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Packaged Ramen

Packaged Ramen

Clearspring Shoyu Ramen

Posted on November 25, 2016

The last packaged ramen hubby brought back from London was so awful (cool Marks and Spencer packaging though) that I swore off the stuff if it came from the UK. Not too long ago he brought back another discovery that he thought looked promising but I was skeptical and hid it on the shelf. However desperate times calls for desperate measures when you are hungry and with an empty pantry.

The brand is called Clearspring and the shoyu packet was liquid instead of powder and that was a plus. The brown rice noodles cooked perfectly with a bit of a spring to them instead of turning out mushy. I kept it simple by adding thin sliced rare steak and dried seaweed with kimchi on the side. It was a decent satisfying bowl of noodles. Would I make it again after all there is one more packet left? Probably not but I will keep it in the pantry for ramen boy since he does experiment and makes noodle concoctions with leftover dried noodles.

Hubby leaves again for London and asked for requests. Let’s definitely skip the ramen this time. Marks & Spencer crisps are the way to go.

Packaged Ramen

Sun Noodle Tantan Ramen

Posted on August 11, 2016

I always have at least two packages of this ramen in our freezer and if I am running low I make sure to stop at our local Japanese market to buy more. This is a proprietary staple for ramen boy. He knows where it is and he knows how to make it. He says when I make it with love it tastes much better but I’m no fool. Nonetheless I consider it his stash so I rarely eat it. Until today.

I knew I had sour kimchi in the fridge and some scallions. Couldn’t be bothered with the egg so in a pinch it was a fast and easy meal for me. I like the Sun Noodle Brand because it doesn’t contain any MSG or other preservatives and its pretty tasty. The frozen noodles cook perfectly al dente the way I like it with still enough spring to it and the spicy sesame paste has just a little kick to it. I squeeze the paste into the ramen bowl and pour bowling water in it. Cook the noodles, drain and put in the bowl with the soup, chopped scallions and kimchi.

As I start to slurp the noodles ramen boy comes into the kitchen. He said he could smell the ramen wafting up the stairs to his bedroom and thought I made him some noodles. Nope hands off this ramen as I point to the freezer.

Packaged Ramen

Ippudo Tonkotsu Ramen (bowl)

Posted on May 3, 2016

Ramen boy was in for another treat from 7-Eleven in Tokyo thanks to his dad’s business trip and carrying back four of these bowls for him. I wish we had more since he’s already eaten two and the other two will no doubt be finished by the end of this week. He could finish them all in one sitting but I told him to ration the last two so that he could savor the noodles. Fat chance that will happen. If you can’t read Japanese it could be a bit daunting when you open the package and see the various packets inside which included a dehydrated slice of chashu. His fate accompli was figuring out the instructions and making his own bowl of ramen. He was impressed with his effort stating that the instant ramen was absolutely delicious. Like the real deal. Uh oh watch out Shoki Ramen. I didn’t get a chance to taste it but by the looks of the broth and the noodles it looked really good. Unfortunately it is not available for purchase in the U.S. and unless we have it regularly shipped to us from Japan or have friends bring it back ramen boy is straight out of luck. Me too since he’s happy to make these noodles on his own without any help from ramen mom.

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Packaged Ramen

Instant Ramen Cacio e Pepe

Posted on March 7, 2016

Hail David Chang Momofuku’s supreme leader for creating this super simple and delicious recipe. I’m still on my Whole30 program and didn’t get to taste this yet (I will though!) but hubby slurped it down as soon as I plated the noodles. Ramen boy missed out he was too slow to get to the kitchen. The recipe comes from the Lucky Peach #1: The Ramen Issue magazine. It is filled with great recipes and stories but if you can’t find it on the newsstands you can find Lucky Peach online as well.

I cut the recipe in half since I only had one package of instant ramen noodles. Easy peasy to just combine the one cup of water, 1.5 T butter, 1/2 t olive oil and fresh black pepper in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Give it a quick stir and reduce the heat so that it comes to a simmer. Stir in one cup of grated pecorino romano and quickly add the noodles and continue to stir so that the cheese doesn’t get clumpy. Continue agitating and mixing around until most of the liquid is absorbed. Should take about 3 1/2 to 4 minutes. Plate the noodles, add some more pepper and go to town.

You will definitely be purring as you slurp down these noodles.

