Instant Noodles & Beyond: A Comic Book with Recipes for Souped-Up Ramen, Mac & Cheese, and More, written by Robin Ha, features an exciting collection of 93 recipes with a focus on amplifying instant noodles in a variety of styles. A few highlights include Saimin Ramyeon, Brie Ramyeon, Mulnaengmyeon with Watermelon, Chicken Pot Pie Mac & Cheese, and Ramyeon Gimmari. I will also be sharing her recipe for Korean Cucumber Salad Ramyeon at the end of the post.
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from Harvest in exchange for my honest review. All comments and opinions are my own.
Robin Ha
Robin Ha is an award-winning author and illustrator. She was born in South Korea, moved to the United States at the age of 14, and is currently based in Virginia.
Her comics and illustrations have been featured in various publications including independent comics anthologies, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, and Rise: A Pop History of Asian America from the Nineties to Now.
She is also the author of Almost American Girl, The Fox Maidens, and Cook Korean!
Instant Noodles & Beyond
Robin begins Instant Noodles & Beyond with a short introduction and a brief history of instant noodles. She created this book as an expanded version of her self-published zine, “Souped-Up Ramen,” that she has been putting together for the last eight years.
The book is divided according to the following: Ramyeon Soups, Brothless Ramyeon, Cold Ramyeon, and Think Outside the Bowl.
Ramyeon was the first dish Robin ever learned how to make at the age of seven and this long love of instant noodles definitely shines across the pages. She covers everything from the best pot for cooking the noodles to different styles and even an overview of homemade seasonings and pantry staples.
In lieu of photos, the recipes are explained with step-by-step illustrations by Robin in a unique graphic novel format. Perfect for cooks of all ages (my children especially loved this), she has drawn all the ingredients, individual techniques, and the finished dish for every recipe. Even the instant noodle recommendations are illustrated- which is particularly helpful if you are looking for the packaging in the grocery store.
Titles are listed in English and/or the original language. Measurements are provided in US Customary. Each recipe has a headnote with serving size (generally 1, but occasionally 2-4), cooking time, and sometimes additional information.
Korean Cucumber Salad Ramyeon
To pair with the review, I made Robin’s Korean Cucumber Salad Ramyeon! For this recipe, instant noodles are paired with a light cucumber salad and eggs for a refreshing and spicy blend of flavors.
It also all comes together in minutes with only a little planning ahead. Start by tossing the cucumber slices in salt to draw out excess moisture. While they are resting, boil the noodles until tender and rinse under cold water to cool. Transfer the noodles to a bowl and coat with the seasonings from the packet.
Squeeze out the water from the cucumbers and mix well with the garlic, chives, scallion, gochugaru, sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and vinegar to create the cucumber salad. Arrange over the noodles, then serve immediately with the ramyeon egg halves and a sprinkling of toasted sesame seeds.
I went with Robin’s recommendation for Bibimmen as the base. This cold noodle base pairs thin, white noodles with a spicy sweet and sour sauce. The exact spice level can be adjusted depending on the type of noodle seasonings and the amount of gochugaru used.
This Korean Cucumber Salad Ramyeon can easily be made vegan by omitting the eggs and using a vegan instant noodle base.
Notable Ingredients
Gochugaru (고춧가루) is a hot Korean red chili powder ground either coarse or fine depending on the use. The best gochugaru is made from red chili peppers that have been dried in the sunlight. It can be located in markets with Korean ingredients and online.
Along with the cucumber salad, the ramyeon is also topped with a Ramyeon egg. Also known as Ajitsuke Tamago, this marinated egg has a soft, jammy yolk center to create a creamy contrast with the noodles and cucumbers.
To make Ramyeon eggs, start by mixing together 1/4 cup warm water, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1/4 cup soy sauce, and 1/4 cup mirin in a jar until the sugar has dissolved. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Gently add 4 large eggs, taking care to not crack them, and simmer for 7 minutes.
Remove the eggs from heat and immediately add to a bowl of ice water for 15 minutes. Gently crack the eggs and peel under cold water, then add to the mixture in the jar. Seal and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to 3 days before using.
More Instant Noodles
I also made Tteok Mandu Ramyeon, Carbonara Ramyeon, Creamy Zucchini Mac & Cheese, and Ramyeon Scallion Pancake.
Tteok Mandu Guk (Korean Rice Cake and Dumpling Soup) is one of my absolute favorites and I was so excited to see the quicker Tteok Mandu Ramyeon version in the Ramyeon Soups chapter. Instant noodles (Gomtang- oxtail soup base is recommended) are simmered with Korean beef dumplings and sliced rice cakes until tender, then served with sliced egg strips, seaweed, and scallions.
The Carbonara Ramyeon comes from the Brothless Ramyeon chapter. Instant noodles and seasonings are paired with crisp pieces of bacon and a creamy egg parmesan coating for quite the comforting lunch.
It was so fun to see all the fun variations for boxed mac and cheese in the Think Outside the Bowl chapter. This Creamy Zucchini Mac & Cheese pairs a box of shells & cheese with thin slices of zucchini, cream cheese, and garlic for an easy, yet flavorful upgrade.
The Ramyeon Scallion Pancake was another favorite. Inspired by scallion pancakes, the tender instant noodles (Maruchan is recommended) are arranged in a flat round with thinly sliced scallions and a batter to hold everything together. It is paired with a vinegar soy sauce for dipping.
Instant Noodles & Beyond is a fantastic pick for those interested in upgrading their instant noodles with a variety of flavors and add-ins. Most of the recipes in this book come together with only a handful of ingredients and minimal prep, making them perfect for an easy lunch or last minute craving. Along with the assortment of East Asian instant noodles and Korean favorites, you will also find recipes inspired by South Asia, Southeast Asia, and other parts of the world.
Having a market with Korean ingredients nearby will be helpful in locating specific instant noodle brands, Korean radish, soft tofu, fish cakes, mirim, tteokbokki tteok, dried bean curd, pork belly, gim, gochujang, perilla leaf, Buldak bokkummyun, and rice paper.
Korean Cucumber Salad Ramyeon Recipe
Excerpted from the book INSTANT NOODLES AND BEYOND by Robin Ha, provided courtesy of Harvest, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Copyright © 2026. Reprinted by permission.
Korean Cucumber Salad Ramyeon
Ingredients
- 1 Kirby cucumber
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 chives
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 scallion
- 1 package instant noodles I used Paldo Bibimmen
- 1 teaspoon finely ground gochugaru Korean chili flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
- 1 ramyeon egg
- toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Cut the cucumber in half, then slice it into thin half-moons.
- Place in a mixing bowl, add the salt, and mix well. Set aside for 10 minutes.
- Discard the bottom of the chives and chop them into 1-inch pieces.
- Mince the garlic.
- Thinly slice the scallion.
- Boil water and cook the noodles.
- Drain the noodles. Rinse them under cold running water until thoroughly cooled.
- Shake off the excess water.
- Put the noodles in the serving bowl and mix with the seasonings.
- Squeeze out the excess water from the cucumber.
- Add the garlic, chives, scallion, gochugaru, sugar, soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, and vinegar. Mix well.
- Add the cucumber salad on top of the noodles.
- Put the ramyeon egg on top. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds.
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