For Amplified Ramen, Try Adding Some Fat-Washed Whiskey
The instant ramen fad has taken over social media and recipe sites everywhere, and for good reasons — it's cheap, easy to make, and delicious! There are many types of ramen out there, in many flavors, and you can even add different ingredients. Everything from meat and vegetables to soy sauce and other seasonings can help make your ramen unique and exactly the way you like it.
According to Bloomberg, instant ramen noodles became one of the most popular foods at the start of the pandemic, and that popularity has not waned. One brand of instant noodles, Nissin, reportedly saw sales increase more than 22% last year, per Food Business News. That's a lot of instant noodles, and a lot of opportunities to spice up your ramen meals.
One new technique for amplifying your ramen may surprise you, though. If you really want to kick your noodles up a notch or two, add some fat-washed whiskey to them.
What is fat-washed alcohol?
To understand why this technique works so well, you must first know what fat washing is. According to the Denver Post, to fat-wash a cocktail, you take fat or oil, like coconut oil, butter, or bacon fat, and infuse it into an alcohol of your choice. Then you freeze the liquid so that the fat separates from the alcohol and rises to the top. This allows you to easily scrape it off or strain it, leaving you with a rich flavor in your drink.
Per Michelin Guide, this is now being done in restaurants to amplify instant noodle dishes. The site reports Michelin-star restaurant MIEDA in Hokkaido, Japan is adding fat-washed Japanese single malt to its ramen dishes, adding warmth and a complex buttery flavor to the salty, yet slightly sweet noodles. You can fat-wash different types of whiskey, too, to add different flavors to the ramen. For example, the Octomore series of whiskey is a very smoky-flavored drink, per Esquire, and would add a nice smoke flavor to ramen.
Pairing alcohol with ramen
If you'd like to add more flavors, or if you want to use cheaper whiskeys, you can experiment with fat-washed Jack Daniels. According to Liquor Laboratory, regular Jack Daniels has notes of vanilla and oak, and slight hints of smokiness, spice, and maple syrup. Want something nuttier?
Rabbit Hole Distillery says that you can use bourbon, which has a subtle nutty taste. You can also use other types of fat-washed alcohols, like wines, vodkas, and beers in your ramen. The type of alcohol you use will all be based on the flavor you are trying to achieve and the ingredients you are adding to your ramen.
Per Drink Feed, chicken-flavored instant ramen pairs well with a simple wine, and Cooking Panda says that a heavier wheat beer or a nutty sake goes best with beef-based ramen. For Miso-style instant ramen, Cooking Panda says to pair a cider or a sour beer with the dish to really bring out the flavors of the broth.