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Showing posts with label Ramen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ramen. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Using your Noodle - Gingered Chicken Ramen with Bok Choy
I promise that this is the last one... Cause I think I am completely Ramen'ed out for awhile.
There really isn't an interesting back story to this except that I figured since the first dish I did focused more on a basic "Noodle soup" aspect and the second focused on bringing a more "French" flair to the dish, that I should do something that smacked of the Asian origins of Ramen noodles. So this is what I use to do when I was tired of eating it as a soupish type dish, and focuses more on Pan-Asian flavors as well as the "noodles" themselves when serving, as the broth is discarded.
1 pkg Chicken Ramen (although Pork works just as well for this)
2 TB Orange Juice
1 Baby Bok Choy
1/2 tsp Ginger Powder (although this is better with freshly grated)
1/4 tsp dried Orange Peel
1 egg
Remove the core and separate the ribs of the Bok Choy.
Cut off the top leaf part and reserve, then dice the ribs as you would celery.
Place 1 3/4 cups of water in a small sauce pan along with 2 TB Orange Juice, the diced Bok Choy, dried Ginger and dried Orange Peel; bringing to a boil over medium heat.
Add the noodles and let boil for 2 minutes.
Crack an egg into the sauce pan.
Stir slowly with a fork so the egg pieces are larger and simmer for 1 minute more.
Remove from heat and add the reserved Bok Choy leaves.
Stir them into the noodles and let set for 5 minutes. This will allow the noodles to absorb some of the stock.
Strain out any remaining broth and serve the noodles.
Serve with a sprinkle of more powdered ginger if desired.
So these last 3 posts I have shared with you some of the "things" I do to my Ramen noodles. Do you do anything different to yours? What's your favorite flavor? (Mine is actually the Chili Lime Shrimp)
Mangia!!
~~
There really isn't an interesting back story to this except that I figured since the first dish I did focused more on a basic "Noodle soup" aspect and the second focused on bringing a more "French" flair to the dish, that I should do something that smacked of the Asian origins of Ramen noodles. So this is what I use to do when I was tired of eating it as a soupish type dish, and focuses more on Pan-Asian flavors as well as the "noodles" themselves when serving, as the broth is discarded.
Gingered Chicken Ramen with Bok Choy
1 pkg Chicken Ramen (although Pork works just as well for this)
2 TB Orange Juice
1 Baby Bok Choy
1/2 tsp Ginger Powder (although this is better with freshly grated)
1/4 tsp dried Orange Peel
1 egg
Remove the core and separate the ribs of the Bok Choy.
Cut off the top leaf part and reserve, then dice the ribs as you would celery.
Place 1 3/4 cups of water in a small sauce pan along with 2 TB Orange Juice, the diced Bok Choy, dried Ginger and dried Orange Peel; bringing to a boil over medium heat.
Add the noodles and let boil for 2 minutes.
Crack an egg into the sauce pan.
Stir slowly with a fork so the egg pieces are larger and simmer for 1 minute more.
Remove from heat and add the reserved Bok Choy leaves.
Stir them into the noodles and let set for 5 minutes. This will allow the noodles to absorb some of the stock.
Strain out any remaining broth and serve the noodles.
Serve with a sprinkle of more powdered ginger if desired. So these last 3 posts I have shared with you some of the "things" I do to my Ramen noodles. Do you do anything different to yours? What's your favorite flavor? (Mine is actually the Chili Lime Shrimp)
Mangia!!
~~
Monday, September 28, 2009
Reminiscing With Ramen - Chicken Tarragon Cream
I just figured that I should regale you all with at least two or three of my old Ramen concoctions before I let the matter drop.
This is one of my more experimental attempts, granted, this WAS about 15 years ago, or maybe 16. Either way, as I stated before... Flavor availability at the time was limited. I have always loved mushrooms with tarragon, especially when cream becomes involved. I think of it as a quintessential combination... Sort of a manage a trio of flavor, if you will. Thus it was that this recipe arose utilizing the chicken flavor of Ramen noodles.
In case you are curious, most of the "flavor packets" contain little more than whatever "flavor" of Bullion along with MSG, of course, and spices which usually consist of only Onion, Garlic and Chives. So you are pretty free to add just about ANY herbs to Ramen that you wish.
1 pkg Chicken Ramen
1/2 Rib of Celery, Diced
1/2 tsp Tarragon
Pinch of Dried Lemon Zest (cause I packed up my MicroPlane zester)
Pinch of Nutmeg
5 Medium Sized Mushrooms; Quartered
1/4 Cup Half & Half of if you are feeling particularly decadent... Light or Heavy whipping cream.
Place 1 3/4 cups water in a saucepan along with the Celery, the Seasoning Packet, Tarragon, Lemon Zest and Nutmeg.
Meanwhile, while the water is coming to a boil, heat some olive oil in a small skillet and sauté Mushrooms; then remove from heat and set aside.
Add noodles to boiling water.
When there is about 50 seconds left, add the sautéed Mushrooms.
When 30 seconds left, add the Half & Half or Cream and let the Ramen come back just to a simmer then remove from heat.
