This is the way I’ve been making ramen lately that works for me.
I buy microwaveable ramen and I add chicken bouillon powder to the water I put in the noodles. Then after I cook it I mix a forkful of crunchy peanut butter in with the ramen sauce. It works pretty well.
Lots of exotic ideas here. I keep it simple, if perhaps not authentic. I have a standard procedure.
My ramen of choice is Sapporo Ichiban “Original”. Before preparing it I chop up some meat to add to it – best is well-seasoned grilled pork chop, second best is grilled or roast chicken breast. Then some thick slices of cremini mushroom, and finally chopped scallion.
When all is ready, I boil water – much less water than the package suggests, only enough to cook the noodles and leave just a little in the pot after cooking. Then I add the ramen, pork, and mushroom slices. When the noodles are tender, I stir in about half to 3/4 of the packet of seasoning and pour into a pasta bowl, and sprinkle the scallions on top, then sprinkle with a bit of soy sauce. Depending on my mood, I might add a touch of chili garlic sauce on top but I usually don’t.
Voila! A ramen dish with complex flavours, yet incredibly fast and easy to prepare. A variation is to add some bean sprouts to the ramen before cooking, with all other ingredients as above.
I love ramen noodles. Sometimes a simple ramen bowl-- just adding chopped broccoli and maybe a few sliced mushrooms. Sometimes a full-on Tom Yum style bowl with garlic, ginger, lemongrass, peppers, mushrooms, scallions, fish sauce, lime juice, red curry paste, and a protein. Or a beef Pho style bowl. Or a hot and sour bowl, thickening the broth with corn starch, adding an egg, and lots of white pepper and rice vinegar along with shiitakes, scallion, bamboo shoots, and a protein like some thinly sliced pork.
One thing I often do to keep the sodium down is to not use the flavor packets, especially if it’s the cheap ramen with the single flavor packet. Instead I use unsalted broth. That way I can add soy sauce or fish sauce to provide umami without too much extra sodium. I will keep the flavor packets and sometimes use them in other soups or stews I make.
Despite going to college on a budget, I never touched the stuff. But my friends did.
Coincidentally or synchronistically the local supermarket ad has ramen for $0.09/pack this week. That’s right, you heard right, 9 cents. That’s cheaper in unadjusted dollars than it was in 1980, where it would go for 10 for a buck.
All Ramen are not created equal. That’s why many of us favor Shin Ramyun.
I will use the cheap Maruchan to make ramen noodle salad, which is something different.
I just looked and it’s $0.67 at the bougie market where I shop. I haven’t made packaged ramen in years but we’d make it all the time in the dorms with those little electric pots.
I like the Buldak spicy. 2x spicy is too much for me, but the normal one is just about right. Also akuan spicy wide noodles are very good. Occasionally I’ll add an egg or flank steak but 95% it’s his the buried in their own.
Shin Black is the best. I typically doctor with frozen artichokes and an egg, maybe chicken, and use half the red pack.
Similar conversation on another forum yielded this video from some kiwi dude:
You should only buy Indo Mie ramen noodles, they’re the BEST!
They come from Indonesia, and have five flavour packets inside! That’s hard to beat. Plus, the flavour packets go into your bowl not into the boiling water.
When I make it, I chop the veg, (thin chopped cabbage/bean sprouts, green onions/cilantro for garnish, thin sliced carrot and celery.)
Boil the noodles, adding in the veg as you go, fish out all the noodles and mix them with the flavour packets in the bowl, once it’s mixed push aside and put the sliced cabbage/bean sprouts under the noodles. Now top with the veggies. Then lower sliced meat, usually leftovers, into the boiled water to heat, place on top of noodles, add in a ladle of the boiled water, garnish with green onions/cilatro. Add chili to taste.
Honestly it’s not soup so much as a plate of noodles w veg and meat. But if it’s soup you really want just add more of the boiling water to the bowl! Voila, soup!
(Of course can add an egg, if you’re a traditionalist!)
I’ve read this about this brand on other websites. Am I likely to find them in my regular HEB grocery store? Do you go to an Asian market, or you get them from Amazon?
I don’t care what anybody says, I love my Sapporo Ichiban, and they come from Japan. I got some today but sadly, I forgot to get pork or chicken to go with it. My closest supermarket doesn’t carry the “Original” variety but from what I’ve read, “Original” is just chicken plus soy flavours. Since I add soy sauce anyway, I figured the “Chicken” variety should be fine. Or I can get “Original” if I’m willing to drive a little farther. Walmart always has 5-packs of them for around $4.95.
Thelma, is that the one I got you hooked on? With the broccoli slaw?
I like it too - it’s way above the standards of the much maligned Maruchan, but generally cheaper than Shin. It’s one of those things where Sapporo Ichiban is (the original soy flavor) simpler in flavor profile, meaning it’s easier to tinker to tastes, but the Shin (Red first, then black for me) is a more complete dish right out of the packet.
no egg?
I get them everywhere, Asian Markets, regular grocery, even the corner store, walmart Etc.
I boarded with Asian and Caribbean students at uni, it was the only kind they ever bought.
(Momo Fuku is also very good, but unreasonably expensive!)
Whoa–what a memory! Yes, that’s the one. I can’t see using Shin Ramyun for that. Not sure why not…
I’ll look for it.
I’ll look for this, too. We do have at least one Japanese grocery store here.
I just bought a pack of the Momofuku Spicy Soy this week and really enjoyed the flavor! Just added tofu and stir fry veggies. Gonna give the Tingly Chili and Soy Scallion a try soon.
They should be widely available almost everywhere. Even Walmart has them. According to reviews, the noodles have a firm, bouncy texture when done for the right amount of time (and I just love noodles). If you use only enough water to just boil the noodles with little water left at the end, you’re not making a soup, you’re making a noodle bowl, and with added pork or chicken, sliced mushrooms, and some green onions scattered on top plus drizzled with soy sauce, it’s pretty much a full meal.
I wouldn’t put Momofuku noodles in the same class as the standard fried then dried ramen noodles. Plus, look at the ingredients between the two!
They are good and worth the extra cost for us. Much better quality and ingredients. We keep them around for our quick to make dinner when we are beat after work. Like you, we add some veggies, maybe mushrooms and tofu.
They’re available at my local Kroger, and I live in Wonderbread world compared to Austin, I wouldn’t worry about it. 