The Ramen Lover's Thread!!

[tiggeril]

Yes, Ramen.. the chock-full-of-sodium delight that is the sustenance for millions of college students. I welcome tips, tricks, recipes, odes, songs, haiku, anything relating your love of Ramen!!

Some tips I've picked up:
Ramen is best if the "seasoning packet" is added with the noodles to the boiling water.... the flavor kinda sinks into the noodles

A tasty addition is a tiny bit of cheddar cheese shredded over the top of the bowl just before serving.

So is sliced bologna.

I'm really hungry.

::heads to kitchenette::

[AM/PM]

I eat a lot of ramen at the AM/PM store, since it's fast.
But that's exactly why I never thought to add anything.
I have this hunch adding things to fast food is not a major guy thing. Just a hunch.

[Zenster]

Remember, roasted sesame chili oil and green onions are your best friends.

[tiggeril]

I've heard mushrooms (fungus, not that "other" kind) are an excellent addition as well.... I guess you just boil them before the noodles.... sounds ok...

[elbows]

Boil the noodles in the soup.
Into your bowl add a quarter size dollop of sesame oil, a shot of soya sauce and some Yeo's Sweet Chillie Sauce [my personal favorite]. Also into the bowl add a handfull of beansprouts.

Right before the noodles are cooked you throw in a couple of thinly sliced fresh mushrooms.

Also, at this point you can add any kind of leftovers. I've used, thinly sliced, roast beef, ham, chicken (even the Colonel, just pluck it off the bones).

Drain the noodles, directly, and pile them onto the beansprouts.

You can have them as soup or drier by not adding as much soup. I like mine with only a couple of tablespoons of soup!

Now you can add, some green onions or fresh parsley or, my favorite, fresh coriander.

Get out your chopsticks and set about mixing the whole lot up, just like you've seen a million Asians doing before they chow down.

I am completely addicted to this meal. There are clearly a million variations. Maybe that's why I never tire of it.

I also like that it's really easy to make and way fast when you're way hungry. And clean up is a snap. It doesn't hurt that you can throw in anything in the fridge.

The only thing I don't like is I can't seem to handle these noodles without spilling some onto the floor. You know, the small dry hard bits. I'm sure mice love them! But, I swear, there is no way to open the things without some spilling out.
I never break them up, always cook them intact and long like spaghetti.

Hey, now I'm getting hungry!

[Eo Echo]

I eat ramen noodles on a daily basis--out of a stirofoam cup, heated up in a microwave. Gotta be Maruchan Instant Lunch brand chicken flavor. 80% of all the vegetables I eat come from it.

[Baglady]

You guys make me cry!!! Looking at all of your posts, it sounds like you are all talking about INSTANT RAMEN!!! YUCK!!!!

There is nothing like a bowl of fresh ramen, made with non-instant soup stock and swimming with hand-kneaded noodles. If you don't believe me, go to a Japanese diner and try one yourself. If you can't get to one nearby, go and rent yourself a copy of Tampopo (http://us.imdb.com/Title?0092048) at your local independent video store.

Let's put it this way: Likening instant rahmen to a "good meal" is like me preferring Tony's frozen supermarket pizza to Lou Malnati's Chicago-style pizza (http://www.loumalnatis.com/).

[Teach]

Darn! Baglady got here before me. I second everything she said, especially the part about Tampopo. It's a must see!

I used to hate ramen when I was a kid. The reason why? I only knew the instant stuff. Since coming to Japan, I've learned better.

[THespos]

Instant rules. I don't know what "fresh Ramen" is, but I'm sure it doesn't cost 5/$1.

I went to the supermarket last night and there are so many new flavors! I am so completely jealous of those who are in college right now (KHespos, my little sister included). You can't fully appreciate Ramen Pride until you spend your last two dollars on Monday to buy Ramen that will feed you until Friday.

Here's my big philosophical question of the day... Why can't we end world hunger with Ramen noodles? A brick of Ramen:

1) Costs next to nothing
2) Is very portable and nearly unbreakable
3) Is easy to prepare
4) Comes in a variety of flavors and is very yummy

This is my plan:

+ We need to build a worldwide infrastructure that allows us to distribute Ramen noodles anywhere in the world in a fairly quick manner. Something like FedEx, but only for Ramen.

