If you were truly a vegetarian and a hacker you would know that Top brand Ramen (which is specifically mentioned in the poll) has one vegetarian flavour, which is called "Oriental".
Real ramen isn't instant noodles - you get it at Japanese fast-food restaurants, canonically as a soup with pork and green onions on top and more pork or fish hiding in the broth. But yes, hacker-style ramen is instant noodles, canonically obtained from vending machines and heated in a microwave or sometimes crunched dry without additional cooking if you're bored or lazy or the microwave near the university computer lab isn't working. It's also common student food at home because it's cheap and less work
Don't you have to go to the gym to have gym socks?
Heck no. I know lots of people who wear sweats all the time but they never break a sweat pokin' the buttons on that remote. Why should gym socks be any different?
Hear, Hear. Maruchan noodles are much better than Top. They have more varieties of flavors too. In my experience, Top and Smack are about the same. Maruchan is better, but costs a few cents more. Strangely enough, Campbells also makes ramen, they are much more expensive, but not nearly as good.
...How about None for those who don't eat Top Ramen noodles like me?
No kidding. Maruchan is superior to Top Ramen in every way!
As an aside, here's a simple, cheesy recipe for shrimp-flavored ramen. Cook the ramen as normal, except put the flavor packet in the boiling water before the noodles to let it soak into them. Drain and then mix with alfredo sauce. Adds a little calories to your cheapo brick-o'-salt for not too much money.
It'll pretty much violate any and all diets out there right now to mix starchy noodles and fatty alfredo, though.
Once you graduate from starving student to 20-something bachelor, you might find that ramen actually tastes good if you add a few ingredients to the soup like green onions, fish cake, chicken and vegetables. Fresh vegetables are hard to keep around since they spoil so fast, but the prepackaged fish cakes and meatballs from the Asian markets keep well, even in the freezer if needed.
You would be completely wrong on that. Parmesean and cheese is absolutely quintessential to alfredo sauce. Try going down the sauce isle at your local grocery store and read the ingredients on all the alfredo sauces. Parmesean (and often romano) will be in every single one. Also, try a Google search on "alfredo sauce recipe" and try to count how many recipes you can find that don't have cheese that aren't noted to be very non-traditional.
(Also, I was using "cheesy" in the sense of cheap and not fancy.)
here here! Top Ramen noodles are nasty once you've had hot and spicy Shin Ramyun [daveola.com]. If you don't get these in your local grocer you can always go to the mecca of ramen noodles at ramencity.com [ramencity.com]
That would strongly affect the statistical validity of the poll answers. The options should cover every logical possibility to avoid tainting the results, so future anthropologists studying the eating habits of slashdot readers won't get bogus results.
As an interesting footnote to your reply, I recall when I first started making ramen while I was in college *before I read the recipe*.
I had eaten it before, but having not prepared it myself, I always thought you were supposed to drain it before adding the broth packet. The first few times, I remember that it tasted a little salty, but I have weak taste buds, so I kept going with it. I suppose the fact that they call it "broth packet" implies that it combines with water (not just steamy noodles) to make a "broth".
Well, I eventually read the wrapper. This was several years later. By then, if I ate *correctly* prepared ramen, where the salty stuff had been diluted as broth, it tasted bland. So I guess I'd say my preferred saltiness is "MSG rollercoaster"
I've had those Cup-o-Noodle instant soups before, but I've never had Top Ramen. My brother used to (and probably still does) inhale the beef flavor like it was ambrosia. I thought it was pretty stinky. Thankfully, I'm not a poor college student like him:)
Has anyone seen the latest Cup of Noodles ads in Japan?
The last ad I saw while over there (beginning of April) had several cheerleaders jumping up and down shouting "She is pork! Very juicy pork!" while he camera zoomed in on a cheerleader in the middle wearing a pig snout over her nose. Needless to say I nearly died laughing.
You can watch the ad on the Nissin web site. It is about half way down on the page. Just look for the picture of a cheerleader:)
Skip the Cup-O's, and try one of the (newer) bowl ramen varieties that are available...well, almost everywhere, though there seem to be more varieties of them than there are grocery stores. They come in bowl-sized styrofoam containers, with the seasoning in 1 or 2 packets.
The main brand that's available near me is Souper (LOL!) Bowl Ramen. The oil/garlic seasoning packet is seperate from the dry seasoning/salt packet, so you can mix to taste. Chili/sesame oil is a good addition as well.
Not really. The one thats hard to find but is incredibly good is the Chicken Sesame, which does not appear to be available [nissinfoods.com] anymore.
I cook ramen a little different than most people I guess. I smash the noodles in the package before cooking, cook, drain off most of the water, and often I use butter in them. Whats funny is when i was in college, my Japanese exchange student roomate saw me smashing the noodles, and he said "Thats not ramen!". Shortly after that he was doing the same, he found it easier to
While in Changwon, a colleague and I were invited out by our Korean customer to drink Makkoli and eat 'lahmyun'. We said "sure" although we had no idea what 'lahmyun' might be.
