minutes (or until soft). Strain and cool for ten minutes.
- Whisk the whole egg in a mixing bowl. Add your cooked ramen and mix well.
- Spray a small baking tray with non-stick spray or use parchment paper, and then slam the noodles mixture on top as it owes you money. Spread evenly across the surface. Ideally, 3-4 cm thick.
- Cover with plastic wrap and lob the pan in the freezer. You want the mixture to be firm but malleable, so 3-4 hours will do the trick.
- Now, remove the semi-frozen ramen from the freezer, and use something circular to cut the ramen into a doughnut shape.
- Heat your oil to 325°F (160°C) and deep fry the donut-shaped ramen discs for 2 or 3 minutes on both sides till it looks nice and golden brown color on the outside but slightly mushy at the center.
- Place freshly fried Ramnuts on a kitchen towel for a few minutes to absorb some of the oil.
- Then fill them with whipped cream, any filling you like will do, and use any of your favorite toppings.
(Original recipe from culinarybrodown.com – blog no longer exists, but can be accessed via the Wayback machine).
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