+ We must add to our Ramen production facilities so that we might feed the world.

+ The U.S. Government must be made to cooperate.

Assumptions:

+ Ramen costs 10 cents/brick to make. This is generous. I've seen them sell 10/$1 in stores when I was in college, which was only 6 years ago.

+ There are 828 million undernourished people in the world, according to worldhunger.org (http://www.worldhunger.org). Liberals always pad the figures, so let's assume this is a generous assumption, too.

+ These people need to be fed every day. That's generous, too. Even if you're in some weird underdeveloped nation, you have to be able to find at least something to eat at least one day out of the freaking year on your own, for chrissake.

+ You would never pay more for shipping something than the actual cost of goods (unless you are some sort of insane e-commerce business).

Calculations:

The cost of producing all of this Ramen is $30.222 billion per year. Throw in another $30 billion or so for shipping. $219 for every man, woman and child in America. It would be a lot less, though, because we could get other governments to chip in.

Everybody loves America again, because no one's hungry. No more burning U.S. flags, because the U.S. put together the program that ended world hunger.

Risks:

+ There are probably more efficient ways to do this.

+ It's flagrant socialism.

+ Living on Ramen noodles would give everybody a freaking heart attack.

+ We'd never get the Russians to cooperate. They'd stall it by suggesting that we use microwave burritos instead, or something.

+ Corruption and the political nonsense surrounding government contracting would artificially inflate the cost of buying up all the Ramen. Palm-greasing might make this prohibitively expensive.

Well, maybe this wasn't such a good idea. Unca Cecil, help me out here.

[tiggeril]

THespos: Will you marry me? Anyone who puts this much thought into ramen is a keeper. :D

Baglady and Teach: If you can find me a place on the South Side of Chicago that serves fresh Ramen, I will be more than happy to try it. :)

elbows: I printed that recipe out.... it's now hanging on my wall.... right next to THespos' Ramen Manifesto.

[Bubble Girl]

I haven't had any Ramen noodles in while but reading this thread has me craving it...BAD! I have heard that adding a little bit of chopped spinich is really good. Adding mushrooms sounds good too. Definately going to have to pick some up at the grocery store tonight.

[Eve]

I am very disappointed in you, Tigg, for not naming this thread "Everybody Loves Ramen."

[Sunshine]

Hm. I had NO idea there WAS such a thing as "fresh" ramen. I'll have to find some in my area.

Anyway, the way I eat ramen is to boil as usual, dump out at least half the water, add the seasoning and then load it up with crushed saltines until all the liquid is soaked up and it is a heap of mush. Mmmmm...ramen heaven.

And I agree..."Everybody Loves Ramen" would have been a great name!

[THespos]

Wow. I've been proposed to. That's pretty cool.

I'm gonna go mull over tiggeril's proposal over a nice cup of Ramen Pride. I think I'll go for the kind that has hot sauce included in it. (You guys try that stuff yet?)

It also occurred to me that Ramen might have some industrial applications. Before cooking, it's relatively lightweight, it's hard as a rock, and it can soak up moisture. What sort of applications can the Teeming Millions come up with for this kind of stuff?

[Billdo]

Just for the record, a few months ago we had a thread on favorite people's Ramen Preparation Method (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=23137) (in which, if you read almost to the end, you can see my compulsive method of breaking the noodles so they are about the right size).

My favorite way to make them is to get some roast pork from the Chinese restaurant across the street, start boiling up pork flavored noodles, put in the flavor packet about a minute after the noodles go in, adding a dollop of sesame oil, and putting the roast pork in about a minute before the noodles are done. I sometimes add Hoisin sauce or Chinese mustard. Sometimes I will make it with pastrami, or any leftover meat I have laying around the house. It's a feast.

By the way, unless forced by circumstances, I will only buy beef or pork flavored Ramen noodles.

Anyway, count me in on the list of Ramen lovers.

