Mì gói in Vietnamese refers to instant, ramen noodles. Although ramen noodles were invented by a Japanese inventor, Momofuku Ando, it is a well beloved dish in Vietnam, and is consumed for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Growing up in Vietnam, I remember just eating the dry noodles themselves as a snack.
Looking back, not sure how my body was able to process all the salt I consumed 🤣. Now that I’m older, and is more health conscious, I’m always looking for ways to make the food I love and grew up with a little healthier.
What’s in homemade ramen noodle soup?
Homemade ramen noodle soup is composed of uncooked rice ramen noodles in a homemade savory chicken broth. These rice ramen noodles are not like the pre-packaged ones that are packed with sodium. There are 0 mg of sodium in these noodles compared to 1,520 mg of sodium per package of instant ramen noodles😲. I have to admit, these rice ramen are difficult to find. However, you can click here to purchase them.
How to make healthier soup broth?
The broth is simple and easy to make. All you need are bone-in chicken thighs and a few ingredients. Whenever I make soup broth, I always use bone-in meat. It gives the broth more flavor. There’s no marinating time involved. So all you need to do is combine everything in a pot and let the magic happen. The end result will be a juicy, piece of chicken in a flavorful broth minus the high sodium content.
While the broth simmers, are you tempted to use the instant ramen noodles from the package to save time? If you are, my advice is don’t do it. Step away from the instant ramen noodles. Why? Because I’ve tried it and let me just say, I was up all night guzzling water. So go ahead, take the time to cook the rice ramen noodles. The cooking method is quick and exactly the same as that of boiling pasta. So in one hour, you can have a much healthier version of ramen noodle soup.
How to serve homemade ramen noodle soup?
There are a variety of ways to serve this soup. I like to serve my homemade ramen noodle soup with thinly sliced Napa cabbage, sprinkle of fresh cut chives or green onion, dash of lemon juice and hot sauce. The Napa cabbage and fresh chives will give the soup a nice, crunchy texture. The lemon will add freshness and the hot sauce will give the soup a slight kick to balance everything out.
However, if you’re not a fan of Napa cabbage, substitute in baby bok-choy, and/or bean sprouts. If using baby bok-choy, give them a quick sauté in vegetable oil first before adding to the soup. The reason for adding a vegetable to the dish is to add crunchiness to balance out all the soft texture already in the dish. Therefore, whatever vegetables you add, just make sure it’s able to be consumed raw or semi raw and has a crunchiness to it.
For those who do not like consuming raw vegetables, ramen noodle soup goes well with fried onions, a sprinkle of fresh cilantro, crushed red peppers and a squeeze of lemon juice. These fried onions are not the normal fried onions you see in green bean casseroles. These fried onions do not contain starch or flour coating.
You can also add a poached egg on top. However, I did not include this in this recipe because my husband is not a fan of having poached eggs…on anything. He’s a scrambled egg only guy…and I thought I was the picky eater😂. The toppings for this soup is endless, so go ahead and add your favorite toppings and enjoy!!!
How to store left over broth?
When I have left over broth, I will store them in the freezer in gallon Ziploc bags with the help of this baggy holder. This way I don’t have to worry about spilling soup everywhere.
Ramen Noodle Soup.
Ingredients
- 6 bone in chicken thighs
- 9 cloves garlic peeled and leave whole.
- 1 whole white onion peeled and leave whole.
- 36 grams of fresh ginger peeled and leave whole.
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 8 cups water
- 4 grams of rock sugar
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 4 tsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp granulated chicken flavor soup mix
- 2 leaves of Napa cabbage cut into thin strips for the topping.
- 6 rice ramen noodle cakes
- 2 stalks fresh chives or green onion chopped for the topping.
Instructions
Instructions for the broth:
- Sprinkle salt onto the chicken thighs and give it a rub. Then use warm water to rinse the salt off and pat to dry.
- In a pot, combine the chicken thighs, cloves of garlic, white onion, ginger, salt, pepper and water. Cook with the pot uncovered until the chicken is cooked through.
- If you see foam on the top, remove it using a spoon. This will make the broth look clearer and taste better.
- After the chicken is cooked, add in chicken broth…
- rock sugar…
- fish sauce…
- granulated chicken flavor soup mix and mix well.
- Remove the pieces of chicken from the broth, shred and set it aside.
Instructions for cooking the noodles:
- Fill a separate pot with 1 tablespoon salt and water. Bring the pot to a boil.
- Add in the noodles and let the noodles cook until tender.
- Drain the cooked noodles into a colander and rinse with cold water and set aside.
Instructions for assembling the ramen noodles soup:
- Place the cooked noodles in a bowl.
- Add the homemade broth to the noodles…
- Place shredded chicken, strips of Napa cabbage, chopped green onions, or the vegetable of your choice on top and enjoy!!!
The next time you want to enjoy a nice bowl of ramen noodles, don’t reach for the pre-packaged kind. Instead, try this healthier version of ramen noodles. Your body will thank you. If you tried this recipe, leave me a comment below. I’d love to hear your thoughts. For more soup recipes, click here.
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