One of my most prized home decor elements is my instant noodle shelf, its contents displayed just like what you would see in a convenience store. It takes over a whole section of my bookshelf and is always stocked with at least four to five different instant noodles, from spicy Korean ramyun to tart Thai noodles.

It’s hard to pick my favorites, but I always end up reaching for Shin-Ramyun, a brand that for me is attached to nostalgia. Growing up, I could often be found slurping squiggly Shin Ramyun noodles as a treat, with a glass of milk on the side. Whenever the spice hit my throat, I chased it with the cold milk, taming the heat of the savory, flavorful broth.

Pairing dairy with spicy ingredients isn’t unusual for me; it’s a combination that I find exciting. But I recently noticed that my Instagram feed has been flooded with recipes that add milk instead of water to Shin Ramyun, creating an orange broth reminiscent of vodka sauce. Like many milk-based pasta sauces, it thickens slightly as it simmers, beautifully coating the noodles. You end up with a creamy, slightly less spicy sauce that still has plenty of heat and tang.

The delicious flavor profile inspired me to try to create something similar with pasta. Instead of relying solely on Shin Ramyun seasonings, I also used gochujang, tomato paste, soy sauce, and rice wine vinegar. Mixing gochujang and tomato paste deepens the color of the sauce, and the gochujang adds extra heat while the tomato paste provides a subtle sweetness, especially when it’s caramelized. The soy sauce contributes another layer of umami, and the acid from the rice wine vinegar keeps the rich sauce balanced.

The sauce also calls for heavy cream and milk, making the final result extra-velvety and glossy. You can use any pasta shape for the recipe, but I find rigatoni to be ideal since its hollow tubes really soak up the sauce. Because the recipe only calls for Shin Ramyun seasonings, you can either break apart the unused noodles and eat them like a snack or sprinkle pieces of them across the pasta as a textural garnish. And, of course, you can forego pasta altogether and use Shin Ramyun noodles instead.

This weeknight-friendly recipe has been in my rotation for weeks now. I’ve been experimenting with different variations by adding proteins like chicken and shrimp, and even chewy rice cakes to make it extra hearty. If you have any Shin Ramyun — or any other spicy Korean ramyun noodles — sitting on your …….

Source: https://www.eater.com/22828579/shin-ramen-cream-pasta-recipe