We figured it out pretty soon. Turned out to be huge bowls of Ramen noodles laced heavily with flaming red pepper and kimchee. Our misunderstanding stemmed from our (at the time) unfamiliarity with Korean pronunciation (kinda roll their 'R's softly so they sound like 'L's).
Ramen is a *fresh* noodle. It is boiled ever so slightly, then put in a monster bowl with broth (traditionally pork broth) and toppings.
For an introduction to *real* Sino-Japanese Ramen, you are instructed to rent Tampopo [imdb.com], by the late, great Japanese comedy director Itami Juzo.
Once you get the general idea of what Ramen is truly all about, a good next step is to find a noodle shop in your vicinity. You don't have to go all the way to Korea or Japan...there are some good ones here in the Los Angeles area, for example. I wish I could suggest a good Korean-style noodle shop, but I'm mostly knowledgeable about Japanese-style noodle shops.
Little Tokyo: Kouraku
West LA: Tampopo, inside Mitsuwa Market
Valley: Ramen Nippon in Reseda, Kyushu Ramen in Van Nuys
If there isn't a good noodle shop in your neighborhood, go to the store and get yourself a package of fresh "yakisoba noodles" from the produce or deli department. These are identical to fresh Ramen. Do NOT use the seasoning packet. It is basically just MSG and salt. Get a can of chicken or beef broth or better yet, make some chicken or pork stock yourself. Make sure you get plenty of veggies to add to the stock: onions, garlic, bok choy, spinach, bean sprouts, bamboo shoots and whatever else. Grill up a chicken breast if you want meat, or get some frozen precooked shrimp to add to the broth at the next to last minute.
The noodles only need to be submersed in boiling water for about half a minute. Pros put the noodles into a basket and give the noodles a swish in boiling water. You will probably have to use a colander to drain off your noodles if you don't have the special noodle baskets.
Drain the noodles, put them into a nice big deep bowl. Pour broth over and top with veggies and meats. You will never go back to Top Ramen again.
Top Ramen is, indeed, ramen (lamen? lramen? rlamen?). Now, it may be to ramen what Tombstone is to pizza, but it's still ramen.
Nissin, the company that sells Top Ramen in the US, also sells ramen in Japan using the same logo and very similar packaging. In Japan, however, the noodles are not in blocks, their in birllo pads, and while dry, they are soft and pliable (unlike our noodle bricks). They also come with an extra little packet filled with some oily junk that tastes wierd.
10 for a dollar specials, got me through all four years of college.... no kitchen, just a microwave, a big glass bowl, a case of Top Ramen, and a bottle of Tabasco....
While I was hiking the Appalachian Trail last year, my favorite modification was the addition of instant mashed potatoes, mixed together. I occasionally threw a can of tuna in there, too.
Yeah, sounds gross, but when you're burning in excess of 6,000 calories a day (30-35 lb pack, hiking 12 hours a day), ramen and mashed potatoes are truly a godsend.
We also used to eat them dry. But considering that we indiscriminately ate anything on the trail (I even knew a guy who even killed and ate a spruce grouse w
I eat mine without the flavor packet; I use chicken bullion cubes or beef. It's better, and if you add vegetables, has some semblance of nutritional content.
Chili has by far the best flavor packet. Unless you're a wuss who can't eat hot food (in spite of being partially of Mexican descent I really couldn't handle any hot food until I was somewhere around 20 or 21 - guess my tongue isn't from south of the border) it is the most flavorful and tastes the least artificial. Plus, it's the best to throw in a frying pan with cooked ramen and some light oil and corn or something. Fried ramen noodles is probably one of the worst things you can possibly eat but it's so t
IMO, Oriental is by FAR the best ramen flavor. It's like blue candy. You don't know what it's supposed to taste like, but it's good. Chicken is pretty good and beef is ok. Under no circumstances should you ever buy the more exotic flavors like creamy chicken and stuff. They're SUPER gross. From konzak.com: "Nissin still controls slightly less than half of the U.S. Ramen market and fifteen percent of the world Ramen market of about ten billion dollars annually. At this writing, the average wholesale price
I never got into Ramen, even in college - I prefered good ol' Kraft Dinner. Ocassionaly when I was especially poor, I would buy the generic mac and cheese for 19 cents a box. Now THATS a bargain for dinner! (or lunch, or breakfast)
There's only so much salt a man can handle, and that packet's got too much for me. Of course, the really sick thing is that three and a half metric tons of salt per pack of ramen is only half; if you look carefully you'll see the number of servings in a pack of ramen is two!
I like taking plain ramen and mixing it with veggies like broccoli and chicken.
-JDF (Yes, chicken is a vegetable. Ever met a chicken? Fast vegetables, I'm tellin' ya.)
Don't know if Top Ramen makes it, but Murachan does, and it's my personal fave...
Of course, whenever I make ramen at all (which is VERY rarely now that I'm no longer a poor college student), I drain off most of the water after cooking the noodles and use only about half the flavor packet.. This way it's more like pasta than soup, and of course a whole packet would be like drinking ocean water.
