Nearly 320 million people currently live in the United States. Less than four percent of those live in New York or LA, the homes of the famed Ramen Burger – I Googled the numbers.

So what are the rest of us to do? Surely the answer cannot simply be to live without them, contented with sad, bagged wheat buns. Oh, no. You can now make the *world’s best burger in your very own home. Better yet, this recipe takes a snack-sized burger and makes one hell of a meal out of it. Share them with your friends. Or, you know, don’t.

*Recognized scientific fact

Burger Sauce

  • Prep Time:5 minutes
  • Cook Time:10 minutes
  • Total Time:15 minutes
  • Servings:1 1/2 cups
  • Easy

    Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 5 tablespoon dark brown sugar, packed
  • 1 1/2 tablespoon honey
  • 2 tablespoon corn starch
  • 1/4 cup water, chilled
  • 1 tablespoon Sriracha
  • Step 1

    Combine one cup water with the soy sauce, sugar, honey, and spices in a small saucepan at medium heat.

  • Step 2

    Whisk corn starch into ¼ cup of cold water in a small bowl, and add to the saucepan.

  • Step 3

    Heat until sauce reaches the desired thickness, or about 10 minutes. Allow to cool, then stir in Sriracha. Set aside.

Burger Patties

  • Prep Time:2 minutes
  • Cook Time:8 minutes
  • Total Time:10 minutes
  • Servings:4 patties
  • Easy

    Ingredients

  • 1/2 lb fresh ground chuck
  • 1/2 lb fresh ground sirloin
  • Splash soy sauce
  • Splash sesame oil
  • Sea salt
  • Black pepper
  • Swiss cheese, sliced
  • Step 1

    Season ground meats liberally with fresh black pepper and sea salt. Add a splash of soy sauce and sesame oil.

  • Step 2

    Combine using your hands.

  • Step 3

    Divide the meat into four parts and form patties.

  • Step 4

    Grill to a medium-rare doneness, because anything else is a slap in the face to the cow who gave his life for your dinner. About 3-4 minutes per side at 400ºF.

  • Step 5

    Turn off the heat and top each patty with a slice of Swiss. Allow to melt.

Ramen Buns

  • Prep Time:35 minutes
  • Cook Time:15 minutes
  • Total Time:50 minutes
  • Servings:4 sets of buns
  • Medium

    Ingredients

  • 4 packages ramen noodles
  • 4 large eggs, beaten
  • PAM no-stick cooking spray
  • Canola oil
  • Step 1

    Cook noodles according to package instructions. Toss or save the flavoring packet that comes with your ramen noodles for another time. We’ll decide how we want this to taste, thank you very much.

  • Step 2

    Drain and rinse with cool water, then stir in the egg.

  • Step 3

    Separate the noodles evenly into 8 piles, and pack into ramekins sprayed with PAM. Cover tightly with plastic wrap.

  • Step 4

    Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes weighed down by canned goods. Anything you have on hand will do.

    #SpoonTip: Steps 1-4 can be done hours or days in advance to save time.

  • Step 5

    Turn the buns out into a large skillet greased with canola oil at medium heat. Cook until the bottom is golden brown (2-3 minutes) and flip. Set aside.

Assembly

  • Prep Time:5 minutes
  • Cook Time:0 minutes
  • Total Time:5 minutes
  • Servings:4 burgers
  • Easy

    Ingredients

  • Ramen buns
  • Burger patties
  • Burger sauce
  • Scallions
  • Baby arugula
  • Step 1

    Chop the scallions.

  • Step 2

    Make a bed of arugula on the bottom bun.

  • Step 3

    Slide burger gently onto the arugula, spoon on a generous helping of sauce, and sprinkle with scallions.

    Photo by Taylor Widom
  • Step 4

    Slap on that top bun and destroy.