Wrap Your Ramen In Rice Paper For A Crispy, Filling Snack

Rice paper-wrapped ramen is chewy, crispy, and spicy all in one, and it's a perfect snack for when you're craving comfort food with a bit of a kick. The key to this snack is which ramen you use. Japanese instant ramen, while cheap, tends to have a rich, savory broth, but this snack is broth-less. To minimize broth waste and maximize flavor, the better option is a stir-fry-style Korean instant ramyeon. Ramyeon refers to Korean instant noodles; some have broth, some have unexpected flavors like carbonara, and most are at least a little spicy. A saucy, spicy, and broth-less ramyeon, like Samyang's Buldak Ramen, is ideal for wrapping in rice paper.

This snack is easy to prepare since it only requires two ingredients — instant ramen and rice paper — which are wrapped together spring roll-style in the shape of a log or square. You could eat each package as-is for a chewier bite, but if you're looking for something warm and crisp, fry the wrapped snacks in a pan with a bit of oil. When rice paper is fried, its texture becomes puffy and crispy. The snap of the rice paper will complement the soft noodles, creating balance in every bite.

The best part about rice paper-wrapped ramen is your freedom to customize the snack with whatever ingredients you have on hand. Although the bundles are satisfying enough to eat on their own, there are a plethora of other tasty additions you could put inside of rice paper-wrapped ramen. Cheese, like mozzarella or cheddar, adds a layer of creaminess and cuts some of the spice — plus, who doesn't love a satisfying cheese pull? Another great option for balancing the spice is corn, which provides freshness and subtle sweetness that rounds out the flavors while giving a pop of texture.

Perhaps one of the best ways to eat rice paper-wrapped ramen is by leaning into other Korean flavors or common ramen toppings. You can create a loaded ramen wrap with green onions, sesame seeds, kimchi, and a square of roasted seaweed. Corn and cheese will work well here, too, as they'll complement the other punchy flavors. Turning ramen into a fried finger food is easy to do, and it results in a spicy yet snackable mini-meal that will only leave you wanting more.