Ah yes, college memories. One of my roommates used to take the noodles out of the package, sprinkle them with the "pig pakcet" and eat them dry. He was too lazy to boil them (mostly because he had to clean up afterward.)
If "MSG Flavor" or "Salt Flavor" had been on the list, I would have voted for that.
Here is a list of my favourite ramen producers: 1) Tung I Ramen, Taiwan (beef flavour is best) 2) Demae Ramen, Japan (spicy squid is unlike any other ramen) 3) Nong Shim Spicy Noodles, Korea (the kimchi ramen are good)
How is this possible?!?! They grind up Orientals to give it flavor - How can this not be everyone's favorite flavor? Think of the sacrifice... And on that note, how come there's no "Anglo" flavor?
At my college, a student ate Ramen 3 meals a day for most of the school year. He got sick, couldn't shake it and went into the Student Union doctor. The doc told him he had scurvey/rickets/berry berry, and he had to be hospitalized for severe vitamin deficency.
he was on a budget- his folks were wealthy but figured putting him on a very small allowance would keep him off drugs.
He decided he could live on nothing but bulk-purchase ramen noodles. After about a month, he realized he'd need to take an occasional multivitamin, and more frequent vitamin C.
Probably as a result of the vitamins, he did fine, other than getting pretty damn sick of ramen noodles and dropping a few pounds. He lived like this for 6 months or so- he eventually er, found an alternative source of income... let's just say his parent's plan didn't work too well...
I currently live in China, so no Top Ramen for me, but lots and lots of instant noodles. I'm in Western China (Sichaun specifically) so all we get is spicy flavors, spicy beef, spicy chicken, spicy shrimp, spicy dog (well haven't seen dog flavour yet, but hey) and trust me, they are SPICY I've had the spicy ones back in NA, and they are nothing compared to the ones here, as well, you get 3-4 flavour packs here usually, one salt/msg/flavour, one vegi type things, 1 oily spicy one, and sometimes a second spicy oily one with peppers in it as well. They also have sweat potatoe noodles here as well, which are a bit different (they are clear), I stil prefer the regular kind though.
The best way to eat it is with tons of Tabasco sauce. Tons. Thats not the safest way though. You know how laughing makes milk come out your nose? Now imagine me watching TV and slurping some chili ramen made nuclear with Tabasco... I had part of a hot chili noodle stuck in my nose for about half an hour! AAAAAARG that was unpleasant.
I've neve seen cajun or chili ramen..damn, i'm missing out
Here's my preferred ramen "mods":
#1: Add egg to boiling water before noodles, stir for a few minutes, add noodles and proceed. makes them MUCH more filling and adds some texture. 1 slice cheese optional.
#2: add: chopped green onions, bean sprouts and chopped green peppers after the noodles have started to get soft (alternately sautee them in a pan if you dont care to get another dirty)
#3: add whatever meat you have around...roast beef w/ roast beef ramen, shrimp with shrimp, whatver
Also chopped fresh ginger or chopped peppers (red chilis and poblano peppers are my two favorites for taste and heat balance)
Now one could wonder why i dont just mix ALL of that together...two reasons: the "ramen pot" i have wont hold it all:p and, I find when you add too many things the flavors clash. but that's just my opinion
Some Chinese restaurants serve, as an appetizer, a quasi-asian dish called "cold sesame noodles."
Think: Cold spaghetti tossed with satay peanut sauce and celery slivers, sprinkled with a bit of sugar and sesame seeds.
When it's good, it's really good.
I've found that the dish isn't common on the West Coast, I miss it a lot.
A few months back, I tried making it myself, using ramen. The results weren't that bad!
The noodles are ramen, prepared w/o the flavor packet.
The sauce:
Peanut butter
Vegetable oil
Soy sauce
Sugar
Sesame oil
I warmed the sauce ingredients and mixed them all together while the noodles boiled. As soon as the noodles were done, I drained them and plopped them in the same pot as the sauce. It took a bit of work to coat them all evenly, but I got it done.
After cooling, the results were . . . not bad. Very rich, so you wouldn't want it as an entree. But it was as least as good as some of the more mediocre Cold Sesame Noodle variants I'd eaten back east.
Since this initial experiment, I've found an authentic recipe. Better, especially because I went and added celery, which adds crunch and lightness.
You could probably make up a jar of the sauce and spoon it out as needed.
As a non US citizen I have NO idea what you are talking about. So I'm looking forward to that +5 informative description. I voted Cojun (or something) chicken becouse that sounded rather good.
Top Ramen (or Smack Ramen in some markets) are square blocks of fried and dried noodles. Campbells also has a competing product. They come wrapped in plastic with a foil packet of seasoning that consists mainly of salt. They sell for 4 to 6 for $1 here in the states. You boil 2 cups of water, add the noodles, add the sauce, and whatever leftovers you have, if any. They were 10 for $1 back in my broke days (80s).
Everyone who has been poor, or is poor, knows these noodles. This would include college students. They are the cheapest way to put some calories in your stomache available in the US. They taste ok.
