How do you like your instant ramen noodles? (onions, best, cheese)
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Ramen noodles are the blue-box mac & cheese of Asia.
FRESH ramen cooked in a very good stock is something sublime. The 10-for-a-dollar instant ramen with the salt/msg/artificial flavor packet? Not so much.
That being said, I occasionally cook instant ramen half-way, and then stir fry it with whatever I have in the 'fridge and make an ersatz lo-mein. I only do this when I'm pressed for time (need to get to work) and hungry. I throw out the salt/msg/artificial flavor packet in all cases. That stuff isn't even food.
Why do the Japanese feel the need to use Udon noodles - they could simply use Angel Hair or Penne. Why do the Vietnamese think they should use rice noodles in Pho - they could have simply used another noodle, say Sponge Bob-shaped macaroni noodles or Lasagna sheets.
I like the texture of Ramen noodles in some soup recipes but I don't care for the seasoning packet. Also, I would hate to pay the dental bill if I served uncooked pasta shells in a salad instead of uncooked Ramen noodles.
Hah! See, this is what my question was! That all makes sense. Except for the Japanese and Vietnamese stuff. I'm not talking about that type of thing. I'm talking about the boxed/wrapped/cupped dried ramen stuff you can buy for 49c a packet, that's what I thought the whole thread was referring to.
And I wasn't trying to sneak up, I was merely "qualifying" my question.
It's just about the noodles as far as I can tell. Nuke and drain, then put in a bowl or frying pan and proceed as the imagination dictates. A quick rangetop meld with apporpriate amounts of butter, fresh spinach, garlic, and a little bit of balsamic vinegar is nice. That "seasoning packet" thing is entirely optional. I will note that I have had no success at all in trying to save the things for use in some other recipe. It seems to be simply awful for that purpose, but shaking some on the drained noodles along with some butter, scallions, and parmesan is another way to enjoy...
- hardboiled egg, if not, fresh egg
- any veggies, bok choi or spinach works best
- squeeze of lime/lemon
- siraccha or tapatio
- leftover meat, if any
Here in Hawai'i we eat huge quantities of ramen... it's on the menu in many restaurants, and most supermarkets have an entire section of different varieties of the stuff, and it all has both single pack and case prices listed, and the least expensive brands are usually under a quarter each.
One of the local supermarkets had a special last week on the Maruchan Instant Lunch Noodles version, 12 for 99 cents!
Anyway, sometime I make a bowl of soup with a package, usually using only half the soup base to cut down on the sodium, and usually throwing in some peas, bean sprouts, sliced green onion, some greens, whatever is convenient.
Other times I'll use the noodles like rice, to go with a stir-fry. I just make the noodles, drain, put in a bowl, top with the entree, and voila!
The great redeeming quality of packaged dry ramen noodles is that they are already fully cooked... that's why you can use them in salads... so putting them in hot water to soften and warm them is nearly a fool proof venture. I've even prepared them when camping just by adding water and leaving them in a warm sunny place for a while.
My kids put their uncooked Ramen noodles in a sandwich bag then crush em up and eat em.
Personally i like em cooked aldente, drain them, add a good quantity of hot pepper and eat away
I know they aren't the best thing in the world for you, but I love Ramen every now and then! As a soup with added veggies and sometimes meat, or drained and used as a side dish.
Kid gets the unflavored ramen. She loves it most with fresh mushrooms and broccoli florets. Chicken stock with a touch of fish sauce. And a squeeze of lemon right before eating.
Where she got this combo, who knows. But she eats this several times a week. (she doesn't like most things I cook so she makes this for herself)
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