Nothings is more satisfying than some hot soup on cold days. I enjoy making homemade soups and stews, but I am just as content on making a quick boil-and-go Ramen noodle soup.
Those are the bomb and SO CHEAP.
I have a few friends who prep the soup, but then drain the liquid. HELLO, that is NOT soup.
The fun part of Ramen is letting those noodles soak in the flavors, getting nice and plump then SLURPING them up.
And you don’t have to be quiet when you slurp up the tasty noodles. In fact the louder the better. It is practically proper Ramen etiquette to loudly slurp your noodles.
If you don’t, you are doing it WRONG.
True Ramen chefs spend hours creating the broth. It is the most important aspect of the dish. Seriously. Look it up. Developing deep, rich flavors that meld well with the noodles is essential. And once you’ve slurped up all the noodles and goodies, YOU MUST chug down that broth.
NO SPOONS PLEASE. Pick up the bowl and drink the broth like you are supposed to. Unlike conventional soups, it is BAD manners to eat your Ramen any other way.
Obviously, the Ramen noodle soups we buy at the store are, of course, the most basic or bland version of a true Japanese Ramen, which are creatively and carefully constructed.
There are days when I’m OK with just the bland, store-bought version. Sometimes I’m just in the mood for some Ramen soup that is topped with cheddar cheese. The cheese melts into the broth as well as sticking to the noodles making for some ooey gooey slurping.
But more often than not I like experimenting with my Ramen soups, especially when I have leftovers in the fridge I need to use up.
For example after preparing a beef flavored Ramen packet, I might spruce it up by adding some chopped scallions, sliced cooked beef or pork and a hard-boiled egg (cut in half, like at those fancy restaurants).
Leftover cooked chicken and canned corn can spice up the plain chicken flavored version. Top that with a hit of rosemary and scallions for extra yumminess.
Turn a basic shrimp flavor pack into a seafood lover’s paradise by tossing in some cooked shrimp, crab meat and baby scallops.
I had some left over curry soup that I had made with coconut milk, butternut squash, carrots and chick peas. I cooked up a packet of Chicken flavored Ramen on the stove top while I heated up some of the curry soup in the microwave. When both were ready I tossed the Ramen noodles in the curry soup along with a bit of the chicken broth and a shot of hot sauce.
It was awesome!
How do you like your Ramen noodle soup? Send me an email and let me know.