Some people like to boil them whole, making long noodles, but I prefer to crush them in the package, and use only 1 cup of water, making the juices much stronger. For extra flavor, you can add a hot dog or some bologna. (keep in mind, this is po' folk food). Left over bacon or ham does nicely as well, unless staying kosher is a consideration. Diced green onion is also nice, if you have them.
Top Ramen is a "right of passage". You know you are not poor anymore when you look into the cabinets, and you see food, but none of it is Top Ramen.
First off, Campbell's, I hate you. You had it all going for you with your fancy-schmancy soups and all, but you just couldn't leave well enough alone, could you? No, you had to go and put ramen noodles on the market. Well, I guess the consumers got the last word on this slap-in-the-face, didn't they, you dickheads. Yes, dear readers, Campbell's ramen noodles have been discontinued. . . and no one even noticed. Let me give you a little rundown on why this ingenious marketing idea burned to the ground.
Right off, it is important to understand that every college kid, every bachelor, every single bachelorette on the face of this planet eats ramen noodles for one reason and one reason only: they are cheap as fuck. You can buy FOUR packages of ramen noodles for under a buck, and whether you like the taste or not, you fucking well learn to relish their merciful existence because when you have four dollars left for the rest of the week, ramen noodles quickly become the thin line between life and starvation. Campbell's, for some odd reason, thought that people were buying the dehydrated slivers of starch and packets of colored salt because they just couldn't get enough of that beefy, chickeny, "oriental" delicacy that seemed to be sweeping the nation. No, Campbell's, we were fucking broke!
So why am I so mad that they decided to partake in the thriving ramen industry? Because they charged about FIFTY CENTS a pack. That's over TWICE what the regular ramens cost, which insults my intelligence and offends me as a consumer. Sure, the people at Campbell's would like to have you believe that they charge more because they make "better" ramen noodles than the other companies, but anyone who has ever eaten a single ramen noodle can tell you that THEY ALL TASTE EXACTLY THE SAME! Even if they were better, we still wouldn't buy them for one simple reason: you pay twice as much for half the product. People don't buy ramen noodles for the quality of the product. . . they buy them so they don't get hospitalized for malnutrition. Even if we had the extra fifty cents to "upgrade" or ramen quality, we wouldn't spend it like that. . . we would simply climb to the next rung on the ladder of single-people food: macaroni and cheese.
Let's face it, Campbell's, when's the last time any of your executives went to an expensive company dinner and ordered ramen noodles. . . on purpose? When was the last time one of your rich-ass friends invited you over for dinner and this happened:
"Bob, you ought to bring over the wife and kids for dinner tonight."
"Sorry, Biff, I have lots of work this evening."
"Are you sure? We're breaking out the ramen noodles. . . "
"Really? Is it someone's birthday?"
What? That's never happened to you? You know why? Because you aren't poor. Do you want to know why other ramen companies are still thriving and you had to discontinue yours? This is why:
Because other companies tell it like it is. Smack Ramen. This shit is "smack" for poor people. They don't try to flower it up or make it look all gormet. Sure, they tried to make it look a little too pretty on the package, but not only does theirs cost eighteen cents a package, they named their entire company "Smack". Because if you have to rely on ramen noodles as your chief source of nutrition, you probably look like a junkie, and Smack sure as fuck isn't going to act like they don't know. Thank you, Smack, for looking our handicap right in the face and not pretending like it doesn't exist.
And Campbell's I only have one thing left to say to you: "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."
For those who eat Ramen Noodles on a daily basis, I offer you this advice: buy yourself some Lipton Rice and Sauce. Not only is it one step up from Ramen, but it costs just about as little and taste a thousand times better. Well, that is to say that whereas chicken-flavored Ramens taste nothing like chicken at all and more
"Are you sure? We're breaking out the ramen noodles. . . "
"Really? Is it someone's birthday?"
Thank you for making my day. Had to wipe the coffee off the monitor from the spit-take while reading. Someone please DO moderate insightful or interesting;)
You are like Mark Twain or someone. You understand the common man and his noodle. I am moved beyond words. While it has been some time since Smack Ramen has been a necessity, I remember having to STEAL the stuff from my rich roommate who sometimes had 3-4 packages of the stuff in his cupboard. The bastard.
Just goto an oriental market and buy the super deluxe kind of ramen that comes in this really fancy packaging (usually sells for close to $1, much more than even Campbells).
Unlike the kind of ramen that sells 4 to a dollar, this kind actually tastes better than OK, its actually good! They come with like 4 different kinds of seasoning packets: the usual colored salt packet, the dried vegetable packet, the oily liquid packet, and sometimes even a dried meat packet.
So really, not all ramen is the same, and though I never tried Campbell's particular type, I know for a fact that the expensive kind tastes better than the regular kind.
WalMart has a generic brand of ramen you can get for about 1/4 the price of top or smack.
When you're _really_ poor you eat that.
I see it sometimes on sale 40/$1
Also, it should be noted that while this is a very, very cheap way to get calories, surviving on ramen is probably exceptionally bad for your heart due to the high saturated fat.
