I was never a fan of tasteless American instant ramen noodles, aka the ridiculously cheap Maruchan Ramen that give legit Japanese ramen a bad name.
So when I saw the variety of Thai instant ramen noodles called Mama sitting on the shelf at the one of the many 7/11’s that sits at every corner in Bangkok, I thought, “Ew, they have instant noodles here too??”
But I forgot I was in Thailand, where even instant ramen noodles have flavor that makes your tongue dance with delight.
I had no idea what she was talking about, but was on the edge of my seat to see what easy Thai meal she was about to create before me.
She heated some water in one of those electric kettles, opened the colorful, crinkly Mama package, put the hard, crinkly ramen noodles in a white plastic bowl, poured over the steaming water, added the seasoning packets, stirred and then offered me a bite—like all good Thais do whenever they have food and friends in front of them.
I never say no to trying Thai food, so I did, and a big smile lit up my face. Somehow the steaming bowl of noodles before me that took 3 minutes to make tasted just like Tom Yum soup that I would get from a Thai street vendor.
How could I have ever thought Thai instant ramen would be like America’s?
If you go to any Asian market, you will find one aisle packed from the top to the bottom with a rainbow of Instant Ramen Noodles packages from every Asian country with flavors like mind-blowing spicy Samyang Buldak Korean noodles to refreshing Indonesian Indomie Mi Goreng noodles to Thai Green Curry or Tom Yum.
My kids would just eat the instant crunchy ramen noodles not cooked on their own they have so much flavor even without the flavor packets, and we always sprinkle some of the leftover crinkly ramen crumbs on top of their servings.
Anyone else?
How to Use Up Leftovers with Easy Instant Ramen Noodles Stir-Fry
“What’s your kids favorite Thai meal?” my Thai cooking class students often ask me.
Even though 80 percent of our dinners are Thai, much to my dismay, my kids often prefer pizza over Pad Thai (even though all their friends prefer my Pad Thai!).
My friends who grew up in multicultural families say that’s totally normal, and that one day when my kids are eating pizza at their college dining hall, they will long for my Pad Thai.
Crossing my fingers that’s the case!
But every Saturday when I tell the kids the next day is Sunday they say,”Yay! Tomorrow is Mama Noodle day!” Because their favorite Thai meal is Mama Thai Ramen Noodles made by their Paw.
On Sunday my Thai Hubby gets to play around in the kitchen cooking up a Thai mama ramen noodle stir-fry with whatever is leftover in the fridge that needs to be used up, and the rest of us get to rest and delight in a new Thai ramen noodle stir-fry creation every week.
When there is something on the brink in our fridge that I haven’t used up, my Thai Hubby is adamant that we use it, and don’t waste it, it’s a gift!
Agreed! So hopefully this will help you use up your lovely leftovers and make some mouth-watering easy instant ramen noodles at the same time.
Instant Ramen Noodle Mix-In Ideas
Feel free to use my suggested recipe directions, or add in your own bits of sauces leftover on your fridge shelves that might taste amazing on your noodles. Instead of using the instant ramen noodle spice packets, we’ve used leftover:
If you make easy Thai instant ramen noodle stir-fry, let me know what you put in yours! We are always looking for new creative ideas! Share with me on Instagram @thaifoodie, I wanna see!
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Easy Instant Thai Ramen Noodle Stir-Fry
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 4
Description
In need of the quickest, easiest Thai meal ever that also magically uses up all your leftovers? It’s right here my dear! Yay!
Ingredients
4 packages of Thai instant Ramen Noodles (our favorite brand is Mama)
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups of meat of choice, sliced into bite-sized pieces (ground turkey, shrimp, or chicken breasts are our favorite )
2 cups of veggies that need to be used up (our favs are kale or turnip greens)
1/2 cup of cilantro, roughly chopped
3 green onion stalks, thinly sliced into 1 in. pieces
1–2 tbsp Thai dark soy sauce (optional)
1–2 tbsp oyster sauce (optional)
1 tbsp fish sauce (optional)
1/2 tbsp sugar (optional)
Instructions
Bring 4 cups of water to a boil.
Once the water is boiling, add the Mama Noodles to the water. Don’t add the seasoning packets yet (unless you are doing a classic soup ramen instead of a dry stir-fry).
And I like to save the little crumbles of dry noodles leftover in the bag to sprinkle on top of each serving at the end. My kids adore the crunch factor, who doesn’t?
It only takes a few minutes to cook them, so I like to keep my eye on them, stirring them once they start to soften, and the moment the noodle has just softened to your likening (Thais prefer on the almost al dente side) drain them from the water in a colander.
Dry out the pan, and either add to that pan, or a wok, (I use the same pan I cooked the noodles in cuz I don’t want to wash more dishes!) add a few tablespoons of cooking oil of choice.
Add garlic and stir-fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds or so.
Add in the protein, and cook it if it’s not cooked, or just warm it up if it’s cooked. Add any veggies that need to be cooked, or warmed.
Once veggies and meat are cooked through, add back in the noodles, and either use the seasoning packets, or leave them out and use the sauces listed to taste (or any leftover sauce in your fridge that needs to be used up).
If we are using the seasoning packets, we use half of them because the flavor is more intense if there isn’t any water involved. Start with adding the packets from two of the packages and add more to taste.
Sprinkle on green onions, cilantro (and ramen noodle crumbles if you want!) and enjoy!
Notes
This recipe is really a blueprint, feel free to change it up from what’s listed, and go with wherever your creative juices are taking you! Let your leftovers inspire you, and don’t be afraid to take a risk, and try a new combo
Also feel free to turn it into a soup. Put the noodles, veggies, seasoning packet, egg and cooked meat or tofu in the boiling water. Stir and enjoy!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Thai
- Method: Stir-Fry
- Cuisine: Thai
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
Keywords: Back pocket Thai ramen noodle stir-fry, use up leftovers stir-fry, Thai ramen, Thai Mama noodles, Mama noodles, Mama noodles stir-fry, Thai ramen stir-fry, Ramen stir-fry, dry noodles, dry ramen, Thai noodles, Thai ramen noodles
You can’t beat fresh, tasty, real Thai food, but this alternative sounds quite good. Now I have to find Mama instant noodles too!
I totally agree! I hope you find some 🙂
I stock up on this stuff, I usually cook it if I want a bowl of noodle soup I had meat , herbs etc to it along with the spice that comes with the package or I soak the noodles and stir fry or make a noodle salad.
Yes! We always have some in our pantry on hand for a quick meal! Love that you do too!
The first place I tried Mama noodles was in Cambodia and I fell in love with it. I am thrilled that supermarkets in my city actually sell these Thai noodles. I will try to stir fry it. Looks super yummy!
That’s awesome! I hope you get to make it soon and think back to your trip in Cambodia! 🙂
My grandma actually taught me how to cook Mama brand noodles this way when I was a teenager. I have perfected my own method through the years, but hers will always be the best. =)
That’s awesome Peter! Grandma’s ways are always the best of course!
The duck flavored Mama noodles are a staple in my house!
My Thai hubby loves those too! 🙂
Hi! Just came across this recipe and immediately made it. It tastes pretty good, and it made me realize that some restaurants charge so high of a price for street food-style dishes like these, yet it’s so easy and cheaper to make it at home.
Thanks for sharing!
Yes!! Totally agree! That’s why it’s hard for us to eat Thai food out since we know how easy and cheap it is to make many of the dishes at home. Glad we could help you save some money! 🙂