Even though ramen is one of the simplest meals to prepare, it is rarely thought of as a family meal. But you can absolutely make this dish into something you can serve at your lunch or dinner table alongside your loved ones.
Without having to spend hours in the kitchen, we’ve put together a guide with a number of dishes you can enjoy with your ramen.
We’ve included Asian side dishes that pair well with ramen in this guide, as well as dishes from other cuisines that you’ll adore.
Ingredients for Chicken Ramen Stir Fry
Edamame beans with sea salt
Edamame are quite simply young soybeans. They are used in a wide range of Asian dishes and are extremely tasty and nutritious.
Additionally, they taste absolutely fantastic when prepared simply with a small number of ingredients to maximize flavor.
Nowadays, you can frequently find premium edamame beans in the supermarket’s frozen section, so be sure to pick up a bag the next time you go shopping. If you’re fortunate enough to have an Asian grocer nearby, you can find them there fresh.
Beans should be prepared as directed on the package, drained, and placed in a serving bowl. Finally, season with salt, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, and fresh lime juice. Toss, and serve warm or at room temperature.
As the ramen cooks on the stove, I like to serve these as an appetizer with a glass of wine.
When you want something light, a side serving of cucumber and chili salad is always incredibly refreshing.
Cucumbers should be finely shredded (a potato peeler works great for this), then should be splashed with white wine vinegar and allowed to lightly pickle for a short period of time. Finish off by garnishing with red chilli and sesame seeds.
If you’re a potato lover, you really need to try Japanese potato salad!
Because of the inclusion of carrots, cucumber, and red onion, the texture is delightfully crunchy.
When you’re in a hurry, stir-frying your favorite vegetables like carrots, broccoli, baby corn, and mushrooms is the ideal thing to serve with ramen.
Although it may be tempting to use a packet of prepared sauce, these are frequently loaded with unnecessary sugars and additives. Make your own instead using straightforward ingredients like garlic, ginger, chilli, and soy sauce.
The term “yakitori” refers to skewered chicken that is marinated and grilled.
These skewers are another fantastic option to serve as a nibble while you enjoy conversation with your guests over a drink or two. They make for a quick and simple side dish or accompaniment to a main meal.
In this recipe for crispy baked teriyaki tofu, morsels of tofu are baked (instead of fried!) in a deliciously sweet and salty teriyaki sauce.
It’s perfect for evenings when you’re hosting vegan guests or just when you want to get a little more experimental and reduce your meat intake, so if you’ve never tried tofu before, it’s definitely worth the effort.
It’s interesting to note that tofu itself has almost no flavor. It is incredibly flavor-absorbent and a very versatile ingredient to include in your meal plans because it is marinated in different flavors.
Kimchi is a side dish made from fermented vegetables that is frequently regarded as a staple of Korean cooking.
Because it contains probiotics and has a sour and spicy flavor, it is regarded as healthy.
Serve this in small bowls around the dining room table and let guests help themselves. You don’t want to put any of it on anyone’s plate until you know exactly what they think of it because it’s one of those foods that takes some getting used to.
Kimchi is a food that has been around for more than 1500 years and comes in more than 180 different varieties. If it piques your interest, make it your mission to learn more because it’s one of those ingredients that you can learn so much about when you look into it more.
In the Japanese dish donburi, either cooked or raw ingredients are placed on top of a bed of rice. I like to prepare small dishes and have them available as ramen accompaniments, even though it’s frequently served as a main course in its own right!
This strategy is a great way to expose your family to various dishes, flavors, and textures.
Some of my favourite recipes that I recommend include:
Of course, you can simply adjust the amounts to make smaller bowls than specified in the recipes. Alternatively, keep the leftovers for lunch the next day!.
Any Japanese-inspired meal is better with chilli squid, which is also a common choice for what to eat with ramen.
My preferred method of preparing mine is deep frying it with lots of salt, garlic, and fresh chillies!
This ramen side dish is flavorful, healthy, and absolutely delicious!
If you have an Asian supermarket nearby, you can frequently find seaweed there, but you might prefer to try my recipe for crispy “seaweed” kale instead.