Cajun chicken refers to flavors popular among Cajuns in Louisiana. Cajuns are descended from Acadian immigrants. In the mid 1700s, Britain effectively drove out the french-descended settlers in Acadia, a region of Canada. IIRC, many of them came to South Carolina, where French Huegenots (sp?) had settled in fairly large numbers to escape religious persecution (I think they were Protestants trying to escape persecution in Catholic France, but my facts in this post are necessarily vague as I need to get back
If you happen to travel through Japan, you can visit the ramen museum [bento.com] to learn more about it and try making some for yourself! You can also get more info from the straight dope [straightdope.com].
ob missing option (Score:4, Funny)
oh wait. n/m
Veggie!! (Score:4, Funny)
What? Are we all expected to eat meat? Doen't you know that stuff makes your brain rott.
Thanks for assuming that all geeks either eat there own gym socks or eat meat.
Hell, these people couldn't even program in 16K.
Re:Veggie!! (Score:5, Funny)
Veggie ramen is worse, apparently.
Re:Veggie!! (Score:3, Funny)
Be Afraid.
Be Very Afraid.
SB
Re:Veggie!! (Score:3, Funny)
Brane rott? I used two be abill to spel untill I ate vedjee rommin.
Re:Veggie!! (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Veggie!! (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Veggie!! (Score:4, Funny)
I always thought that Ramen's flavors were Salt, More Salt, Salt and Spice, More Salt and More Spice, and MS^MS+MSG.
One learns something every day.
SB
Real Ramen (Score:3, Informative)
Gym socks (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Gym socks (Score:5, Funny)
Don't you have to go to the gym to have gym socks?
Re:Gym socks (Score:5, Informative)
Heck no. I know lots of people who wear sweats all the time but they never break a sweat pokin' the buttons on that remote. Why should gym socks be any different?
Re:Gym socks (Score:3, Funny)
Don't they all... (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Don't they all... (Score:5, Funny)
Tastes like Chicken (Score:5, Funny)
Missing option.... (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Missing option.... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Missing option.... (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Missing option.... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Missing option.... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Missing option.... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Missing option.... (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Missing option.... (Score:3, Funny)
Re: Missing option... (Score:5, Interesting)
No kidding. Maruchan is superior to Top Ramen in every way!
As an aside, here's a simple, cheesy recipe for shrimp-flavored ramen. Cook the ramen as normal, except put the flavor packet in the boiling water before the noodles to let it soak into them. Drain and then mix with alfredo sauce. Adds a little calories to your cheapo brick-o'-salt for not too much money.
It'll pretty much violate any and all diets out there right now to mix starchy noodles and fatty alfredo, though.
Re: Missing option... (Score:4, Interesting)
Re: Missing option... (Score:4, Informative)
You would be completely wrong on that. Parmesean and cheese is absolutely quintessential to alfredo sauce. Try going down the sauce isle at your local grocery store and read the ingredients on all the alfredo sauces. Parmesean (and often romano) will be in every single one. Also, try a Google search on "alfredo sauce recipe" and try to count how many recipes you can find that don't have cheese that aren't noted to be very non-traditional.
(Also, I was using "cheesy" in the sense of cheap and not fancy.)
Re:Missing option.... (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Missing option.... (Score:3, Funny)
Vegetable? (Score:2, Funny)
Oh Yeah, I remember now. It's the only flavor you can buy in packs of 200 for less than 10 bucks...
missing option... (Score:5, Funny)
Comment removed (Score:5, Funny)
Re:missing option... (Score:5, Funny)
I had eaten it before, but having not prepared it myself, I always thought you were supposed to drain it before adding the broth packet. The first few times, I remember that it tasted a little salty, but I have weak taste buds, so I kept going with it. I suppose the fact that they call it "broth packet" implies that it combines with water (not just steamy noodles) to make a "broth".
Well, I eventually read the wrapper. This was several years later. By then, if I ate *correctly* prepared ramen, where the salty stuff had been diluted as broth, it tasted bland. So I guess I'd say my preferred saltiness is "MSG rollercoaster"
Re:missing option... (Score:3, Funny)
I wouldn't know about female virgins though...
Re:missing option... (Score:3, Funny)
ObFuturama: "That's the saltiest thing I ever tasted! And I once ate a big heaping bowlful of salt!"
mmmmmm gym socks (Score:4, Interesting)
Obligatory Simpsons (Score:5, Funny)
Never actually had it (Score:2)
Re:Never actually had it (Score:2)
The last ad I saw while over there (beginning of April) had several cheerleaders jumping up and down shouting "She is pork! Very juicy pork!" while he camera zoomed in on a cheerleader in the middle wearing a pig snout over her nose. Needless to say I nearly died laughing.
You can watch the ad on the Nissin web site. It is about half way down on the page. Just look for the picture of a cheerleader
http://www.nissinfoods.co.jp/product/cm/ [nissinfoods.co.jp]
-sirket
Re:Never actually had it (Score:2)
The main brand that's available near me is Souper (LOL!) Bowl Ramen. The oil/garlic seasoning packet is seperate from the dry seasoning/salt packet, so you can mix to taste. Chili/sesame oil is a good addition as well.