Bill

::: goes off to make some Ramen noodles for lunch :::

[tiggeril]

In my defense, I did start this thread after slogging through 3.5 hours of calculus... I'm afraid my usual sparkling wit was a bit dimmed.... so nyaahh! ;)

Billdo: That recipe might actually cause me to try the Chinese takeout place that is closest to my dorm.... mmmm...

THespos: Oceanic oil spills, perhaps?

[Duke]

For what seemed like months this year, I lived off ramen from my local Asian grocery store. Some observations:

1. There's a Vietnamese version made with rice noodles that offers a nice change of pace to the regular kind.

2. The Indonesian versions include packets of chili powder! Yeah! (The chili powder is helpfully labelled "Bumbu Sauce.")

3. If there's a cartoon character on the outside of a packet, the contents inside will be awful.

4. Some of the "authentic" Japanese packets contain a packet of fermented yuck, the taste of which will stay with you for days.

5. After several days in a row of ramen, eat something else for pete's sake. Something to clean the salt out of your bloodstream.

6. After several weeks in a row of ramen, everything else tastes wonderful.

[tiggeril]

Originally posted by Duke
6. After several weeks in a row of ramen, everything else tastes wonderful.

You've never tasted the slop they serve here.... let's just say that Pepto-Bismol is passed around the table after meals.... and this is coming from the person who can eat habanero sauce by the spoonful with no ill effects.

[Suo Na]

The best instant is Sapporo Ichiban original flavour. Just had some last night, in fact.

The worst is Mr. Noodle.

[sailor]

I often put stuff in them like canned vegetables. I tried half a can of chick peas *with* the liquid included and they were delicious. I'll try it again... like right now! :)

[sk8rixtx]

Anyone get Maruchan brand? Anywho, I just make it regularly, and put in a dash of extra salt. Yea, extra salt. Why? Everything tastes beter with more salt. What makes the Ramen even more enjoyable, is drinking it with cherry Kool-Ade. Thats right! The secret key to an hightened level of Ramen enjoyment is KOOL-ADE.

[tiggeril]

How could I forget Maggi? Maggi, you see, is India's answer to the Ramen juggernaut. It's your basic ramen noodle, but with an Indian spice packet. Yum. Excellent for those neverending Midwestern winters.

[kellibelli]

Pussies.

Cook the noodles, drain, add a dash of butter to make them oily, and pour the seasoning on (spicy chicken, spicy beef, or chicken curry) then mix well - THEN cover in green tobasco sauce!!!

yee haa!

[hypergirl]

Ssskuggiii's old sig line was about ramen. IIRC, it went something like "I praise thee oh humble ramen noodle, you provide laughter and nourishment. And free jumpropes too."

[orion007]

Anybody else like the noodles (I eat the ones at the bottom of the pack after I take out the whole square of noodles) raw? And does anybody else like the spicy flavor?

[MysterEcks]

THespos said:

I don't know what "fresh Ramen" is, but I'm sure it doesn't cost 5/$1.

You can get 'em 6, 8, or even 10 for a buck, if you wait for sales.

Sesame oil is a very good addition--that's about it for my fiddling with the stuff. The real key is that you must wait until the noodles have a chance to absorb most of the soup--one must be patient to get the full benefit.

[Mirth]

My fav ramen is the oriental flavor. My fiance made a yummy stir-fry on a bed of ramen.

Once when we were really broke my fiance and went shopping at Sam's (bulk store) and bought a stupid amount of mustard for 30 cents.

I do not recommend mustard on ramen.

Mustard in mac n' cheese, however, is surprisingly edible.

[Baglady]

Okay... you CAN put butter on your ramen (pronounced raw-men, NOT ray-men -- that's another noodle dish!) but just a little pat, and on top of clear salt-based soup.

A couple of things:

- "Rahmen" (or ramen) sounds Chinese, but it is a JAPANESE dish. By default, it is served hot with soup (unless you are making stir fried "yakisoba" noodles). All you folks who dump the soup -- you are heathens!!! I bet you don't even put cheese on your pizza.

- Other popular noodles from Japan (buckwheat "soba" noodles, glutenous white "udon" [oo-dohn] noodles, transluscent and slick "somen" [soh-men] noodles) are *NOT* ramen, and not referred to that way.

