Posted on 03/09/2010 7:56:04 AM PST by JoeProBono
Ramen noodles have the reputation as being a "poor college kid's" cuisine, right along with boxes of mac 'n' cheese and cases of Huber beer, but the reality of the dirt-cheap Asian pasta is that they are easily upgraded to an A+ dish.
Ramen noodles cost between 25 and 50 cents per package and come in a variety of flavors, including beef, chicken, shrimp and the elusive "Oriental" flavor.
Unfortunately, ramen is not a perfect food. It's high in carbs and low in vitamins and minerals. To remove the water and form them into blocks, ramen is deep fried in palm oil, which is extremely high in saturated fat. Plus, if the packet is added, the dish is suddenly super high in sodium (about 150 milligrams).
However, adding healthy ingredients redeems ramen, and most likely, a few items in your fridge or a quick trip to the grocery store will fancy up your meal.
While food prices continue to rise, revisiting ramen is fun and frugal, so OnMilwaukee.com consulted local chefs, restaurant owners and foodies to find out how to take ramen to the next level.
"There are a million and one things to do with ramen," says Ross Bachhuber, executive chef for the Diablos Rojos Group. "It's a really versatile noodle and can be jazzed up by almost anything."
Bachhuber, who creates cuisine at Cafe Centraal, 2306 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., Cafe Hollander, 2608 N. Downer Ave., and Trocadero, 1758 N. Water St., suggests a variety of ingredients.
"First, throw the seasoning packet away," he says. "Then, pick up some fresh ingredients like scallions, ginger, garlic, fresh chilies, limes, cilantro, thai basil, sprouts, cucumber, snap peas, carrots, cabbage, broccoli, spinach and tofu. Pretty much anything you would want in a great stir fry or salad."
When Bachhuber was in chef school he says he experimented with ramen recipes.
"I remember whisking together Dijon mustard, a splash of Worcestershire, a splash of Tabasco, steamy cooked ramen noodles, a splash of vodka and some hot Campbell's tomato soup to create a bloody mary ramen," he says. "Garnished with a pickle. Who could ask for a healthier, more well-balanced meal?"
Nick Burki is the new co-owner of Coquette Cafe, 316 N. Milwaukee St., and he admits to occasionally indulging in ramen.
"I get slightly naughty with a little miso, edamame, shiitake mushrooms, scallions, bok choy and some grilled salmon," says Burki, whose experience includes The Social and Cafe Calatrava at the Milwaukee Art Museum. "Or, a little ramen with braised pork belly, littleneck clams, sweet corn and potato."
Kyle Cherek, the host of the CBS television show, "Wisconsin Foodie," says that ramen noodles, although originally from China, were popularized by the Japanese. ("Ramen" is the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese characters "lo mein" which means "boiled noodles.")
"In a way, ramen noodles has a rags to riches story," says Cherek. "It's a centuries-old Chinese dish that, as of late, has been exalted through the likes of (chef) David Chang and his culinary denizens."
Milwaukee's Elaine Litzau spends time in her kitchen perfecting ramen-based recipes. And she is no spice packet snob.
"I put a green vegetable like broccoli, green beans, frozen peas, chinese cabbage in the water with the noodle block on top. When the water starts to boil, I push the noodles under the water, beneath the vegetables, then break the noodles up. Then, I add the spice packet," she says.
"When that is all mixed in, I crack an egg into the pot and stir it up. Sometimes, if I have it, I add leftover chicken or pork into the mix, too."
Litzau, whose mother is from Japan, says she considers ramen a comfort food.....
couple bags of ramen add a can of Rotel and an inch thick slice of Mexican Velveta cut into cubes. Awesome chit!
I know they say to throw out the flavor packet but that Lime chili shrimp in goo-ood!
When we went to the field, the M-577 was PACKED with ramen boxes. Probably would have taken an RPG hit!
I was being facetious. Obviously, if you are paying 500 times the price for something as simple as a pack of Ramen, there is a problem. My real objective, however, is to STRIKE abject fear into the hearts of all regarding what a stiff decline in our standard of living all this statism is going to cause to us.
Yikes, I guess it’s more expensive to ship them over there... :-)
yummy!
Ramen was my go to choice to fill out my buttpack. Ramen, check, coffee, check, cigarettes, check, okay I am ready for combat.
Ramen noodles cooked with the Mac and cheese packet with some butter, mmmm mmmmm
ping
My son has figured out how to cook them in the packet and somehow it sticks together and you eat it like a hot pocket.
When I was in college in the late 70’s, I lived off 4 boxes-for-a-dollar mac and cheese.
I know someone stockpiling ramen noodles for when economic fallout occurs and chaos is rampant. So, he’s not alone in his insanity.
Had my first Ramen noodles from a vendor who was outside the wire on a tank gunnery range in South Korea...yummy.
Just had it for dinner last night. Fry up some pork, boil some eggs - slice it all up with some green onions - put on top of noodles with soy sauce... my 10 year-old inhales it.
They have then .05¢ overpriced wht they usually are here. Nearly every other week they are 5/$1 here.
My body rejected Ramen while I was in college. I was living off of the stuff for a couple years and one day I couldn’t eat it any more. Every time I cooked it I would feel instantly stuffed like I just got done eating Thanksgiving dinner.(hmm, the Top Ramen diet...) I ended up switching to mac and cheese as my staple for my final year. I got it for $0.14 a box at WinCo.
I chop up a whole stalk of Bok Choy - makes a filling, and somewhat healthy lunch.
I must remember all these posted recipes - should make our future Soylent Green meals more palatable.
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