Instant Ramen Kitchen is a monograph on the humble instant noodle with flavor packets alongside prep and taste guides curated by Peter J. Kim. Due out 9th Sept 2025 from Chronicle books, it's 248 pages and will be available in paperback and ebook formats.
This is not (as the author emphasizes) a cookbook. Rather it's a pretty comprehensive history (including archive photographs and materials) and background of instant noodles as well as general prep instructions and a series of templates for add-ons to elevate the oft-scorned dish to something nutritionally *better* and more balanced.
There are a number of more or less traditional recipes included in the book. Each of them includes a background and recommended type of ramen noodle packet as a base, bullet list of ingredients, add-ons, special additions, and step-by-step cooking instructions. Ingredients are listed with imperial (American) measures and metric in parentheses (yay!). Extra tips and tricks such as making dishes vegan friendly, are included in a text footer bar with the recipes. Nutritional info is not included.
The pictures throughout are in color and a clear and easy to understand. Serving suggestions are appealing and appropriately styled.
The author/publishers have included a cross-referenced searchable index which includes ingredients.
Four and a half stars. An absolute winner for everyone who loves ramen (and that must be the vast majority). It would be an excellent choice for public or school library acquisition, for home use, and for gift giving (possibly bundled in a care package for a young person moving into dorm/new apartment).
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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