From Ponyo · 2008 · Reconstructed
Lisa's Ham Ramen
Serve when
Serve it the moment the lid comes off — thick slices of ham, a halved egg, green onion — the storm-night bowl that makes Ponyo fall in love with being human.
In the movie
Theatrical
- 00:58:02 As a storm rages, Lisa makes instant ramen for Sosuke and Ponyo, dressing the bowls up with thick slices of ham, a boiled egg, and scallions. Ponyo's astonishment at the steaming bowl is one of the most beloved food scenes in all of Studio Ghibli — pure childlike wonder at a simple, perfect meal.
Miyazaki animates this bowl of instant ramen as if it were a banquet, because to Ponyo it is — her first, dazzled taste of the human world she's desperate to join. The scene is a masterclass in making the ordinary feel miraculous: steam, a lifted lid, a child's total delight. It's why "ham ramen" is one of the most-requested foods in all of anime.
Ingredients
Method
- Make the broth and cook the noodles per the pack — this is, gloriously, instant ramen dressed up, exactly as in the film.
- While it cooks, soft-boil the eggs — 6½ minutes in boiling water, then straight into cold water so the yolks stay jammy — and halve them; slice the ham thick.
- Ladle noodles and broth into two big bowls.
- Crown each with the ham, a halved egg, scallions, and greens.
- Put the lid on, carry it to the table, and lift it with a flourish — the reveal is the whole magic.