Place in a bowl and enjoy with another sprinkle of Nutmeg or Tarragon or garnish with a Lemon slice.
Mangia!!
~~
This is one of my more experimental attempts, granted, this WAS about 15 years ago, or maybe 16. Either way, as I stated before... Flavor availability at the time was limited. I have always loved mushrooms with tarragon, especially when cream becomes involved. I think of it as a quintessential combination... Sort of a manage a trio of flavor, if you will. Thus it was that this recipe arose utilizing the chicken flavor of Ramen noodles.
In case you are curious, most of the "flavor packets" contain little more than whatever "flavor" of Bullion along with MSG, of course, and spices which usually consist of only Onion, Garlic and Chives. So you are pretty free to add just about ANY herbs to Ramen that you wish.
Chicken Tarragon Cream
1 pkg Chicken Ramen1/2 Rib of Celery, Diced
1/2 tsp Tarragon
Pinch of Dried Lemon Zest (cause I packed up my MicroPlane zester)
Pinch of Nutmeg
5 Medium Sized Mushrooms; Quartered
1/4 Cup Half & Half of if you are feeling particularly decadent... Light or Heavy whipping cream.
Place 1 3/4 cups water in a saucepan along with the Celery, the Seasoning Packet, Tarragon, Lemon Zest and Nutmeg.
Meanwhile, while the water is coming to a boil, heat some olive oil in a small skillet and sauté Mushrooms; then remove from heat and set aside.
Add noodles to boiling water.
When there is about 50 seconds left, add the sautéed Mushrooms.
When 30 seconds left, add the Half & Half or Cream and let the Ramen come back just to a simmer then remove from heat.
Place in a bowl and enjoy with another sprinkle of Nutmeg or Tarragon or garnish with a Lemon slice.
Mangia!!~~
Saturday, September 26, 2009
My Udon Period
I just have to say, that my mom is gonna get a big kick out of this. I have hit 210 posts, so this was bound to come up sooner or later. LOL
I have been packing my apartment, making ready for my move to Portland, and have decided to tackle the kitchen. HA HA... Anyone who has seen, either in person or in pictures, what my apartment kitchen looks like will be fully aware of the monumental task that is before me. The problem, if you haven't already guessed, is that, well, I kind of like to cook and bake. Yeah, just a little bit over the last 13 years now.
This has created a tiny little problem. There is not an apartment anywhere in the world that has a large enough kitchen to store all my pots, pans, sheets, tins, mixing bowls, dishes, utensils, ramekins and various other gadgets, both manual and electric, as well as any specialty cookware like crepe pans, waffle irons, brioche molds or aebleskiver pans. In fact, I have decided what I really need to do is rent an industrial sized kitchen and string a cot in the dry pantry. AH, the "bliss factor".
The point I am attempting to make is, now that I have begun packing my kitchen, and cupboards are becoming bare of "accoutrement", I am reminded of those bygone days of my "Udon Period". I joke about this a lot, because it sounds very "artsy". I mean, I am kinda, sorta, maybe just a little bit, creative-ish, sometimes anyway. At least I think so, on occasion.
While it's true that "Soba" would be a better term for it, "Udon" just sounds better. What I speak of is those years preceding my obsession with cooking. When I was a college age know it all, spreading my wings, living life on the edge and eating an OH SO healthy diet of cold cuts, and white bread (no Mayo). Occasionally iceberg lettuce would make an appearance. After all, one should always eat vegetables, right? ;)
I had a small sauce pan and a large pot for boiling water (in case someone in the building was having a baby, cause lord knows I didn't know how to cook pasta) and a cast iron skillet to fry eggs in, but that was the extent of my cookware. Granted, my ability to fry an egg properly left A LOT to be desired, but back then I really didn't care if my fried eggs could been thrown against the wall and bounce like a "superball" or flubber. The one thing I COULD "cook" though, was Ramen Noodles. TA DA!
Ramen really is a strange beast. It's absolutely terrible for you. But somehow comforting. My theory is that it's a "noodle soup" type food which reminds people of "chicken noodle soup". I started out with a simple preparation, according to the directions. Over time this evolved. Now mind you there were only 5 flavors back then... Oriental, Beef, Chicken, Pork and Shrimp. None of this Chili Lime Shrimp or Creamy Chicken or Mushroom Chicken... I could go on, but I won't. OK, just one more... BBQ Pork.. Only 5 flavors can get a little boring after awhile. Especially when you are eating it for lunch AND dinner. It is because of this, that the allure of flavor combining and, consequently, actual cooking began.
I started experimenting with flavor additions. Asparagus with Chicken... Mushrooms & Broccoli with Beef... Carrots, Onion and Celery with Oriental... Rosemary with Chicken or Pork... I even added Chili Powder and Lime to the Shrimp (before it was an official flavor). If I wanted more protein, I would simply crack an egg into it and stir. (this was my favorite, cause it reminds me of a noddle laden Egg Drop Soup). I would put ANYTHING in Ramen just to see how it would taste. Eventually this spurred me into my first "Pasta" dish. But that is another story. (did you know that dry Pasta needs to boil A LOT longer than 3 minute?)
