How Butter Can Upgrade The Flavor Of Your Ramen Broth

There are a multitude of ways to customize ramen, be it instant or homemade. Giada De Laurentiis doctored up her college ramen to taste more like a bowl of pasta; Tim Anderson tops his with scallops, bacon, and eggs. But if you want to really boost the flavor and enhance your eating experience, it all starts with the broth, and a pat or two of butter in your ramen adds something special. Not only does it add an unctuousness and, if emulsified into the broth, a silkiness, it can also help tame too much spice.

Now, for some people, the spice is the point, but if you got carried away with the sriracha, butter can help mute that fiery flavor. It's a lot like how when the interviewees on the show "Hot Ones" are burning up they typically reach for a glass of milk, because the casein  in milk helps to mellow out the heat. Butter, being another dairy product, also contains this protein, and has a similar taming effect. But, on top of that, it's also rich and flavorful, and perfect for ramen.

Something really magical happens when you add fats to ramen broth — it changes not just the flavor, but the texture, too. If you don't need to worry about muting the spiciness of your ramen, there are tons of other fats you should be adding into the savory liquid, like peanut butter. A spoonful of peanut butter in your ramen will add rich nuttiness and a slightly sweet flavor to play off all the saltiness, as well as a luxurious creaminess (which you can also achieve by adding coconut milk).

Another option is fat from meat. That can mean adding bacon grease to your instant ramen or repurposing the rendered fat leftover after making homemade stock from a whole chicken carcass. You can even just use straight up oil, but you're better off making it extra delicious by infusing the oil with garlic or ginger before drizzling it on top of your finished ramen bowl. Homemade or store-bought chili crisp is also a fantastic choice, especially if your broth doesn't have enough of the heat you crave (and hey, if you add too much, you know what to do to bring the spice down, right?).