Ramen Noodles

[Lynchmeister]

I just finished eating some and got to thinking. What's your take on this college staple?

[Bluestaco]

Not since grad school. Can't look 'em in the face anymore after 7 years of college. I don't want any butter beans EVER AGAIN, either!

[RichGem]

Can't stand them, not even when I was in college. And, I have a real job and have an issue with getting 5 billion times the US RDA of Sodium in one sitting. Other than that, they're great. :wink:

[professorchaos]

I love them and haven't eaten them since college.

[Groundhog]

My roommates and I used to try to figure out cheap ways to doctor 'em up, like adding chicken, ground beef, mushooms, etc. My wife still picks up a couple of packages every now and then at the grocery store....I guess she feels nostalgic. I'm sure not eating them!

[jeffb]

I'm a big fan of Bowl Noodle (spicy flavor)

[Shane]

I love it, eat it, and that's that. During my undergrad work in Cleveland, I was once so poor I bought ramen with coupons.

[TimmyBoston]

I only very rarely ate it in college. I'd rather eat La Bamba than Ramen.

[OldSaw]

Man Cory, you didn't leave me much choice. I had to go with option three, because I am back in college, I only eat them occasionally and I wouldn't exactly say I love them, but enjoy them from time to time.

I think Art is still king.

[rm71]

I like them. Having spent 6 years living in japan I miss Ramen very much. Soba and udon are good as well.

[stobes21]

I enjoy them from time to time. They're just cheap noodles and do fine with whatever sauce you want to throw on them.

[joshmpdx]

-ramen, packet to taste
-1 egg
-soy sauce to taste
-siracha to taste

[General Burnside]

Pretty good, not great, but the best food value there is. Melting in a slice of american cheese is good, but doubles or triples the cost of your meal.

GB

[OldSaw]

So what does all the sodium in this stuff do to your blood pressure? It is quite high by itself and adding things like soy sauce could really put you in orbit. I'm not a freak about this stuff, but as I get older I just consider it more.

[Lynchmeister]

Can't stand them, not even when I was in college. And, I have a real job and have an issue with getting 5 billion times the US RDA of Sodium in one sitting. Other than that, they're great. :wink:

Smart ass. So you're the one who's been doctoring these polls. :lol:


I love it, eat it, and that's that. During my undergrad work in Cleveland, I was once so poor I bought ramen with coupons.

Shane is officially my hero.


I only very rarely ate it in college. I'd rather eat La Bamba than Ramen.

Common sense tells me thatI should let this one go, but what exactly is La Bamba? Sounds scary! :w00t:

[ginantonix]

Of course, they are the official holy food of the Pastafarian religion, and the word 'ramen' is the closing to pastafarian prayers.:eek:

So, yeah, pretty much love 'em. (Any religion that celebrates with beer and strippers is AOK with me.) :w00t:

[blary54]

Haven't ate these since college(2 years ago).

Look at the nutrition info on these...they are terrible for you.

But they can be a cheap meal and a good way to get three days worth of sodium in one sitting. :001_smile

[Lynchmeister]

What...no MSG jokes yet? :lol:

[Mottern Man]

Yes, but you have to toss the packet of salt away and make your own spice. :w00t:

[arghblech]

Nong Shim makes my favorite. Shim Ramyun. Spicy and salty. I drop a cubed boiled egg in and it makes me happy. The kimchi ones aren't horrible either.

I still like a ramen once in a while.

[Aevum]

did you know that the small cheap packet ramen noodles are prefried in palm oil, and then freeze dried, they can be eaten as a snack without boiling if you´re far from a boiling pot or a water heater,

also rich in sodium, so if you have blood pressure issues, avoid,

but, when ever i have a cold, the best rememdy is some spicy beef curry ramen, makes you sweat like a sauna,

as for the health issues, could be worst
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee57/Aevum1/pork-brains-milk-gravyjpg.jpg

[Sullybob]

I do like them. Its kind of a guilty pleasure. I doctor them up also.


