Living in LA is like a foodie wonderland. On almost every corner in almost every neighborhood, there is something delicious to eat.
And the foodies here in LA do a lot of things right, but by far the top three are tacos, sushi and ramen. In fact, ramen is so good here it inspired me to make my own just recently. Being the typical Jewish mother that I am I made far too many noodles. The next morning it occurred to me, “why not fry up some leftover ramen noodles, slap some sriracha mayo on top and have ourselves a nice ramen-inspired latke?!”
I think one of the most fun things about this latke creation is the world of toppings you can choose. If you can master the soft-boiled egg, that might be nice on top of your latke with some fresh, peppery radishes and some cilantro. You can also add sautéed shitaki mushrooms, sliced jalapeno or a combination of flavors, just like your favorite ramen. Think of this ramen latke as a beautifully fried blank canvas. Once you have it mastered, your flavor world is wide open. Go explore.
Ramen Latkes with Sriracha Mayo
Ingredients
For the latkes:
2 – 3 packs instant ramen noodles, cooked and drained
1 egg
1 Tbsp garlic powder
canola oil for frying
1/2 cup soy sauce
For the sriracha mayo:
1 – 1.5 tsp Sriracha
1/2 cup mayonnaise
green onions, sliced
Directions
Cook the ramen noodles as directed on the back of the package making sure to omit any flavor packets it came with. Drain and place in a bowl. Cover and cool for roughly 1 – 2 hours minimum.
Once cool, mix noodles with one egg and the garlic powder.
Divide the noodles up either in large muffin tins or ramekins, if you have them. Or, you can do what I did and divide them up amongst a variety of small bowls and glasses. You do NOT want to make these more than 1 inch of thickness so if using something other than muffin tins or ramekins, be careful of how many noodles you stack in there.
Place divided noodles in the refrigerator uncovered. Let cool for a minimum of 2 hours and a maximum of 10.
Once your refrigeration period is done, heat 5 Tbsp of canola oil in a small frying pan (I do recommend frying these one at a time). Test the oil to make sure it’s hot by splashing a small drop of water into the oil. If the water sizzles, you’re ready.
Drop one ramekin of noodles into the hot oil and reshape into latke shape. Let fry for roughly 2 – 3 minutes and then flip. Add 1 tsp of soy sauce to latke after the first flip. Cook on the other side for another 2 – 3 minutes. Repeat until nice and brown for a total of roughly 6 – 8 minutes each.
Remove latke from pan and let dry on a plate lined with paper towel.
To make the sriracha mayo: combine Ssriracha and mayo in a bowl. Taste as you stir, adding more according to your preference. Serve a dollop on top of each latke and sprinkle with sliced green onions.
Note: these can be refrigerated for up to two days. If needing to stack the latkes in order to refrigerate, make sure you place wax or parchment paper between latkes so they do not stick together. Reheat in the over at 400 degrees for 5 – 8 minutes max.
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