- Noodle dishes from other countries in Asia are *NOT* called rahmen. Vietnamese noodle soup for example, is called "pho" (which in Vietnamese is pronounced by touching the back of your tongue to the roof of your mouth and breathing through your nose as you say it, but most Americans can't do it right).

If you want to see some pages that talk about the noodle phenomenon, try:

Asian noodles: http://bayarea.citysearch.com/E/F/SFOCA/0000/13/77/

The ramen museum in Japan: http://www.bento.com/phgal3.html

Mail order fresh ramen from NYC: http://www.sofi-ny.com/

Honolulu Star-Bulletin article about ramen: http://starbulletin.com/97/06/04/features/story1.html

Weekly Wire article: http://www.weeklywire.com/ww/08-17-98/knox_gamut.html

[tiggeril]

A ramen museum!!!!!!! I am there!!

Mustard on mac-n-cheese... food of the gods.

I'll just hijack my own thread now...

mac-n-cheese tiggeril-style is sauteed onions and mushrooms, some finely chopped banana peppers, a drop of habanero sauce, some garlic, and chopped tomatoes in the cheese sauce for the macaroni. Then, topped with shredded cheddar cheese and bread crumbs and placed in a 350 degree oven until the cheese bubbles and the bread crumbs are golden brown. Comfort food at its best.

[magdalene]

I made Ramen today, added some cayenne to the boiling noodles & spice packet and I threw in some frozen baby peas. When it was done, I drained about 1/2 the water, squeezed the juice of 1/2 a lime and ground some black pepper over everything. Yum!

[tiggeril]

I didn't even realize this thread was back on the first page... magdalene... that sounds absolutely wonderful.

[BlackKnight]

Raw-Men?

I used to like ramen. Then I read that quasi-phonetic spelling. I cannot bring myself to dine on anything dealing with raw men.

Ick.

[DigitalMuse]

I had the sudden urge for Ramen noodles today. Unofortunately, I wasn't able to get to the store to buy some:(

[tiggeril]

Originally posted by BlackKnight
Raw-Men?

I used to like ramen. Then I read that quasi-phonetic spelling. I cannot bring myself to dine on anything dealing with raw men.

Ick.

Are you kidding? Raw men are the best! They're terrible when they're served overcooked and all the meat falls off the bone...


Did I actually write that? :o

[Shirley Ujest]

You say raw-men.

I say Ray-men...

[Biggirl]

Boil the noodles in the soup. Drain.
Chop up left over chicken. Tear up some lettuce.
Mix some curry powder and mayo. Toss all and eat.

[hypergirl]

I'm visiting my friend in college right now and I'm only re affirming this. I LOVE RAMEN!!!!

[VitrolicBump]

Originally posted by orion007
Anybody else like the noodles (I eat the ones at the bottom of the pack after I take out the whole square of noodles) raw? And does anybody else like the spicy flavor?

Mmmm...I love the raw noodles. I think I have eaten just the noodles, right out of the package(if the package weren't plastic I might eat that too:D). I've never tried the spicy flavor ramen, but I wouldn't really like that anyway. I eat chicken ramen.

A couple of thoughts...

*Aaah, behold the power of ramen.

*The foundation of the diet of college students everywhere.(And one of the reasons they are so tired all the time.)

[Badtz Maru]

I used to add the flavor packet while boiling, but I found I get more flavor if I strain out some of the water and then add the packet - maybe less of the flavor actually gets IN the noodles, but the broth is stronger.

I haven't read the whole thread, but if someone hasn't mentioned egg to the ramen while boiling, I will. I like to mix the yolk and white up first and then pour it in slowly while stirring, but some people like to use just the white.

[evilbeth]

Since this has been bumped, I just wanted to come in and add a recipe of sorts.

See, as a dirt poor college student, there are times when you eat ramen every meal of every day. Sometimes, you need to break up the monotony. Of course, being poor, you can't just run out and buy all sorts of entirely different food products, so you have to improvise with what you have.

Food for several meals: (ramen purists will die over this but I insist to you that when you are college-student hungry, you will try anything and this stuff is gooood!)