Yes, but you have to toss the packet of salt away and make your own spice. :w00t:

Or use the salt packet and add more spice to it. :redface::redface:


did you know that the small cheap packet ramen noodles are prefried in palm oil, and then freeze dried, they can be eaten as a snack without boiling if you´re far from a boiling pot or a water heater,

also rich in sodium, so if you have blood pressure issues, avoid,

but, when ever i have a cold, the best rememdy is some spicy beef curry ramen, makes you sweat like a sauna,

as for the health issues, could be worst
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee57/Aevum1/pork-brains-milk-gravyjpg.jpg

Thats just wrong. I thought that nothing had a higher cholesterol content then sweet breads which is 130.23 mg or 43% of your RDA per ounce.

[RichGem]

What...no MSG jokes yet? :lol:

oh yeah, forgot about that. being allergic, there's no headache/migraine like an msg migraine. OMG.

[RichGem]

So what does all the sodium in this stuff do to your blood pressure? It is quite high by itself and adding things like soy sauce could really put you in orbit. I'm not a freak about this stuff, but as I get older I just consider it more.

Excess sodium will defintely make you retain water (which can be a cardiac issue for some who are not in good health already) and throw off your sodium/postassium balance in the body (also not good). As for blood pressure specifically, some people are sodium sensitive when it comes to b.p., others aren't.

[adamjaskie]

I haven't had them since college, which, admittedly, I finished in May '08. But really, the things are awful for you, and I used to add so much stuff to them there's more other stuff than ramen usually. Slices of roast pork loin, an egg beaten with a little cornstarch, scallions, slices of fish cake, rice vinegar, hot sauce, thai red curry paste... I realized that I was kind of defeating the point of ramen when I compared the price of my jar of red curry paste to the price of ramen.

[Zach V.]

I don't eat ramen anymore. Thinking about them brings back a mixed bag of memories.

As others have said, if you do eat them, drop an egg in there and let it cook with the noodles. Eggs are cheap, too!

[MAK]

Have not had them in many years. However, I don't mind some of those dehydrated soups in cups.

[dpm802]

Yes, but you have to toss the packet of salt away and make your own spice. :w00t:

+1 ... the noodles are OK, its the spice packet that contains all the sodium, and not much else.

I don't eat Ramen too often at home, but I do keep a 12-pack on hand to fill out the pantry.

[_JP_]

I have a couple packs of Ramen somewhere, I wonder how long I've had them?

[Confuzius]

If you keep an eye out for the ones that are actually steamed and not fried and toss out the "flavour salt" that comes with it they come in at under 2grams of fat per serving with very little sodium.

Or just spend $2 and get a big brick of the noodles (usually 6 ramen packs worth) at your favourite asian grocery store.

Or eat udon; delicious, delicious udon.

[castlecraver]

I can't stand the stuff... its just too much like the nasty noodle soups the Chinese folks here at work eat every day, and between the pungency and their unabashed loud slurping, the thought of consuming any myself just makes my stomach turn.

[jakuda]

I can't stand the stuff... its just too much like the nasty noodle soups the Chinese folks here at work eat every day, and between the pungency and their unabashed loud slurping, the thought of consuming any myself just makes my stomach turn.

To hate noodle soups...that's too bad. More for the rest of us!

Also it sucks that common usage of "ramen" denotes the cheap, instant, deep fried dried variety and not the much more expensive real/fresh Japanese ramen from ramen joints from the SF/NY/LA area (or Japan duh). $9-10 a bowl. *sigh*

[expatCanuck]

My 12-year-old son recently discovered them. :frown:
They're okay -- but, yeah, way too much salt.
Might as well just buy the noodles & make your own broth.

[Robxcarlson]

While I am in grad school, and appreciate cheap noodle based food - I wouldn't eat the ramen to save my life - probably the worst food you could eat - very little nutrition. I really feel bad for people when I see them buy it by the case.

[Mordecai]

I like 'em, but don't eat them all that often. If I want a quick snack I'll make some and doctor it up.

[M. McCord]

I really feel bad for people when I see them buy it by the case.

Don't. The last case I bought lasted 6 years. This stuff never goes bad! My son loves them. But we only use 1/2 of the season packet and double the water.

[ScottyD]

Boil the noodles, toss the salt pack, drain the water completely and apply liberal doses of your favorite brand of Hot Sauce.

