Eggless Ramen Sliders
I have severe food allergies to shellfish, peanuts, eggs, nuts, and dairy. Actual allergies—not just intolerances which people tend to get confused—I'm talking full-blown anaphylaxis with body hives, swollen everything, wheezing, etc. It's not cute. My acronym is S.P.E.N.D. and I tell folks that I don't like to "spend" time in the emergency room. Despite my family's and my best efforts to avoid my allergens the past 25 years, I've still ended up using my Epipen a dozen times, riding in ambulances across the country and have even been hospitalized when my oxygen levels couldn't be sustained after a Jamba Juice gone wrong. Food allergies are a bummer for a number of reasons—which I'll get into in future posts—but the obvious one is that I miss out on a number of delicious novelty dishes, like RAMEN BURGERS!
We had tried making ramen burgers once before but it was a total disaster. The ramen patty was too big and completely came apart in the pan. We had issues trying to bind the noodles without eggs, which is how the ramen buns are typically made. Thankfully, food science has come a long way and there are so many vegan (allergy-friendly) products on the market nowadays. Mayonnaise always seemed kind of gross and was the last food item I would want to eat, however, Follow Your Heart makes a product called Vegenaise that has come in quite handy as an egg-free binding agent (especially for chicken katsu and schnitzel).
Cute puppies make for excellent sous chefs.
Crucial Step: Google Justin Timberlake Ramen and giggle.
No burger is complete without a little kimchi.
Recipe
makes 12 buns (6 sliders)
Ingredients
- 2 packets of instant ramen (we like the Sapporo Ichiban brand)
- 3 TBSP Vegenaise
- 2 TBSP Cooking Oil
- 1 lb. Burger meat (if making vegan, we'd recommend the Beyond Meat Burger)
- 2-3 slices of Cheese (vegan or not)
- 2-3 leaves butter lettuce
- Tomato
- Red Onion
- Kimchi
- Pickles
Instructions
- Cook two packets of the noodles in boiling water.
- Drain, rinse with cold water and dry off the excess water.
- In medium bowl, mix noodles, Vegenaise, and one packet of ramen seasoning (just use salt and pepper if you're making it vegan).
- Separate noodle mix equally into two 6-cup muffin tins and cover with plastic wrap.
- Place tins in fridge for 20 minutes, stacking one on top of the other and place weights (e.g., soda cans) atop the top pan to help the buns set.
- Heat oil on medium-high in nonstick fry pan.
- Fry buns for 2-3 minutes each side until golden brown.
- Remove and place on paper towels to remove excess oil.
- Assemble your burgers with all your favorite toppings (don't forget the kimchi).
- Enjoy :)