Anyway, save up your laundry quarters and buy one box of Shells and Cheese. (Yes, it's Velveeta but starving people can't be picky) Even better is if you can mooch a box of Shells and Cheese from your relatively wealthy roommate. Anyway, prepare the shells per box directions and at the same time (more or less), prepare some chicken ramen (can substitute pork or spicy chicken). After the ramen noodles are done, drain of all the water. Add seasoning packet, coating noodles well. Then, mix chicken noodles into the shells and cheese--stir well. The chicken flavoring adds just the right taste to the processed cheese goodness and there you have enough food for several meals and you have broken the ramen monotony!

You can, of course, only do this sparingly lest you die of a heart attack before your thirtieth birthday!

[sailor]

tiggeril if thespos doesn't work out I'll propose. Where do I get in line?

I have ramen noodles almost every day. You can mix them with any other kind of soup (cooked or canned) and they are always delicious. I am not so sure about the nutritional value though.

I buy them in industrial quantities and they work out at something like 8 cents a pack. But it's not because I'm cheap (which I am) but because I like the stuff.

Hmm... I think I'll go get me some.

[slortar]

One time I was out shopping with some Malaysian friends and they recommended I buy a small box of these ramon-like noodles--they called them "Mi-tom" or something along that lines.

God.

This stuff was like crack. Definitely the king of the ramen-like noodles category. Each package came with THREE spice bags. If you added all of them in, you'd burn your face off with the heat. At about half of each, though...sheer happiness.


My Mom bought me a cookbook devoted to cooking with ramen. Has a few hundred recipes ranging from deserts to main dishes. Great stuff. If I could remember the title and author, I'd recommend. :)

[beegowhite]

Ramen rules.

I lived in Japan for two years and couldn't have survived without it.

Has anybody eaten kim-chi ramen? (Kim-chi: another food I couldn't have survived without)

[tiggeril]

Sheez. I pop into MPSIMS and get the crap scared out of me. "Dear God, I've gone back in time!!" :D

Thanks for the new recipes. I'll probably need them, as I still have two and a half weeks to go (in the home stretch!).

evilbeth..... that is intriguing. I must try it. Tonight. muahahaha!!


::thunder crashes::

[jemimah cricket]

All this brings back fond memories of when I went on a "men" tour to China about 5 years ago. I and a "select" group of 7 other ra"men" lovers traveled throughout China tasting and experiencing the real "noodles of the people". Have you ever watched ramen noodles being made? I get all excited just thinking about it ;).
Current favorite- Miso ramen with egg and sweet corn.
All time tasty treat- Curry ramen with a big dollop of mayo( great when 9 and half months pregnant and in desperate need of a distraction)

[Mooney252]

We crush the noodles,
Boil water, add the packet.
Yum: a salt bullet

[Joe_Cool]

Count me in. I've been a Ramone lover as long as I can remember. Every band that matters, from the Misfits to the Clash, acknowledges the influence of the Ramones on both their musical development and their careers. And while they never were quite able to duplicate the commercial success of "I wanna be sedated", commercial success would have watered down the 'punk legend' that they were.

Losing Joey to lymphoma at only 49 is one of the great tragedies of our time.


OH, you said RAMEN, Sorry! I like that too. Especially the Chicken flavor. Salt bullet, indeed. :D

[Weirddave]

I am a traditionalist, I suppose. I eat ramen 4-5 times a week, usualy as a midnight snack, but I like ONLY Oodles of Nodles brand, and ONLY beef flavor.

[Jadis]

Back in the days where I still ate nutritionally worthless starch on a regular basis, a packet of ramen noodles with a can of corn dumped in was a perfect dinner. Of course, after that carb load, it was usually followed by a nice nap on the sofa. :D

[cygnus]

Well, I am so amazed to have to wait this long to post to a thread of true weight and substance ...

I seem to be the only one who votes for cooking with just the right amount of water and then adding seasoning without draining. I have tried all the methods mentioned, but this seems to work best... I love sodium and max flavor, which may have something to do with it.

I have not yet seen anyone mention cooking the ramen and then adding a can of drained tuna - mmm mmm mmm!!!!