It is baked in the oven, and preparation is incredibly quick. Just be careful to watch it closely while it cooks, as it can burn quite easily if you’re not!
If you love fried chicken, you need to try karaage!
Because it is flavorful, juicy, and deliciously crispy, and because it is available in bite-sized nuggets, it is a great addition to the table when putting together an Asian banquet.
Serve on a platter with some lettuce leaves for garnish and some lemon wedges for squeezing.
Best 25 Dishes To Eat With Ramen
To have a more elaborate and satisfying meal without spending too much time in the kitchen, choose one or more side dishes to go with your ramen.
Cucumber salad is popular in Japanese cuisine. However, it became well-loved in other parts of the world.
All you have to do is slice the cucumbers into ribbons, add white wine vinegar, and sprinkle on some chili flakes. Serve your salad next to your preferred rumen after letting it sit for 20 minutes with all the ingredients.
Ramen goes well with a Japanese potato salad made with carrots, cucumbers, and onion. All ingredients should be fried while being well-seasoned with salt, pepper, and your preferred herbs.
A stir fry might be the best option for you if you’re looking for a side dish that can be prepared just as quickly as ramen. There are different stir fry mixes you can prepare.
Simply place them in a pan and fry them for a few minutes to prepare them. You might need to add a tablespoon of cooking oil, depending on the type of pan you’re using.
Add kimchi, another Asian delicacy, to your bowl of ramen.
You can find kimchi already made in stores. Or you can prepare it yourself. However, the recipe is quite difficult, so you can’t just eat it right away.
In any case, you will love this combination if you have kimchi at home and add it next to your ramen.
Any type of ramen pairs well with spring rolls because they are delicious, simple to make, and versatile.
As a result of their delicious flavor, make sure to prepare more rolls than you anticipate eating. Although almost any type of vegetable can be included in spring rolls, cabbage and carrots are a must for an authentic Asian flavor.
When it comes to shrimp, you can eat it with your ramen as a side dish. Alternatively, you can add it to your noodles for a richer flavor. Just fry the shrimp or grill it as you prefer. And don’t hesitate to add the seasoning you want to add to increase its mouthwatering flavor.
Try seaweed salad with your ramen if you want to stick with Japanese food.
Seaweed salad is easy to prepare. And you can make it soft or crispy. Feel free to add dressing after briefly baking the seaweed in the oven without burning it.
You should also try Japanese fried chicken as a filling side dish to go with your ramen.
Simply fry your chicken and add a few lettuce leaves for a more varied range of flavors. Ensure that the chicken is cut into bite-sized pieces for ease of consumption.
Additionally, pickled vegetables like cabbage, cucumbers, or peppers taste great with ramen.
You’ll want to sample your pickles’ crunchy and rumen’s soft textures more frequently because they are both delicious. There are many different types of pickles available in stores, or you can make your own.
Sweet potatoes are delicious by themselves. But you’ll enjoy your meal even more if you serve them with a bowl of ramen. This is a great combination for lunch as well. Additionally, you can decide how to cook your sweet potatoes.
You can eat them as fries, baked sweet potatoes, steamed with a little salt and herb, or baked sweet potatoes.
Ramen and steamed vegetables can be combined to make a more elaborate meal or served as a side dish with ramen. If you decide to serve your steamed vegetables as a side dish, top them with some minced garlic, salt, pepper, and rosemary.
Carrots, potatoes, cauliflower, celery root, and other similar vegetables would be the ideal vegetables for such a meal. However, there is no reason not to use other vegetables in this combination if you enjoy them.
If you enjoy steak, serving it with ramen will give you the best of both worlds.
Beef and pork are most popular for such a combination. To enhance the flavor of your steak, you can also add a sauce to it. If you prefer this kind of meat, you can also use chicken or turkey.
There are many recipes to make meatballs as tasty as possible, which are among the most popular foods in the world.
However, you are more than welcome to eat your meatballs alongside your ramen, or even in the same bowl if you prefer.
Chashu is a Japanese dish made of belly pork. You should try this dish at least occasionally even though it is very tasty and high in calories.
With each bite, this dish will melt in your mouth and enhance your meal. Many people would advise you to add such a dish to your ramen, but you might prefer to eat it separately if you really like it.
