Eat Ramen Noodles Like An African

Africans eat Ramen noodles? Yes we do, not like you may think, but yes we love our Ramen. Instant Ramen is mostly popular in Western and Southern Africa, and the way we tend to eat our Ramen is usually different from the way the rest of the world eats Ramen. Here is how…

Every African household has a unique way of making their noodles, and as a kid, I remember judging my friend’s moms (or chefs in some cases), by how good their Ramen noodles tasted. Noodles were the most important meal to me at some point in my childhood; since they were the only thing I knew how to make for a long time, I perfected the art of making Ramen Noodles to my taste. Shout out to all the African kids who came home to a plate of noodles almost every other afternoon after school.

There are three main components to a good African Ramen Noodle bowl, the noodles themselves, which should be cooked to perfection, not too mushy, and not too dry. Recipe flexibility comes with the other two components of the noodle dish; the protein and the vegetables. You may use any vegetable or protein you choose; for instance it is quite popular to use eggs as a protein. I would go ahead and add a bonus component, herbs and aromatics (like garlic). Herbs and aromatics are optional, but they can elevate your dish significantly.

Go ahead and try my recipe below, and see if its not a step up from the noodles you eat already.

Note: Its always best you use a simple flavor of Ramen for this recipe. Here I used chicken. You may experiment… but don’t play too much.

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Eat Ramen Noodles Like An African

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time10 minutes mins

Total Time15 minutes mins

Ingredients

• 4 packs of Ramen noodles
• 1/2 pound of Jumbo shrimp
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1/2 a green bell pepper
• 12 a yellow bell pepper
• 3 stalks of green onions
• 1 small clove garlic crushed
• 2 tbs coconut oil

Instructions

• Prep your vegetables and shrimp. Since I used jumbo shrimp in this recipe, I cut the shrimp into three pieces. You may leave your shrimp whole if they are smaller. Chop the green onions, and slice the pepper as thinly as possible.
• Boil the noodles 2 minutes short of package instructions without the seasoning. Replace one cup of the water the noodles will be boiling in with one cup of coconut milk. Once the noodles are just al-dente, drain and set aside.
• In a sauce pan, heat up the coconut oil on medium-high heat for two minutes then toss in the shrimp.
• Allow the shrimp to cook for about 3 minutes, toss in the peppers, onions crushed garlic and seasoning that came with the noodles. Turn down the heat to a medium flame, and stir fry for another 3 minutes. Add in the drained noodles, and continue tossing in the pan for another 2 minutes until the noodles are completely heated through.
• Serve immediately while the noodles are still hot!