Also, does anyone else mix flavors for double ramen? Shrimp ramen + chicken ramen = ecstasy! (Though other combinations are good too.)

SO Cygnus also sometimes would get water boiling, add noodles, then crack an egg into the pot (stirring and breaking up yolk, of course.) Most tasty, and stretches that morning meal a bit more while adding some extra nutrients.

Ramen, ramen, beautiful ramen!

5/$1 standard, 12/$1 when on sale, MARUCHAN is the best brand and don't settle for anything less!

And do you break them up before boiling or cook in full-length conditon?

:: Contemplating going downstairs to put a pan of water on to boil ::

[Bad News Baboon]

put packet in water.
boil.
add noodles.

get one egg (or two if you're hungry) and beat well.

pour a spoonfull into the <b>boiling </b> water.

it makes 'egg drop' soup.
It is great if you add kimchee, too. (if you like it).

also, I eat my ramen with lime juice squeezed in. I won't eat it if there are no limes.

[JillGat]

You will be happy to know that I have written a staff report about the history of Ramen noodles. I wrote it about a month ago, but it won't appear for awhile.. Jill

[Fionn]

I too am a ramen fan. I'm home from college for a couple of weeks before summer school starts, and I was disappointed to see that my parents only had real food in the house-not a single packet of ramen anywhere! I had to put it on my mom's grocery list. I asked for chicken, creamy chicken and beef, though I don't dislike the oriental flavor. She came back with creamy chicken and the roast beef flavor. Does anyone else thinks the roast beef tastes odd and not as good as the regular beef?

[even sven]

I don't exactly love ramen, but I sure do seem to eat a lot of it!

Like most ramen eaters, I am a poor college student. I usually eat pretty well, but its pretty hard to get to the store, and I often spend a lot of time with a less-than-stocked pantry. I call ramen "finals gourmet" because it is just the kind of fast, non-perishable food that one needs during times of intense study.

I grew up with ramen in my life. As a kiddie, I ate it raw. Later I graduated to the icky combination of unseasoned ramen with a slice of cheese on top. Now, as a sophisticated adult, I enjoy it hot with seasoning stirred in. I only eat Top Ramen Oriental flavor, because that is the only one that doesn't overtly have meat in it (please don't tell me if the "spices" listed on the lable is really
a code for "dried pork liver"). Even if I could eat ramen in a styrofoam cup, I wouldn't. What a horrible way to enjoy this wonderful food.

Purists, however, would be appalled at the terrible things I am forced to do when finals roll around. First off, I often microwave ramen, which disgusts my housemates. They believe if you are going to cook ramen, you might as well do it right, over the stove top. I think that if I am going to eat ramen there is no way that I am washing more than one dish. Secondly, I usually eat it simple, with just the seasoning packet. When it's been a long time between balanced meals, however, I start getting desperate. I start throwing in all the frozen veggies I can find. Usually it ends up being peas, carrots and corn, with perhaps a can of beans. Hardly authenitic, and hardly good, but it does sustain me.

[fish in the sky]

mmmm.... ramen ramen ramen ramen...

The only flavour I buy, too, is Top Ramen Oriental, because it's the only cheapie vegetarian kind available 'round here (I can fancy-schmancy gourmet veggie ramen from the co-op, but that can cost, oh, gosh, a good 79 cents a pack! 5 for $1 is much preferable) But just one flavour can get boring, so I like to experiment. My favourite is "satay" ramen (in which I probably completely bastardize two seperate Asian food; my apologies to the food purists)


Discard season packet (Or, if you're me, set it aside for next time so you can make double strength ramen--twice the sodium means twice the fun! Or something to that effect..)
Boil slightly less water than recommended (I think they say 2 c. and I use 1 1/2 c.)
Add a dollop of peanut butter and a splash of soy sauce
Toss in noodles
Scavange through the fridge to quick find something that goes with peanut
Toss that in too. (My favourite is cubed tofu. Mushrooms are good, too. Frozen peas and/or carrots are questionable, but will do in a pinch.)
Stir well.
Eat in out of the pot with the fork you cooked with.


Yum.

[JillGat]

My latest staff report on ramen noodles: http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mramen.html