Packaged Ramen

Nona Lim Ramen

Posted on February 22, 2016

Hubby found these Nona Lim ramen noodles in the refrigerated section at Whole Foods near his work and brought them home for ramen boy to try. The noodles looked like the real deal especially the Hakata style ramen and so I was eager to test it on the noodle master. Also, I am on the Whole30 regimen and can’t eat ramen until March 15th so no noodle slurping allowed for ramen mom. However, it is perfectly timed right before my New York trip to run the United Airlines NYC Half Marathon so that I can carbo load at some great ramen joints while I am there.

In the meantime ramen consumption by proxy and these fresh noodles will give me an opportunity to experiment with some stock. Unfortunately Nona Lim doesn’t provide any broths for sale. A variety of other soups and broths but nothing for ramen. Rather odd but do check out the website for what’s available. Since it was a last minute lunch choice for ramen boy I cheated and used the stock packet from another frozen ramen noodle brand that he likes. I cooked up the noodles for just a minute per instructions, drained and plopped in the tantanmen broth and added a dash of shichimi togarashi (7 ingredient Japanese spice mixture). No toppings as he likes his noodles plain unless there is chashu which I didn’t have on hand. I used the Hakata style noodles which typically is served with a tonkotsu broth so ramen boy did mention that tantanmen soup and Hakata noodles shouldn’t go together but he liked the springiness and taste of the noodles.

Next on my agenda is making homemade stock so that ramen boy can try the Tokyo Style Ramen. Until then noodle on …

Nona Lim

Packaged Ramen

Millet & Brown Rice Ramen

Posted on February 4, 2016

Gluten-free organic ramen abounds at the supermarket and I wasn’t too surprised considering a gluten-free version of everything exists. Ramen boy wouldn’t touch this with a ten foot pole but ramen mom on the other hand thought what the heck why not give it a go. It’s also detox week with my Kaia fitness group and I have been a bad girl not following the plan. Eating ramen somehow doesn’t denote “healthy” and so I justify it by thinking the noodles are fueling my long runs. Like all instant packaged noodles this is a cinch to make. I chopped up some green onions, bok choy, shiitake mushrooms and added a soft boiled egg for the toppings. The noodles looked like the real deal once cooked. I added it to the broth and could tell that the broth and noodle ratio was off. First of all I couldn’t see the noodles and as soon as I added the toppings everything submerged into the liquid. The toppings should be able to sit nicely on top of the noodles. With my chopsticks I dug in to some of the noodles and slurped away. The millet & brown rice noodles were a bit chewy but at least not mushy like I expected. The miso broth was rather flavorless so I had to add some tamari to boost the taste and thankfully I had some leftover kimchi to eat with it.

No more GF ramen for me unless you can convince me otherwise. Give me a good bowl of ramen and I will happily run those extra miles to burn it off.

Packaged Ramen

Sapporo Ichiban

Posted on January 27, 2016

I grew up on Sapporo Ichiban ramen. It was quick and easy to make and whenever I had a bowl all was good. I know it’s not the healthiest of meals but it’s cheap and tasty and if you dress it up it’s enough to impress the pickiest eater. Well, except for ramen boy. For lunch I made a grown up version with some yummy kimchi. My grandmother taught me the proper way to make packaged instant ramen but it has taken me years to actually follow her footsteps. I lived with my grandparents my senior year of high school and I was lucky that my grandmother was such a wonderful cook. Everything she made was effortless and with love. She always cringed when I made my lazy one pot noodle dish. I liked salami and so it usually got thrown in at the end with chopped green onions and an egg. While cooking the noodles I would stir in the powdered soup seasoning and break open an egg directly in the pot and let it sink to the bottom. Then I’d pour the messy goodness in a bowl. My grandmother told me that I had to cook everything separately including the egg and to be sure to drain the noodles before putting it in the hot seasoned broth. Too many pots I would tell her. The muddled flavors tasted just fine to me back then.

Not now though. I take the time to make ramen the way she taught me. Even though I haven’t had Sapporo Ichiban ramen in ages I always have a package or two in the pantry. The shelf life is forever. Pure comfort food at the ready for a trip down memory lane. Like today.

Packaged Ramen

Ippudo Tonkotsu Ramen

Posted on February 23, 2015

Ramen boy was in for a huge treat when my Japanese girlfriend found this instant packaged ramen in a 7-Eleven convenience store during her trip to Tokyo and brought it back for him. She knew ramen boy is a huge fan of Ippudo Ramen. We moved from Tokyo after the big earthquake in 2011 and he was having Ippudo Ramen withdrawal. I warned him that this might not taste the same but to give it a try. The soup base was liquid and all you needed to add was hot water and the noodles were freeze dried. Very easy to make and surprisingly very good too. He raved about it and only wished that she bought more. I will have to look for it the next time I go to Japan.

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