Step Your Ramen Noodle Game Up

Welcome to our first blog post! In this entry we would like to write a tad bit about one of our favorite dishes, ramen noodles!

They are not only college students' life-saver, but they are can also be used to create a complete meal. My wife and I have shared a good amount of time eating ramen noodles during our college years, and yet we enjoyed it every time. Similar to rice, noodles are considered a "vehicle" that need "passengers" to create a "full ride" experience. With that being said, the noodles themselves stand alone as a quick fix meal with just simple broth to accompany.

It is up to your creativity to create a wonderful meal based on the basic noodles and broth. The broth is my opinion is the most important thing when it comes to any noodle soup dish, it can make or break the dish. With fresh/made from scratch noodle dishes, it could take up hours to build up the broth by simmering down the bones, spices, and seasonings. So the easiest way to enjoy a hot bowl of noodles is....STORE BOUGHT NOODLE PACKAGES.

You could get them on Amazon as shown below.

You could use the provided soup base with the noodles or you could create your own, which in the next entry we will guide you through. We are usually very fond of the spicy, tangy taste so Korean is always our choice for ramen noodles. The Korean noodles themselves are a bit thicker, and more of a chewier texture so they are much more fun to cook and eat with. If you find yourselves with the Maruchan brand, they are quicker to cook so watch out for the cooking time so that they do not become mushy.

The next factor that can amp up any store bought noodles are the toppings that you put on. You don't have to go too fancy, just whatever you have on hand.

Last night, my wife and I were craving some hot noodles for a chilly night in the Midwest so we decided to cook some and write an entry about it. In our fridge we had some bok choy, fresh shiitake mushrooms, cilantro, green onions, eggs, bean sprouts and some kimchi, so we just threw them all together to make the dish.

The freshness of the bok choy definitely cuts through the rich taste of the broth, the shiitake mushrooms added an earthy tone, and the hint of sweetness from the bean sprouts balanced the whole dish. My most favorite thing is the poached egg, so yolk just melts in your mouth with a rich and creamy texture.

Let's side track a little bit, I was born in Ukraine but grew up in Vietnam so Asian culture definitely influences me the most. Where I come from, no food goes to waste. So if sometimes you ask yourself...huhm, what should I do with the leftover broth after I've eaten all the noodles and such...Well, here's a tip, make yourself some jasmine rice before you cook your noodles and have yourself a bowl of steaming hot rice to eat with the leftover broth. It is definitely a COMPLETE meal after that. Trust me, I mean I can eat a lot and that fills me up every single time. So give it a try, and let us know what you think about it :)

Thanks for reading!