Sashimi is essentially raw fish, especially raw salmon. Nevertheless, it will taste a whole lot better with your ramen.
You can season your sashimi with salt and other ingredients, or you can simply mix it with your ramen and let it absorb the flavor of your main course. Either way, you will love this combination!.
Grilled fish is delicious by itself. You can also try it with ramen, and it will make for one of the best meals you’ve ever had!
Any type of fish can be prepared using some garlic and lemon for flavor. Just remember to add salt and pepper to complement all of your ingredients, but ultimately, your tastes will decide!
Asian cuisine known as “donburi” features a variety of ingredients atop white rice. You can season your donburi however you’d like using vegetables, meat, or fish.
Try some mini donburis as a side dish for ramen and top them with your favorite toppings for a fantastic dinner and a delicious lunch.
In Asian cuisine, tofu is frequently used, but to get the most flavor out of it, you must properly prepare it. One of the best ways to prepare tofu is to bake it with teriyaki sauce. You can add it to your bowl of ramen or just eat some bites of it on the side.
Mushrooms that have been fried or sauteed are not only quick to prepare but also delicious!
Pick up some canned or jarred, already-sliced mushrooms if you’re in a rush, and fry them for a few minutes in one teaspoon of cooking oil.
They go well with ramen, but you can also eat them on the side with some tomato sauce.
If you enjoy barbecue, you must eat some meat with a bowl of ramen. Alternatively to heating up leftovers and placing them on a plate next to your rumen, you can prepare some fresh barbecued meat of your choice.
If you prefer it that way, you can even enjoy your barbecue cold. But if you choose not to heat it, we advise combining it with your warm ramen so that the temperatures of your meal are balanced.
Baked veggies make another delicious side dish for your ramen.
From squash to potatoes and peppers, you can pick any vegetables you like. Also, get creative with seasonings. You can finish off the dish with some mayo or garlic sauce for a tasty family dinner. A sprinkle of cheddar cheese would be a wonderful addition to such a side dish.
By themselves, edamame beans make a tasty and healthy snack. Or you can mix them with your ramen.
As the majority of them are sold frozen and even seasoned, they are simple to locate and prepare. Therefore, you can add them to your ramen meal by either frying them or simply baking them for a short time.
If you select a filling that you like, dumplings are a great comfort food. They would all taste great alongside your ramen whether you made them with cheese, vegetables, or meat.
If you have some spare time, you can make your dumplings right then. For even more flavor, drizzle some cheese sauce over them or make it available as a dipping sauce.
Easy to prepare and unique to Japan is the tea-stained egg.
The egg must be hard-boiled before being cracked so that tea, soy sauce, and Asian seasonings can be added. The addition of one of these eggs to your ramen can greatly enhance the Asian flavor of your meal.
Cabbage salad is incredibly simple to prepare and full of vitamin A.
You can eat it alongside your ramen for a meal that has a fresher flavor and is more nutritious. For a better combination, add some vinegar dressing to the seasonings you enjoy the most.
The dishes mentioned above have many options for vegetarian toppings that you can add to your ramen.
But delicious vegetarian ramen side dishes can be made from steamed or baked vegetables and mushrooms. You could also add a cheese of your choice as a tasty topping to a steaming bowl of ramen.
Get inventive with your ramen toppings because you never know what you might come up with. You can put together a unique combination based on your preferences.
FAQ
What is a good combination with ramen noodles?
- Bok Choy. First up, Bok choy. …
- Chashu. Braised (or simmered) pork is known as “chashu,” and it is a very popular addition to many ramen noodle bowls.
- Dried Seaweed. …
- Mushrooms. …
- Corn. …
- Butter. …
- Peanuts. …
- Pickled ginger.
What sauces go well with chicken ramen?
- Black pepper. Your ramen gets a little kick of spice from the pepper.
- Grated or diced garlic. The fragrant taste of garlic helps stimulate your appetite.
- Chili pepper. …
- Sesame oil. …
- Rayu (Chili Oil) …
- Ramen Tare (Sauce) …
- Sansho (Japanese pepper) …
- Butter.