So as I sit here an reminisce while my kitchen slowly empties of all but the most basic of cooking paraphernalia, I leave you with this easy manifestation of Ramen that I usually consume when the mood strikes at 1:30 AM while packing to move....
1 pkg Ramen (your favorite flavor)
1/2 a small carrot, diced
1/2 rib of celery, diced
1 egg
Bring fresh water to a boil with the carrots, celery and the seasoning packet.
When water beings to boil, break the Ramen block into 4 pieces and add to the water.
OK, here is the bestest part... The incredible edible egg.....
When there are 45 seconds left on the timer, crack the egg into the saucepan.
Stir with a fork to break up the egg; the faster you stir, the smaller the egg pieces will be.
Pour into a bowl and garnish with a little chopped parsley.
I usually add a touch of black pepper as well. The nice thing is that aside from the extremely high sodium content, this is actually fairly easy on the stomach when you have the flu.
Mangia!!
~~
I have been packing my apartment, making ready for my move to Portland, and have decided to tackle the kitchen. HA HA... Anyone who has seen, either in person or in pictures, what my apartment kitchen looks like will be fully aware of the monumental task that is before me. The problem, if you haven't already guessed, is that, well, I kind of like to cook and bake. Yeah, just a little bit over the last 13 years now.
This has created a tiny little problem. There is not an apartment anywhere in the world that has a large enough kitchen to store all my pots, pans, sheets, tins, mixing bowls, dishes, utensils, ramekins and various other gadgets, both manual and electric, as well as any specialty cookware like crepe pans, waffle irons, brioche molds or aebleskiver pans. In fact, I have decided what I really need to do is rent an industrial sized kitchen and string a cot in the dry pantry. AH, the "bliss factor".
The point I am attempting to make is, now that I have begun packing my kitchen, and cupboards are becoming bare of "accoutrement", I am reminded of those bygone days of my "Udon Period". I joke about this a lot, because it sounds very "artsy". I mean, I am kinda, sorta, maybe just a little bit, creative-ish, sometimes anyway. At least I think so, on occasion.
While it's true that "Soba" would be a better term for it, "Udon" just sounds better. What I speak of is those years preceding my obsession with cooking. When I was a college age know it all, spreading my wings, living life on the edge and eating an OH SO healthy diet of cold cuts, and white bread (no Mayo). Occasionally iceberg lettuce would make an appearance. After all, one should always eat vegetables, right? ;)
I had a small sauce pan and a large pot for boiling water (in case someone in the building was having a baby, cause lord knows I didn't know how to cook pasta) and a cast iron skillet to fry eggs in, but that was the extent of my cookware. Granted, my ability to fry an egg properly left A LOT to be desired, but back then I really didn't care if my fried eggs could been thrown against the wall and bounce like a "superball" or flubber. The one thing I COULD "cook" though, was Ramen Noodles. TA DA!
Ramen really is a strange beast. It's absolutely terrible for you. But somehow comforting. My theory is that it's a "noodle soup" type food which reminds people of "chicken noodle soup". I started out with a simple preparation, according to the directions. Over time this evolved. Now mind you there were only 5 flavors back then... Oriental, Beef, Chicken, Pork and Shrimp. None of this Chili Lime Shrimp or Creamy Chicken or Mushroom Chicken... I could go on, but I won't. OK, just one more... BBQ Pork.. Only 5 flavors can get a little boring after awhile. Especially when you are eating it for lunch AND dinner. It is because of this, that the allure of flavor combining and, consequently, actual cooking began.
I started experimenting with flavor additions. Asparagus with Chicken... Mushrooms & Broccoli with Beef... Carrots, Onion and Celery with Oriental... Rosemary with Chicken or Pork... I even added Chili Powder and Lime to the Shrimp (before it was an official flavor). If I wanted more protein, I would simply crack an egg into it and stir. (this was my favorite, cause it reminds me of a noddle laden Egg Drop Soup). I would put ANYTHING in Ramen just to see how it would taste. Eventually this spurred me into my first "Pasta" dish. But that is another story. (did you know that dry Pasta needs to boil A LOT longer than 3 minute?)
So as I sit here an reminisce while my kitchen slowly empties of all but the most basic of cooking paraphernalia, I leave you with this easy manifestation of Ramen that I usually consume when the mood strikes at 1:30 AM while packing to move....
Revamped Ramen
1 pkg Ramen (your favorite flavor)1/2 a small carrot, diced
1/2 rib of celery, diced
1 egg
Bring fresh water to a boil with the carrots, celery and the seasoning packet.
When water beings to boil, break the Ramen block into 4 pieces and add to the water.
OK, here is the bestest part... The incredible edible egg.....
When there are 45 seconds left on the timer, crack the egg into the saucepan.
Stir with a fork to break up the egg; the faster you stir, the smaller the egg pieces will be.
Pour into a bowl and garnish with a little chopped parsley.
I usually add a touch of black pepper as well. The nice thing is that aside from the extremely high sodium content, this is actually fairly easy on the stomach when you have the flu.Mangia!!
~~
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