Whatever level of culinary experience you have, when you live by yourself, you learn a couple of things when it comes to cooking.

First off, every meal is an experiment. The refs and freezers of a typical Filipino bachelor contains more alcohol in them than actual food. When it does have food, it’s usually leftovers from eating out or the random microwaveable meal-in-a-box.

Second, if one does decide to actually cook, it’s the washing-up of every item used in meal preparation that’s really more of a pain than the actual cooking itself.

No one wants to wash all the pots, pans, dishes and utensils on a full stomach. This dilemma has given rise to the sneaky famous phenomenon called the one-pot-meal and this, I am proud to say, may also be my sneaky infamous specialty.

Here’s a warm and fuzzy dish that surprisingly goes well both with the scorching summer heat and the cold rainy days. In Korea, when the weather is hot, they eat spicy food to make their bodies sweat more and cool down. Science! Love it.

This recipe will be featuring the easiest, won’t-even-take-you-30-minutes-to-make Korean noodles, called ramyeon. It’s a fun dish and an awesome summer-buster. You can customize it to your liking and there’s no way you will mess it up. Here’s how I like making the Won’t-Even-Take-You-30-Minutes-To-Make Korean Ramyeon.

Ingredients:
(Note: Yields one serving. All ingredients available at any Korean grocery.)
1 package Korean instant ramen (spicy seafood flavor, if available)
½ can of SPAM, any flavor, sliced into 1.5×1.5-inch cubes
8 pieces tteokbokki (Korean rice cakes)
1 fish cake sausage, sliced
½ cup kimchi, fresh or bottled
1 slice pre-packaged cheddar cheese
1 sheet dried toasted nori (dried seaweed sheets)

Procedures:
Fill a small saucepan with one cup water and bring to a boil.

Add the instant ramen and all seasonings from the packets included.

Add the SPAM into the broth.

Add in the rice cakes and sliced fish cake sausage.

Mix in the kimchi.

Place into a bowl and immediately top with the cheddar cheese so that it melts onto everything.

Finish off by topping it with shredded nori sheet.

And there you have it, a nice steaming bowl of ramyeon! Some people even add mini Korean sausages and thinly sliced pork belly, but this recipe is already hearty enough. Try making your own version and let me know what you think of this version, too. ‘Til the next one-pot-meal!

You may also see this recipe on www.dessertcomesfirst.com. While enjoying your ramyeon, don’t forget to watch K-dramas on Viu. JB