I never knew about the one pound sacks, that will be handy seeing as I had the Buldok spicy on Wednesday night, and another brand I can’t recall the name of but called it volcano and very spicy on the package. I chose those as I had a 4 lb napa cabbage, some baby bok choys, dried black mushrooms, and stuff like that to add. I put in a LOT of vegetables because I knew they could stand up to the spice and I like veggies. I added bunches of chicken to each of them. The volcano one last night, I did end up adding a packet of nissen Top Ramen chicken flavor to tone it down and it was much less spicy then the spicy (red package) Buldok. I ate about half and froze the rest for when it is too hot to cook anything. My husband had a huge plastic bin dedicated to the various ramens, he would eat them with raw-ish egg and sometimes spam (he got into that in Japan). I was surprised that the salt content didn’t seem all that high, maybe because I put in probably 1 1/2 lbs of veggies per pot for just me (cooked down, not crunchy). I feel this is a great way to get veggies in us when we are stuck not wanting more salads and stir fries. I need to get another canister of the black mushrooms though, they last for year and add so much to the soups. Bobbi in So Cal.
Welcome aboard the Ramen Express!
YES! I have two of these puppies in my crisper drawer right now that I bought for ramen.
I eyed the Napa cabbage at the store, but the heads were huge. Does Napa keep as well as a tight head of green cabbage? It takes me at least four meals to get through even a small regular cabbage.
I got that napa cabbage 2 weeks ago, and for the first 5 (yes, you read that right) days it was in a paper bag on the kitchen floor because it was soooo huge and that night it was about 90 degrees in the house when I got home at 8:30pm , so I wasn’t going to move a lot of food around in the garage fridge; I had also bought a head of cauliflower, and 2 bags each of broccoli crowns on sale for a buck a pound, way cheaper than usual, and I ton of other things. When I woke up Saturday I had 4 bags of mostly cruciferous veggies on the kitchen floor and gradually over days I moved them into the garage fridge, so yes, I would say the lifespan of the napa cabbage will be very good for you, assuming you put things away as you get them. I lost my husband suddenly, unexpectedly last year and with not driving since 2018 I had to get rides when I could get them and some weeks I was mostly veggie less except for my cabbage and carrots. I like to add the napa cabbage because as a teen my mom would use that in lieu of lettuce in salads, and I use it in a lot of Asian dishes. I have eaten 4 dishes myself just in the past 4 days with that napa cabbage and I am not tired of it one bit. I did end up freezing a lot of the cauliflower and broccoli but I don’t think I will need to do that with the napa cabbage. I got the biggest one I could find. I sound like an ad for eating more veggies! OH and the baby bok choys were on the floor 2 days and fared fairly well considering, but the last one I ate last night had 2 leaves starting to yellow… Bobbi in So Cal.
Oh honey, I am so, so sorry to hear that. I am a widow myself but for many years. Those first few months and even the first few years, it can be very disorienting just getting through daily life. I cooked all the time when my husband was alive, so even going to the grocery store was a very emotional and trying experience for me. He liked the way I fixed broccoli, so I would stand in Whole Foods in front of the broccoli and just choke back tears. Take care. It does get easier to bear, but, frankly, it takes a long time. I always told myself, billions and billions of people have gotten through this, and if they can do it, I can do it.
Haven’t tried those, but other than the aforementioned usual ingredients for ramen, I’ll sometimes add bean sprouts for a crunchy texture. They don’t look as nutritious as green leafy vegs, but apparently have a lot of vitamins, and the taste and texture is pretty good.
I only buy them occasionally as they have a very short shelf life, and they come in fairly big bags, so most of it ends up wasted. But it’s an interesting addition to ramen once in a while.
I know! I love bean sprouts but have never come close to finishing a ginormous bag. It’s pretty easy to grow your own in a jar with a piece of net or cheesecloth over the top…
It truly is easy–you just have to rinse them once a day and keep them in a darkish place like in a cupboard or under the sink. Once they get started, the smell in the jar is divine–like all the green, grassy fields of heaven. You can use different seeds or a mixture but they should be organic seeds for sprouting-- broccoli, clover, red radish, and/or alfalfa seeds.
As for the baby bok choys, what I plan to do is cut off the chunky bottoms and stir fry those to soften a bit and then add the already-soft tops into the broth.
I saw a tasty-looking hack on Mike Chen’s channel the other day: instead of water and the flavor packet use the consomé from Trader Joe’s Birria.
I suppose you could use chicken stock or broth if you want to improve your ramen recipe. Really there’s lots of ways to make it your own.
I say add stock (homemade ideally) but I’m hesitant to do purchased broth or stock because now you’re going from sodium explosion to sodium nuclear meltdown. The same way I feel guilty when I add some nice miso paste to my packet as another way to turn up the flavor, or any of the granulated dashi options.
Of course, simmering a big handful of benito shavings to the simmering water prior to making the ramen… well, that I only hold back on because of cost.
Oh, sugarplum. I hate to say it, but you have company around here, not that any us wanted to join that particular demographic.
You’re cordially invited to vent, ask questions, be bewildered, and possibly, find amusement & learn some stuff.
But … but then what goes on the birria?