Last time I visi
They all taste the same (Score:2)
Re:They all taste the same (Score:2)
Re:They all taste the same (Score:2)
What is that, some kind of soap?
Re:They all taste the same (Score:2)
I cook ramen a little different than most people I guess. I smash the noodles in the package before cooking, cook, drain off most of the water, and often I use butter in them. Whats funny is when i was in college, my Japanese exchange student roomate saw me smashing the noodles, and he said "Thats not ramen!". Shortly after that he was doing the same, he found it easier to
Re:They all taste the same (Score:2)
Re: They all taste the same (Score:2)
Hm... funny way of spelling MSG...
I'm Vegan you insensitive clod (Score:3)
Re:I'm Vegan you insensitive clod (Score:2)
Ramen cuisine (Score:5, Interesting)
What else?
Re:Ramen cuisine (Score:2, Insightful)
While in Changwon, a colleague and I were invited out by our Korean customer to drink Makkoli and eat 'lahmyun'. We said "sure" although we had no idea what 'lahmyun' might be.
We figured it out pretty soon. Turned out to be huge bowls of Ramen noodles laced heavily with flaming red pepper and kimchee. Our misunderstanding stemmed from our (at the time) unfamiliarity with Korean pronunciation (kinda roll their 'R's softly so they sound like 'L's).
Man, I love ramen,
Re:Ramen cuisine (Score:5, Informative)
Ramen is a *fresh* noodle. It is boiled ever so slightly, then put in a monster bowl with broth (traditionally pork broth) and toppings.
For an introduction to *real* Sino-Japanese Ramen, you are instructed to rent Tampopo [imdb.com], by the late, great Japanese comedy director Itami Juzo.
Once you get the general idea of what Ramen is truly all about, a good next step is to find a noodle shop in your vicinity. You don't have to go all the way to Korea or Japan...there are some good ones here in the Los Angeles area, for example. I wish I could suggest a good Korean-style noodle shop, but I'm mostly knowledgeable about Japanese-style noodle shops.
If there isn't a good noodle shop in your neighborhood, go to the store and get yourself a package of fresh "yakisoba noodles" from the produce or deli department. These are identical to fresh Ramen. Do NOT use the seasoning packet. It is basically just MSG and salt. Get a can of chicken or beef broth or better yet, make some chicken or pork stock yourself. Make sure you get plenty of veggies to add to the stock: onions, garlic, bok choy, spinach, bean sprouts, bamboo shoots and whatever else. Grill up a chicken breast if you want meat, or get some frozen precooked shrimp to add to the broth at the next to last minute.
The noodles only need to be submersed in boiling water for about half a minute. Pros put the noodles into a basket and give the noodles a swish in boiling water. You will probably have to use a colander to drain off your noodles if you don't have the special noodle baskets.
Drain the noodles, put them into a nice big deep bowl. Pour broth over and top with veggies and meats. You will never go back to Top Ramen again.
Re:Ramen cuisine (Score:5, Funny)
Umm... yes it is. (Score:3, Interesting)
Nissin, the company that sells Top Ramen in the US, also sells ramen in Japan using the same logo and very similar packaging. In Japan, however, the noodles are not in blocks, their in birllo pads, and while dry, they are soft and pliable (unlike our noodle bricks). They also come with an extra little packet filled with some oily junk that tastes wierd.
In the end, though, it taste
Re:Ramen cuisine (Score:3, Funny)
Ramen mods (Score:5, Informative)
10 for a dollar specials, got me through all four years of college.... no kitchen, just a microwave, a big glass bowl, a case of Top Ramen, and a bottle of Tabasco....
Re:Ramen cuisine (Score:2)
Yeah, sounds gross, but when you're burning in excess of 6,000 calories a day (30-35 lb pack, hiking 12 hours a day), ramen and mashed potatoes are truly a godsend.
We also used to eat them dry. But considering that we indiscriminately ate anything on the trail (I even knew a guy who even killed and ate a spruce grouse w
Re:Ramen cuisine (Score:3, Funny)
Umami (Score:5, Informative)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umami
Without flavor packet. (Score:4, Interesting)
Girlfriend is a vegetarian (Score:2, Funny)
Ramen (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Ramen (Score:3, Informative)
Why chili is the best (Score:2)
boo on this "top" ramen (Score:2)
Tastes like? (Score:2)
From konzak.com:
"Nissin still controls slightly less than half of the U.S. Ramen market and fifteen percent of the world Ramen market of about ten billion dollars annually. At this writing, the average wholesale price
missing Mac and Cheese option (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:missing Mac and Cheese option (Score:2)
Plain. (Score:2)
I like taking plain ramen and mixing it with veggies like broccoli and chicken.
-JDF
(Yes, chicken is a vegetable. Ever met a chicken? Fast vegetables, I'm tellin' ya.)
