Instant Pot Ram-Don (from the film “Parasite”)

If you saw the Oscar-winning Korean blockbuster film Parasite, you know there’s one thing that truly steals the show: RAM-DON!

But just what is Ram-Don? Well, according to the film’s director Bong Joon-Ho, it is a dish he made up! Adapted from a Korean noodle dish known as Jjapaguri, Ram-Don combined two packaged noodles with included seasonings: one being RAMen and the other being uDON (hence the name Ram-Don – although both noodles are really the same size). And then, you doctor it up with some sirloin steak to really send it home and make it super fancy! 

Picture Ram-Don as a few big steps above classic packaged ramen noodles. To achieve what the Park family experiences in the film, we use two specific types of packaged noodles that are easy to find online or in most Asian markets: Chapagetti and Neoguri. And the best part? It will be the easiest thing you make in your Instant Pot with no straining of any water! 

Here’s How I Made It! (scroll to the bottom for the fully-written recipe): 

Begin with packets of Chapagetti and Neoguri (and yes, it needs to be these exact noodles). 

Remove the dry flakes, soup base and oil from the Chapagetti… 

…and the dry flakes and soup base from the Neoguri. 

Each packet will also have ramen/udon in the form of a cake. 

If you wish to elevate this dish to be what it was in the film, take some sirloin steak of your choice… 

…remove any thick fat pads, dice it up into bite-size pieces and season with salt & pepper. And that’s literally all the prep this recipe requires! 

Then, go to the Instant Pot, add in some butter and give it some heat. 

Once the butter’s melted… 

…add in the steak. 

Sauté the meat in the pot for a few minutes… 

…until it’s fully cooked. 

Then, take a slotted spoon, remove the cooked meat to a bowl and set aside for the time being. 

Now, go back to the pot, leaving the steak’s juices in it… 

…and add in some water. 

Now, lay in the noodle cakes from each packet (it’s perfectly fine that they won’t all be covered by the water). Secure the lid and cook at high pressure. 

When done, you’re going to have some seriously perfect noodles in no time at all! You’ll also see there’s still some liquid in there – good! Unlike cooking on the stovetop, we will NOT be draining it here!  

Now, add in the dry flakes from the Chapagetti and Neoguri. 

Pretty, right? 

Then, add in the soup base from the Chapagetti and Neoguri (see the yellow “Jeffrey Sez” section about this). 

Once added, take some tongs…

…and toss the noodles around so that the contents of the packets absorb into the broth and noodles – creating that rich, dark brown color. 

Now, add the cooked sirloin back to the pot… 

…and give it a final toss ensuring the meat is nice and coated with the sauce as well as the noodles. 

Lastly, add in the oil packets from the Chapagetti. 

This gives it a final lovely touch and a nice glistening factor. 

Give it all a final toss… 

…transfer to a serving bowl. 

…and show off your simple, yet high-end looking replica of a masterpiece. 

Give it a try before any unexpected visitors arrive… 

…and you are going to wow both yourself and anyone you feed this too! A delightful and ridiculously easy comfort dish made right in your Instant Pot!

Instant Pot Ram-Don (Jjapaguri from the film "Parasite")