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Korean Kkotgae Ramen.

Korean ramen is one of the best (instant) foods… ever!

In Korea, spicy ramen remains the go-to “emergency meal” for all ages – it’s not simply “college” food.

But with a few fresh ingredients, its taste can be dramatically elevated.

Yes I know, everyone has their own “this-is-it” ramen recipe.

Allow me to share mine.

It's Korean Kkotgae Ramen.

Kkotgae is the word for Korean Flower Crabs. They have a (semi) soft shell which can be bitten into… it has a sweet delicate flavor and very tender meat.

If you’re like me, you’ll have little-to-no patience for picking out the morsels the shell. Within a few seconds, I’m biting into the shell and (noisily) sucking out the meat… heh…

You’ll find Kkotgae in the frozen section of a large Korean market. (Don’t worry, it will taste great). The crabs are caught, snapped in half, washed, then frozen immediately.

Throw 1-2 frozen halves into a pot of water – even before it starts boiling. That way, the crabs have more time to release their natural flavors in the broth.

Next, add Tteok (aka Korean rice cakes).

There are many different types of Korean rice cakes. Go with the thinly sliced ones (image below).

The rice cake slices are great for ramen as it offers a chewy, sticky texture to the soft, bouncy noodles .

Note: The rice cakes tend to soak-in liquid as it cooks – so add a dash more water at the beginning.

For vegetables, use Soybean Sprouts.

Soybean Sprouts offer a nice crunchy texture to the noodles. Add it towards the end, so they don’t wilt down too much in the hot soup.

The final garnish is Cilantro.

A few pinches of cilantro for garnish is perfect. I love the combination of that cilantro taste with the spicy gochugaru/gochujang soup.

(This is optional – skip it, if cilantro tastes like soap to you!)

I hope you get to try this out at home! If you do, tag us on IG.

We love flipping through your dishes in the morning 😉

(P.s. If you’re cooking alone, don’t get bored. Consider listening to our latest podcast episode while you cook!)

Korean Kkotgae Ramen

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Ingredients

1 Packet of Korean Ramen
2 Cups Water (~550ml) (add in an extra dash of water)

Fresh Ingredients

1 Korean Kkotgae Crab (frozen works just fine)
Small handful of Tteok (Ricecakes)
Small handful of Soybean Sprouts
1 teaspoon of Gochugaru Flakes
⅓ Cheongyang Chili Pepper (optional, slice thinly)
Small handful of Chopped Green Onions (For Garnish)
Small handful of Chopped Cilantro (For Garnish)

Instructions

Prep Fresh Ingredients

Gently wash the frozen crab to clean-off any impurities or broken shell. Briefly place it on a plate and set it aside.
Now, let's prep our garnish: Chop green onion into small pieces. Finely dice ⅓ of a chili pepper into 4-5 thin slices. Roughly chop a stalk of cilantro into fine pieces.

Make Ramen

Place 2 cups of water into a pot. Then add-in a dash more of water (we add a dash more for the rice cakes - they like to soak in water).
Add the frozen crab into the water. Then place the pot on a medium-high heat and bring it up to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, let it continue to simmer away for an additional 2 minutes.
Next, add in the spicy ramen seasoning packet. Then add in the rice cakes.
Followed by the ramen noodles. Next, add in a small handful of the soybean sprouts on top of the ramen.
Now, add in some gochugaru (1 teaspoon) - to keep the soup looking red.
Let the ramen noodles boil for a few minutes - until it turns soft & chewy.
Turn off the heat - garnish with the chopped cilantro, green onions and sliced chili.
Enjoy ya'll - my favorite ramen!

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