Required Adams Family Reference (Score:2)
Are the Oriental flavored noodles made with real Orientals?
-- Ok, so mod this "Troll" --
Missing TOMATO option... and serving suggestion (Score:2)
Of course, whenever I make ramen at all (which is VERY rarely now that I'm no longer a poor college student), I drain off most of the water after cooking the noodles and use only about half the flavor packet.. This way it's more like pasta than soup, and of course a whole packet would be like drinking ocean water.
Umami baby!
So what is ramen? (Score:5, Informative)
Ramen is instant noodles of various flavors. Usually bought very cheaply (ca. 3. Danish Kroner).
"Official" Ramen homepage [mattfischer.com].
Forgotten Option (Score:5, Funny)
"Pig" flavor (Score:2)
If "MSG Flavor" or "Salt Flavor" had been on the list, I would have voted for that.
Best ramen (Score:2)
1) Tung I Ramen, Taiwan (beef flavour is best)
2) Demae Ramen, Japan (spicy squid is unlike any other ramen)
3) Nong Shim Spicy Noodles, Korea (the kimchi ramen are good)
ramen quote (Score:5, Funny)
"The generic ramen is just as tasty, and it's ten cents less."
Noodles only (Score:2)
Doesn't Matter (Score:5, Funny)
How can 'Oriental' not be winning? (Score:3, Funny)
Why be boring when... (Score:3, Informative)
Ramen Urban Legend (Score:5, Interesting)
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!!!
Re:Ramen Urban Legend (Score:5, Funny)
I friend in college... really...
he was on a budget- his folks were wealthy but figured putting him on a very small allowance would keep him off drugs.
He decided he could live on nothing but bulk-purchase ramen noodles. After about a month, he realized he'd need to take an occasional multivitamin, and more frequent vitamin C.
Probably as a result of the vitamins, he did fine, other than getting pretty damn sick of ramen noodles and dropping a few pounds. He lived like this for 6 months or so- he eventually er, found an alternative source of income... let's just say his parent's plan didn't work too well...
Re:Ramen Urban Legend (Score:3, Informative)
(Yes I read the topic, this link is for the idiot mods who thought it should be +4 Interesting instead of funny)
Ramen in China (Score:4, Informative)
I'm in Western China (Sichaun specifically) so all we get is spicy flavors, spicy beef, spicy chicken, spicy shrimp, spicy dog (well haven't seen dog flavour yet, but hey)
and trust me, they are SPICY I've had the spicy ones back in NA, and they are nothing compared to the ones here, as well, you get 3-4 flavour packs here usually, one salt/msg/flavour, one vegi type things, 1 oily spicy one, and sometimes a second spicy oily one with peppers in it as well.
They also have sweat potatoe noodles here as well, which are a bit different (they are clear), I stil prefer the regular kind though.
Salt (Score:4, Funny)
Chili flavor clears your sinuses... (Score:3, Funny)
Ramen flavors and mods (Score:5, Informative)
Here's my preferred ramen "mods"
#1: Add egg to boiling water before noodles, stir for a few minutes, add noodles and proceed. makes them MUCH more filling and adds some texture. 1 slice cheese optional.
#2: add: chopped green onions, bean sprouts and chopped green peppers after the noodles have started to get soft (alternately sautee them in a pan if you dont care to get another dirty)
#3: add whatever meat you have around...roast beef w/ roast beef ramen, shrimp with shrimp, whatver
Also chopped fresh ginger or chopped peppers (red chilis and poblano peppers are my two favorites for taste and heat balance)
Now one could wonder why i dont just mix ALL of that together...two reasons: the "ramen pot" i have wont hold it all
Cold Sesame Ramen (Score:5, Interesting)
Think: Cold spaghetti tossed with satay peanut sauce and celery slivers, sprinkled with a bit of sugar and sesame seeds.
When it's good, it's really good.
I've found that the dish isn't common on the West Coast, I miss it a lot.
A few months back, I tried making it myself, using ramen. The results weren't that bad!
The noodles are ramen, prepared w/o the flavor packet.
The sauce:
- Peanut butter
- Vegetable oil
- Soy sauce
- Sugar
- Sesame oil
I warmed the sauce ingredients and mixed them all together while the noodles boiled. As soon as the noodles were done, I drained them and plopped them in the same pot as the sauce. It took a bit of work to coat them all evenly, but I got it done.After cooling, the results were . . . not bad. Very rich, so you wouldn't want it as an entree. But it was as least as good as some of the more mediocre Cold Sesame Noodle variants I'd eaten back east.
Since this initial experiment, I've found an authentic recipe. Better, especially because I went and added celery, which adds crunch and lightness.
You could probably make up a jar of the sauce and spoon it out as needed.
Stefan
Ranma (Score:5, Funny)
Oh, wait you said Ramen
Re:What is it? (Score:5, Informative)
Top Ramen (or Smack Ramen in some markets) are square blocks of fried and dried noodles. Campbells also has a competing product. They come wrapped in plastic with a foil packet of seasoning that consists mainly of salt. They sell for 4 to 6 for $1 here in the states. You boil 2 cups of water, add the noodles, add the sauce, and whatever leftovers you have, if any. They were 10 for $1 back in my broke days (80s).
