Sales of on the spot ramen surge as Gen Z jazz them up
They were once reserved for cash-strapped students looking for a cheap hangover cure.
But today, instant noodles have undergone something of a makeover, with Gen Z across the globe ‘pimping up’ their bowls of ramen with gourmet ingredients.
Far from the humble dish of the early 2000s, packet noodles have become somewhat of a luxury, with young chefs adding multiple ingredients, including Kewpie mayonnaise and dumplings to the previously simple dish.
Like most of today’s trends, it’s become prevalent on TikTok, with influencers, including Gen Z royalty Kylie Jenner, taking to the platform to reveal the ingredients they add to their instant ramen; in the beauty mogul’s case it’s butter, garlic, and egg.
As such, supermarkets have reported spiralling interest in the east Asian snack, with Ocado reporting a 50 per cent increase in sales and a 35 per cent rise in searches for the product, according to the Guardian.
Gen Z’ers are ‘pimping up’ their instant ramen, including TikTok content creator Serena from London (pictured)
A world food buyer at Ocado told the newspaper: ‘When it comes to a budget-friendly quick-fix for dinner, you can’t get much better than packet noodles, but here, these have often been dismissed as a bit studenty and not very gourmet – I’m happy that’s starting to change.
‘As the many TikTok fans will attest, the right toppings – like nori and chilli oil – can elevate even the humblest noodle bowl, adding texture, flavour and extra nutrients.’
Influencers have helped trigger the product’s resurgence by taking to TikTok to reveal how they improve packet noodles, with over 20 thousand videos on the topic currently on the platform.
Back in 2016, Kylie Jenner increased interest in the snack when she asked her followers how they elevate their instant noodles.
She sent her followers into a copycat frenzy, causing instant ramen to trend on Twitter, now X, with thousands taking to the kitchen to try out her recipe and debating whether it was the best way to eat the meal.
Still to this day, TikTok is rife with individuals making ‘Kylie Jenner ramen’, just as Gen Z’ers recreate Gigi Hadid’s trademark vodka pasta or Hailey Bieber’s pizza toast.
Chef and director at Harper Fine Dining, Dean Harper, said the trend is reflective of Gen Z’s commitment to experimentation on social media, he told FEMAIL: ‘Instant noodles have come a long way from being just a cheap, quick meal.
‘Now, thanks to TikTok and social media, people are turning them into gourmet dishes. I think what’s driving this is that people, especially Gen Z, want to create something unique at home that looks good and tastes even better.
Joely Hiles from London racked up over thousands of views on her clip of her ‘pimped up packet ramen’ recipe (pictured)
‘There’s this trend of putting noodles in everything—like adding them to creamy carbonara with parmesan on top for that carb-on-carb comfort food. It’s all about experimenting and making something you can be proud of, both on the plate and on social media.’
TikTok is brimming with content creators sharing their innovative recipes. Joely Hiles from London racked up over 20 thousand views on her clip of ‘pimped up packet ramen’.
She added several sauces, Chinese smoked sausage, and crispy toppings to get her ‘extra good’ bowl of instant noodles.
Meanwhile, Chantal Coop, similarly shared her noodle recipe, adding egg and cheese to packet Shin Ramyun to create her ‘hug in a bowl’ meal.
Food content creator Serena, who goes by @onserenasplate, got creative and ‘combined different fusion flavours’ with the humble packet instant ramen noodles to make ‘firecracker carbonara ramen’.
Food content creator Chantal Coop shared her noodle recipe on TikTok, adding egg and cheese to packet Shin Ramyun to create her ‘hug in a bowl’ meal (pictured)
She added ingredients including bacon, chicken stock, gochujang, and parmesan to make her ‘spruced up packet instant ramen’.
Meanwhile, businesses have started to profit off the trend, with shops, including SABA Convenience store on London’s Kensington High Street, selling packet ramen that customers can make in store.
Instant ramen cacio e pepe recipe from Sorted Food
Ingredients:
- 2 packets instant ramen, chicken or pork flavor
- 50g unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp black pepper
- 50g Pecorino Romano
- 1 tbsp black sesame seeds
Method:
- Fill a saucepan with water and add the sachets of stock powder from the ramen
- Place the pan over a high heat. While the water comes to a boil, chuck the butter into a large frying pan and place it over a low heat.
- Grind the pepper into the butter and toast for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant then take the pan off the heat.
- Once the water has come to a boil, tip in the noodles and boil for 2-3 minutes, until tender but with a slight bite.
- Once the noodles are ready, use tongs to transfer them to the frying pan with the butter and pepper.
- Place the frying pan back over a medium heat and toss everything together.
- Add some of the cooking water from the noodles to make a loose emulsion that coats them.
- Take the frying pan off the heat and grate over 3/4 of the Pecorino. T
- Toss everything together, then season to taste with salt.
- Divide the noodles between bowls, grate over the remaining Pecorino, scatter over the sesame seeds and serve
London food blogger Jane, who goes by @tasteofsurprise online, shared her experience of the ‘DIY ramen’ bar on TikTok. She chose a packet of Shin Ramyun, which costs £1.20 in Tesco, added hot water and extra ingredients, including cheese, and paid £9.
It comes after doctors warned that fans of a popular type of super-spicy ramen could be at risk of a kidney problem that can trigger blood poisoning.
The noodles are packed with as much as half someone’s recommended daily serving of salt in a single meal, warned urologist Dr David Shusterman.
This high salt content in Buldak ramen raises the risk of crystals forming in the kidneys, which can then develop into stones that damage the organs and trigger infections. If untreated, kidney infections can spread to the bloodstream, known as septicemia.
The warning comes after content creator Lucy Mourad, 24, from Washington state, revealed in a recent TikTok clip that she suffered the complication after eating buldak ramen every week for six months.
She blamed the stones, which led to an ER visit and caused excruciating cramps, in on the noodles saying: ‘Buldak ramen… it’s a huge contributing factor.’
She added that she’d been ‘eating more and more’ of this ramen ‘over the past few months’ so suspected the ramen was to blame.
Her symptoms began as back pain which transferred to the front of the body, as the stones formed in her bladder.
She also described noticing blood and tiny floating objects in her urine.
Dr Shusterman, based in New York City, warned the complication could be linked to the ramen saying: ‘It’s possible since processed and canned goods are loaded with tons of salt.
‘This means… eating processed foods like instant noodles, soups, frozen meals, etc, could lead to kidney stones forming.’
Research suggests there is also a risk that some spices can cause kidney stones by significantly increasing levels of a chemical called oxalate in urine which raises the risk of crystals forming.
Buldak noodles are surging in popularity globally and in the US, with their South Korea-based manufacturer Samyang Foods saying sales hit a record five billion products in mid-June last year.
The ready-to-eat noodles are available in a variety of flavors including the popular ‘Rakisoba Hot Chicken’ and the ‘Carbonara Hot Chicken’.
But the products also contain a whopping amount of salt at 1,280 milligrams (mg) per serving.
For comparison, a pack of Lays salt and vinegar crisps contains 590mg per packet while a standard ready meal is estimated to contain around 580mg.
The USDA recommends people consume no more than 2,300mg of salt per day — the equivalent of one teaspoon.
Manufacturers likely add he high levels of salt to boost the flavor of their products.
