Instant ramen is a pantry superhero that can turbocharge your cooking

Do you consider instant ramen to be a superhero in the pantry ? Food entrepreneur Peter Kim does, so much so that he wrote a whole cookbook about it....

Do you consider instant ramen to be a “superhero in the pantry”? Food entrepreneur Peter Kim does, so much so that he wrote a whole cookbook about it. Why? “It’s cheap, it’s accessible, it takes no time to make. The seasoning sachet all but ensures a baseline level of deliciousness,” Kim said over a video call. “And then the noodles give you enough heft to the meal that you don’t have to worry about, say, making a side of rice or making potatoes or whatever. ... All you really have to think about as a home cook using instant ramen is where do I want to take the flavor?”

That’s the whole premise behind his cookbook, “Instant Ramen Kitchen,” in which Kim includes recipes inspired by dishes from all over the world, such as borshch, shakshuka, moqueca (Brazilian seafood stew) and frijolles de la olla (Mexican stewed beans).

While some might see a cheap, ubiquitous food product, Kim sees a world of possibilities and wonder. “Some of the most beautiful and enjoyable parts of life are the things that are right in front of us, and I think instant ramen is a great example of that,” Kim said.

Instant ramen is more than just for college students. “Beyond that little characterization of instant ramen, for a lot of people, a lot of cultures, ... instant ramen is a fundamental part of cuisine and, sort of, identity,” Kim said. They are woven into the cuisine of Madagascar; the brand Indomie is so popular in Nigeria that the its name is synonymous with “noodles”. And if you’re at all familiar with Korean culture, then you probably already know how beloved instant noodles are. To this day, Kim still eats them with his parents. “They’re not starving college students,” Kim said. “We just love eating it together and it never gets old.”