Everyone who has been poor, or is poor, knows these noodles. This would include college students. They are the cheapest way to put some calories in your stomache available in the US. They taste ok.
Some people like to boil them whole, making long noodles, but I prefer to crush them in the package, and use only 1 cup of water, making the juices much stronger. For extra flavor, you can add a hot dog or some bologna. (keep in mind, this is po' folk food). Left over bacon or ham does nicely as well, unless staying kosher is a consideration. Diced green onion is also nice, if you have them.
Top Ramen is a "right of passage". You know you are not poor anymore when you look into the cabinets, and you see food, but none of it is Top Ramen.
Re:What is it? (Score:2, Insightful)
Campbell's Ramen Noodles. (Score:5, Insightful)
Right off, it is important to understand that every college kid, every bachelor, every single bachelorette on the face of this planet eats ramen noodles for one reason and one reason only: they are cheap as fuck. You can buy FOUR packages of ramen noodles for under a buck, and whether you like the taste or not, you fucking well learn to relish their merciful existence because when you have four dollars left for the rest of the week, ramen noodles quickly become the thin line between life and starvation. Campbell's, for some odd reason, thought that people were buying the dehydrated slivers of starch and packets of colored salt because they just couldn't get enough of that beefy, chickeny, "oriental" delicacy that seemed to be sweeping the nation. No, Campbell's, we were fucking broke!
So why am I so mad that they decided to partake in the thriving ramen industry? Because they charged about FIFTY CENTS a pack. That's over TWICE what the regular ramens cost, which insults my intelligence and offends me as a consumer. Sure, the people at Campbell's would like to have you believe that they charge more because they make "better" ramen noodles than the other companies, but anyone who has ever eaten a single ramen noodle can tell you that THEY ALL TASTE EXACTLY THE SAME! Even if they were better, we still wouldn't buy them for one simple reason: you pay twice as much for half the product. People don't buy ramen noodles for the quality of the product. . . they buy them so they don't get hospitalized for malnutrition. Even if we had the extra fifty cents to "upgrade" or ramen quality, we wouldn't spend it like that. . . we would simply climb to the next rung on the ladder of single-people food: macaroni and cheese.
Let's face it, Campbell's, when's the last time any of your executives went to an expensive company dinner and ordered ramen noodles. . . on purpose? When was the last time one of your rich-ass friends invited you over for dinner and this happened:
"Bob, you ought to bring over the wife and kids for dinner tonight."
"Sorry, Biff, I have lots of work this evening."
"Are you sure? We're breaking out the ramen noodles. . . "
"Really? Is it someone's birthday?"
What? That's never happened to you? You know why? Because you aren't poor. Do you want to know why other ramen companies are still thriving and you had to discontinue yours? This is why:
Because other companies tell it like it is. Smack Ramen. This shit is "smack" for poor people. They don't try to flower it up or make it look all gormet. Sure, they tried to make it look a little too pretty on the package, but not only does theirs cost eighteen cents a package, they named their entire company "Smack". Because if you have to rely on ramen noodles as your chief source of nutrition, you probably look like a junkie, and Smack sure as fuck isn't going to act like they don't know. Thank you, Smack, for looking our handicap right in the face and not pretending like it doesn't exist.
And Campbell's I only have one thing left to say to you: "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."
For those who eat Ramen Noodles on a daily basis, I offer you this advice: buy yourself some Lipton Rice and Sauce. Not only is it one step up from Ramen, but it costs just about as little and taste a thousand times better. Well, that is to say that whereas chicken-flavored Ramens taste nothing like chicken at all and more
Re:Campbell's Ramen Noodles. (Score:5, Funny)
"Really? Is it someone's birthday?"
Thank you for making my day. Had to wipe the coffee off the monitor from the spit-take while reading. Someone please DO moderate insightful or interesting
Re:Campbell's Ramen Noodles. (Score:5, Funny)
Not all ramen tastes the same! (Score:5, Informative)
Unlike the kind of ramen that sells 4 to a dollar, this kind actually tastes better than OK, its actually good! They come with like 4 different kinds of seasoning packets: the usual colored salt packet, the dried vegetable packet, the oily liquid packet, and sometimes even a dried meat packet.
So really, not all ramen is the same, and though I never tried Campbell's particular type, I know for a fact that the expensive kind tastes better than the regular kind.
Re:Campbell's Ramen Noodles. (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Campbell's Ramen Noodles. (Score:5, Informative)
Re:What is it? (Score:2)
When you're _really_ poor you eat that.
I see it sometimes on sale 40/$1
Also, it should be noted that while this is a very, very cheap way to get calories, surviving on ramen is probably exceptionally bad for your heart due to the high saturated fat.
Re:What is it? (Score:2, Informative)
Try going to the museum (Score:3, Informative)
Re:What is it? (Score:2)
Suddenly we UK