Can you eat raw ramen?

Have you ever eaten the few bits of instant ramen left in the package after you’ve thrown the noodles into boiling water to cook? And, to your surprise, have you discovered that it tastes really good?

Can you eat raw ramen?

Yes, you can eat raw ramen. There is nothing unhealthy or dangerous about it, since instant ramen is pre-cooked and dehydrated. You can eat raw ramen once in a while as a snack. However, it does not have much nutritional value in its natural form.

This article is for those who eat raw ramen and those who think that no one should.

Read on to learn why it’s okay to eat raw ramen. You’ll also get some ideas on how to cook with raw noodles to see what all the fuss is about.

How is ramen made?

Instant noodles, also known as instant ramen or just ramen, are many people’s favorite fast food. Originally from Japan, instant ramen has captured the hearts of all people, regardless of the country in which they live.

A package of these instant noodles contains a block of ramen, a package loaded with seasoning, and perhaps another loaded with oil for flavor.

Although we all know that ramen takes a few minutes to cook, few know that ramen noodles are actually pre-cooked. Although there are many different types of noodles used for ramen, classic ramen noodles are made the same way.

The main ingredients of ramen noodles are wheat flour, water, and salt. An important ingredient is kansui. It is an alkaline solution. It is added to control the level of acidity during the dough-making process.

After the instant noodle dough is kneaded, it is rolled out finely and cut into long thin pieces. This is when the noodles are cooked. Manufacturers steam ramen noodles to pre-cook them.

But, because packaging the noodles with high water content would make them extremely perishable, the noodles become dehydrated. This is done by various techniques.

Some manufacturers dehydrate the noodles by frying them, while others do so with the help of other techniques involving high temperatures.

Dehydration is the secret to the long shelf life of instant ramen noodles. For reference, the water content of instant noodles is not more than 10%. And foods with a water content less than 12% are very stable.

Thanks to the technology used to make instant ramen, these noodles are easy to rehydrate. They only take a few minutes to cook.

Also, I’m sure you’ve noticed that overcooking instant noodles, even for a few minutes, makes them too soft.

Can you eat raw ramen?

Have you ever been tempted to eat ramen as it is, without cooking it? Well yes, you can. But your common sense may have convinced you not to, as the noodles are raw and tasteless and need to be cooked.

Also, we’ve all heard our mothers say that eating raw ramen will give us a stomach ache.

Now that you know how instant ramen noodles are made, you can no longer call ramen noodles “raw” as they are essentially cooked. They are simply dehydrated for preservation.

So yes, you can eat raw ramen. In fact, many people like to eat raw ramen as a snack. It’s what they do in Japan and what many ramen lovers have tried to do at least once.

If you’re curious about trying raw ramen, here’s how to do it for the best experience:

1. Crush the noodles before opening the package. If the package is small and there is a risk of it exploding, transfer the noodle brick to a resealable plastic bag and only then begin to squash it. You can smash the noodles with a frying pan if you want smaller pieces.
2. Open the bag and take out the seasoning packet.
3. Pour the contents of the seasoning packet into the bag with crushed ramen noodles. You can use it all or not. It all depends on how salty you want the noodles to be.
4. Close the bag and shake it well to coat the noodle pieces with the seasoning.
5. Enjoy your snack!

You can even decide not to use the packaged seasonings and make your own mix. We encourage you to experiment with different spices and flavors.

Is it bad to eat dry ramen?

Ramen noodles are cooked and dehydrated. Therefore, eating them raw will not cause any health problems.

It’s like eating French fries. However, while eating raw ramen does not pose any health risks, it is not recommended to eat it often as it is not a healthy snack.

Eating raw ramen has the same nutritional value as eating it cooked. The carbohydrate content of raw ramen does not change when you cook it.

In addition, it contains a lot of sodium and is high in calories, without having any significant nutritional value.

So raw ramen can’t be worse for you when it comes to nutritional value. It’s no secret that ramen is delicious, but not as healthy as we’d like.

The only thing is, with ramen cooked instant noodles, you may be tempted to add other ingredients to make the quick dinner taste better. They are usually vegetables, but they can also be eggs, tofu, meats, or different spices and seasonings.

If you add healthy ingredients to it, cooked ramen noodles are definitely better for you than dry ramen.

Also, ramen with eggs, vegetables and other ingredients is quite filling. Meanwhile, eating it raw as a snack will only make you feel full for a short time. And then you will feel the need to snack on something else.

3 Ways to Use Raw Ramen - wikiHow

If you really like raw ramen and want to use it more often, don’t just eat it as a snack. There are other fun ways to incorporate raw ramen into your meals or make it the centerpiece of your dishes.

Here are three fun ways to use instant ramen noodles without cooking.

Crunchy Salad Topping

Why do we like eating raw ramen so much? It’s because of the crunch! But instead of eating raw ramen as is, it’s better to use it as a salad dressing.

Crushed ramen will add texture to your salads. It will make them unique and different from anything you have done before.

Ramen noodles go very well with shredded cabbage, carrot, green onion, etc. You can also spice it up by using chicken flavored ramen noodles or even by seasoning the salad with the included flavor pack.

The best crispy breading

If you need to fry chicken or fish but don’t have breadcrumbs for breading, a package or two of instant ramen noodles can be a good substitute. In fact, they may be better, as they will make your fried chicken or fish extra crispy.

Crush the uncooked ramen noodles into small pieces suitable for breading. Add your desired spices and seasonings and use the ramen breading the same way you would use the breadcrumbs.

You can fry whatever you want in breaded ramen bread. The flavor and texture of shredded noodles work with many ingredients.

Raw ramen pizza

If you want to learn new ways to use instant ramen noodles, here’s a quick, easy, and fun recipe: a pizza made with blocks of raw ramen noodles for the crust.

To make this raw ramen pizza, break the raw ramen block vertically into two thinner blocks.

Pour some pizza sauce onto a plate and drench one side of the ramen with the sauce. Put the ramen on a baking tray, cover with lots of mozzarella cheese and add other ingredients to taste.

Bake until the cheese is melted and the ramen crust is golden brown.

By the time you take the pizza out of the oven, the noodles will have absorbed some of the moisture from the sauce you dipped them in and will have cooked halfway through while maintaining their shape and toppings.

What is the best way to eat ramen?

Although uncooked instant ramen noodles taste good and make a fun appetizer, the best way to prepare ramen noodles is by cooking them. But there are a few secrets to getting perfectly cooked instant ramen noodles.

Follow these steps for perfectly cooked instant ramen noodles:

1. Pour 2.5 cups of water into a saucepan and bring it to a boil.
2. Add the noodles as soon as the water starts to boil. Never add the noodles to the water if it hasn’t already boiled, as this will make the noodles mushy and doughy.
3. Cook the noodles in the boiling water for 2 minutes.
4. Add the soup packet that came with the noodles, stir to combine, and cook for half a minute.
5. Turn off the heat and add an egg. Don’t remove it. Instead, pull the noodles over the egg. The heat from the noodles will cook the egg in a matter of seconds.
6. Transfer the noodles to a bowl.
7. Add butter, greens, vegetables and other ingredients to taste.