There are so many memorable scenes in the film Parasite, but one that stands out for me was the ramdon scene. Ramdon is the movie’s fictional name given to a popular humble dish in South Korea called chapaguri – a mashup of two different instant Korean noodles, Chapagetti and Neoguri.
The scene underscores the casual wealth of the Parks, who ask their maid to add wildly expensive hanwoo (premium Korean) beef to the lowly dish. Inspired by the movie, I’ve spent the last several months experimenting with these noodles and have discovered a few steps that will really take this dish to the next level. It all comes down to timing and applying the techniques that make for great pasta. It’s so fast and easy – you will love it!
Here, I am using just Chapagetti, which is available at your local Korean grocery. It’s now even available on Amazon.
How to Make Next Level Ramdon
Ingredients
- 1 Onion chopped into medium sized chunks
- 4 packets of Chapagetti (or 2 Chapagetti and 2 Neoguri)
- Frozen or fresh vegetables: whatever you have on hand. Peas, corn, carrots, broccoli all work
Instructions
- First, boil enough water to cover the noodles. It doesn’t have to be exact.
2. While the water is boiling, dice some onion into medium sized chunks.
3. Chop up some meat, you can use pork shoulder, pork belly, bacon, sirloin, filet, or if you want to be as decadent as the Parks, chop up some wagyu.
If you are using a leaner cut, add some vegetable oil to the pan. If you’re using a fattier cut, no need to add oil. Brown the meat over high heat and remove the meat and all but a tablespoon of oil from the pan.
4. Add the onions to the pan and cook over high heat for about a minute. Then add the rest of your vegetables. Cook for two more minutes then simmer.
5. Add the dry vegetable pack that comes with the Chapagetti to the boiling water then add the noodles. Discard the oil pack that comes with it.
6. AS SOON AS THE NOODLES BREAK APART, remove from heat and add to the vegetable mix. Add the brown soup base, add back the meat and turn the heat to high. Timing is important here to keep your noodles from over cooking.
7. Add the water that you cooked the noodles in about half cup at a time while continuously stirring the noodles. This is the same technique employed to finish pasta dishes that results in al dente pasta with a creamy sauce.
8. You want the same consistency as a classic carbonara – not too saucy, but also not dry. The dish will thicken quickly – add more water as necessary and serve.
9. Devour immediately.
