h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: How To Make a Good Meal out of Instant Ramen - A717374
Author: Indefatigable - U173328

I thought I'd share my discoveries involving instant ramen. Students don't have to starve on ramen noodles; here's how you can use ramen to make a more satisfying meal without dirtying extra dishes or taking too much more time.

Interesting and useful, although I would have thought most people could cope without detailed instructions! None the less, encoragement to have a balanced diet can never be a bad thing.

I would not rule out the meat option as a protein source, it's just better to pick a thin, cooked variety. Cooked sliced meats such as chicken or ham heat through so fast that a dip in your boiling soup will easily do the trick.

I would also consider the value of frozen veg like peas or sweetcorn if you have access to a freezer compartment. Add handful of these in your soup & then return it to the boil before you add the noodles will give almost instant vitamin-value with no real effort.



Ugi

Cool. I'll add the frozen veggies.

As for the detailed instructions... I had the idea that I should aim this at students who have no clue about cooking, and that's why they end up eating nothing but ramen and canned pasta. I know so many people who eat terrible diets on campus because they have no creativity or experience in the kitchen.

As for the meat... I didn't want to say anything that I hadn't tested myself, and I don't eat meat. If a helpful omnivore wanted to try it and report back, I would be much obliged.

Pre-cooked meat could do the trick, I think.... Like you can buy pre-cooked ham from your grocery store, then just slice it into smaller pieces (small enough to heat thoroughly) and add it to the soup. (Ham stuck out obviously to me because it is so often pre-cooked, but I'm there is chicken etc as well.)

Oh, new idea:
If you go to the "fresh" deli section of the store (where they cut the deli meat in front of you), you could ask for a thick (like 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick) slice of one of their deli meats. All of that meat is pre-cooked, and you probably won't need more than a slice per pot of soup. They've got chicken, ham, turkey, beef, and others too (usually--it of course depends on the size of the store and the size of the town). You pay less per pound when you buy it this way, and you don't have much extra meat left over (as opposed to buying half of a ham, in which case you'd have a lot left after using only a slice). This is good for a student budget, as well.

"Meat-- not recommended because cooking time is short, and food poisoning may result if raw meat is undercooked or if leftover cooked meat is not heated through."

Advocating against meat is one thing, but this makes it sound like cooking meat is too difficult for the average college student. Yikes! If they can learn trigonometry or have the willpower to read more than a chapter or two of 18th Century Literature, then they should be able to cook meat for an extra five or ten minutes.

How about something like: "Meat-- not recommended because it's bad for you, but if you have to do it, make sure it is heated through to avoid food poisoning."

Even saying that much is seems like an unnecessary disclaimer.

Other possibilities: experiment with pre-made sauces like spagetti sauce, gravy or salsa. For a weird, vaguely Thai effect, and a vegetarian alternative source of protein, stir in a tablespoon or two of peanut butter. It sounds gross, but works well.

There is in fact frozen precooked chicken in cubes and/or strips

and frozen vegetables work well, I usually use a blend that is meant for stir frying that has some water chestnuts and snow peas and such (sometimes even sweet soybeans), but forget about the seasoning packet.. the best thing to do is either use straight soy sauce, or a bottled noodle soup base, and some kind of appropriate seasoning (usually a japanese pepper and spice blend)

I don't usually use meat in this dish but it could be good.. I don't think ham is right for it but I suppose some people may like that. I think chicken or shrimp would be most appropriate, or even squid if you can stomach it a few seaweed flakes finish it off

there are three major types of noodles used in japan, of which ramen is the most famous in the west... there are also Udon and Soba... udon being thick noodles and soba grayish buckwheat noodles.

I just had the idea that if you wanted a Thai style you could use a chicken base and add coconut milk and curry powder... maybe I'll try that out and let you know how it went...


H.A.

also, apparently "ramen" is the japanese pronunciation of "lo mein" the chinese noodles

I think I put that in there... in a footnote? Lemme check...

Hi!

It's time to break open the because this entry has now been recommended and will make its way into the Guide

* wonders if would be another idea to put into the sauce... perhaps better not!




Bossel

Congrats!

Just stumbled across this site during my lunch-break... better late than never, I guess. Being of Chinese descent and of multi-cultural upbringing, I can assure you that "lo mein" as non-Chinese put it (we pronounce it as "la mian") does not mean boiled noodles. It literally means "pulled noodles", and if you've seen travel documentaries or visited Chinatown (assuming they still make noodles by hand), you'd see the chefs pulling repeatedly at a ball of dough to produce ever-finer strands of noodles. That's how the Japanese arrived at their approximated pronunciation of "ramen".