Instant Ramen gets an upgrade

David, When I'm in the shop and haven't time for a proper meal. I use a pack of noodles with a scoop of frozen peas. a little Worcestershire sauce and a teaspoon of harissa paste. That makes it interesting without being too much work. I like how quick they are to prepare, just boil the kettle!

I am a sucker for instant noodles. Ramen has been a staple from even before college.

The way I like to jazz up my ramen involves a few things.

1. Add an egg. Everything is better with an egg! I crack it into really hot, fresh from the stove, ramen and let the residual heat cook it.
2. Add some fat. I usually add a little butter.
3. Veggie addition. I will put some frozen peas or corn into it if that is all I have. Fresh works as well!
4. Spice. I like a spicy ramen so I will add in some hotsauce. Kimchi gives a nice zip as well.
5. Leftover protein. I'll cut up any fridge meat leftovers and add them. Chicken is a pretty common addition as I have it on hand.

By doing this, I am taking something that is essentially just some carbohydrates and adding some diversity to the meal. I did not always have the time or ability to make a fresh meal but I could make the best of my situation with a small bit of effort.

I love this! I just got done making CocoPickles Macs in Cheeses. But that's probably for a different thread.

I've tried many of these things over the years. So many more great ideas though.

I might have missed it but, some coconut cream or the like can cool it down too at the end so you can eat it sooner.

Favorite instant stuff I can find around here is the nongshim brand. The only stuff I've found with a vegan option. I usually get that one or the kimchi version and dress 'em up with whatever I have handy. Possibly as versatile as beans which are also good in there.

Kimi Iszikala wrote:
We add 5 sheets of the snack seaweed from Costco (5 because 4 means death, odd numbers are auspicious, and 7 takes up too much space 😊).

I always wondered why I can't do the even numbers of things. Interesting.

I just looked and it seems nongshim has alot more flavors that claim to be vegan than I thought.

I'd like to try this one...

https://nongshimusa.com/product-detail?pid=65

I try not to eat it very often. Then it seems like a treat when I do. Too much salts.

Here is a recipe for homemade ramen noodles:

https://www.reddit.com/r/ramen/comments/1m8670/an_updated_method_for_homemade_ramen_noodles_info/

Also a youtube for handcut ramen noodles:

R, I love this thread! It's all about one of my favorite ways that I managed to survive, as a single parent! I was just reading this article from Eating Well (https://www.eatingwell.com/article/8050018/are-ramen-noodles-bad-for-you/), that talks about exactly what you're looking for - great ways to 'zhoozh-up' simple, cheap Ramen, to make it more flavorful, less 'boring', and increase the nutrition. I've had to switch to the organic, which means no more 'instant', and a bit less 'cheap', though not terribly so, on either count.

My favorite add-ins combination is cut-up nori, shredded pork, hot pepper flakes, a little fish sauce, and an egg (hard boiled or poached in the broth).

We also will happily use them, strained, then covered with broccoli, thinly-sliced beef, shredded carrot, and mirin.

I used to break up the instant Ramen bricks to make a crunchy salad, with a peanut- ginger dressing, shredded napa, shredded carrots and spring onions.

I wanted to add after Anne's video post that homemade ramen (or udon) noodles are DEFINITELY not as difficult as they look. I make them often-- if you have a pasta machine, the rolling and cutting are taken care of, i find it easier to make than semolina pasta.

as for instant ramen, we throw a lot of greens in, there are always collards or broccoli plants that have a few leaves to spare, it's a nice, fast alternative for lunch.

We add: seaweed, kimchi, egg (raw, poached, or boiled), sliced mustard greens, chives, chile slices or a little chili-crisp, miso, or misc leftovers. When I was a kid I'd add tortilla and cheese.

J Katrak wrote:I just looked and it seems nongshim has alot more flavors that claim to be vegan than I thought.

I'd like to try this one...

https://nongshimusa.com/product-detail?pid=65

My daughter keeps a supply of these ones at work for when she doesn't have something better: https://nongshimusa.com/product-detail?pid=49

In addition to the health effects of high sodium and/or MSG, some ramen noodles contain TBHQ (an anti-oxidative stabilizer added to the oil component of the food), which is one of those chemicals that are banned in some places due to carcinogenic concerns... Here in the USA, there's FDA guidelines about RDA which looks a lot like research and math homework to do, or you could just read a label and avoid it, or don't subsist on 3 meals a day of ramen (or Cheez-its, Pringles, etc.) for months at a time.

I like my ramen with an added carrot, rib of celery, half an onion, with 150-200% of the suggested water. Boil 3 minutes with veg only, turn down heat or OFF, then add ramen and spice packet for 3 minutes. In serving bowl (large enough!) I add 1/4 cup peanut butter and draw two circles around that with sriracha, and a couple grinds of black pepper. I add about 1 cup of the broth to the bowl and whisk to dissolve the peanut butter and sriracha, before adding the rest. Additions of corn kernels, green peas, broccoli, kimchi, chicken, parsley, Bell's Seasoning (a poultry/stuffing blend) also happen occasionally.

A hack from my college days which I do now and then, is to add the cooked ramen noodles to a can of soup. (drain the noodles, or not, depending if condensed soup, or ready to serve, or personal preference) The boiling hot noodles and the room temperature soup meet somewhere north of lukewarm which is perfect for eating in a hurry.

I cooked a chicken a couple of days ago, so tonight is leftovers. I picked the meat off the bones and chopped it. I picked a little Sage, Oregano, Chives and Parsley from my herb area in front of the house (it *really* doesn't take much space to grow a good collection of herbs, if you choose ones that grow well in your climate.)

I put the bones and herbs in a stainless basket that fits my little pressure cooker, added water and a splash of vinegar. I brought it up to temp and cooked it for about a 1/2 hour - it doesn't have to be precise!

My Daughter in Law brought an onion she'd used part of, so that will go in the pot. My friend is away for two weeks, so I picked a handful of beans from her garden. Someone bought celery for some other recipe and no one's used it up, so some of that will go in. (I really should dry any that I don't use.) There should still be a carrot in the crisper.

I'll cook up the veggies in the pressure cooker pot, but not under pressure, then toss in Ramen noodles 3 minutes before they're ready. I'll have a 1 pot meal, likely with some leftovers for lunch tomorrow, and pretty much all of it from stuff that needs to get out of the fridge anyway. Recombine it, and it will make a fine meal.