[thirdeye]

These gross, nasty, wiggly strands of pasty yuck have no place on a plate....

Besides, back when I was in college, they where not invented yet....:blush:

My kids on the other hand suck down a case a month when I'm not around...:001_rolle

[Mordecai]

These gross, nasty, wiggly strands of pasty yuck have no place on a plate....


You're absolutely 100% right!















That's why I eat mine in a bowl. :lol:

[RichGem]

These gross, nasty, wiggly strands of pasty yuck have no place on a plate....

Besides, back when I was in college, they where not invented yet....:blush:

My kids on the other hand suck down a case a month when I'm not around...:001_rolle


Hey Mr. Grinch! That sounds very Dr. Seuss.

[burnwood]

My kid loves that soup as do me and the Mrs..

[Abdiel]

I like them but I either just use the packet for the water, boil, and drain the noodles (thus, the sodium isn't to bad, most is in the broth)

Of I toss the packet and use just the noodles. Boil them in slated water and stir fry with some thinly sliced celery, garlic, scrambled egg, hoisen soy and black bean sauces with siracha to taste, and mmmmm

[Churchill]

1-Ramen noodle,chicken flavored
1-Tbsp. Peanut Butter
Hot Pepper flakes to taste.
Yummy!

[Unknownsoldier]

I and my GF get through around 30 packets a month plus (although she is a BBC so that may account for it....) the same with several other noodles, Udon etc. etc. etc. I used to eat them in Uni' drained with vinegar and salt hmmmmmm......

They're Great........

Tom

[falkon]

I go for "Choice Ramen". I forget who makes them but they're fat free and pretty darn tasty. A lot less sodium too.

[GardenWeasel]

Nope. But the wife loves 'em.

[Aevum]

we should have made a distinction between people who eat the 50 cent freeze dried palm oil fried packets and people who actually go to a noddle place and eat old fashion ramen noodles,

[thoughtcriminal]

There was a time when I worshiped the ramen gods. Is great stuff, great price to performance. No better food for most college kids. But one must remember to eat other stuff. Like mac and cheese. and occasional dollar menu edibles

edit: if anyone knows of anywhere I can get vegetarian ramen, please share the info!!!! Going back to school and gonna need to go on the college kid diet again

[Giant]

I love making ramen, and mixing in some egg, celery, snow peas, onion, spinach, or whatever fresh veggies I have on hand. Throw in a bit of extra soy, and chili sauce, and you have a real winner.

[OldSaw]

we should have made a distinction between people who eat the 50 cent freeze dried palm oil fried packets and people who actually go to a noddle place and eat old fashion ramen noodles,

What happened to the ten cent ones? It's been a while since I bought any.

[mannkind]

While I voted that I have a real job, truth is that I enjoy ramen for lunch now and then.

[iron maiden]

I like the beef flavor. I don't eat them very often, though.

[Big_E]

True they are tasty but too much salt. You're better off buying a couple of cannisters of fast cooking oatmeal and several boxes of raisins. Pour steaming hot water on a bowl of oatmeal and sprinkle in a box of raisins for some sweetness. Better brainfood too.
Ernest

[D'Brie]

If you eat them in Japan you may never eat the packages we have here in the States. :eek:

[Ramaniac]

Love them, really ate them in college though. Cup o soup and cup o noodles was for the rich guys.

[Mordecai]

What happened to the ten cent ones? It's been a while since I bought any.

Nah, they're still that cheap and often on sale 15/$. I think the ones that come in a cup are closer to 3/$.

[Lynchmeister]

To Aevum's point, I had the cheap, freeze-dried variety in mind. Both the bricks and the Cup o' Soup types.

In fact a Chicken flavor Cup o' Soup happened to find its way into my brown bag today. :tongue_sm

[OldSaw]

As I was eating a pack of MAMA shrimp flavored noodles, I thought I'd give this thread a bump. This pack came from Thailand. They weren't bad and had a little spicy kick.

[thunderball]

Are you guys talking about that instant crap stuff? That ain't ramen....:wink:

This is ramen:

http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s257/nuskool73/57d79f88.jpg

[CriticalMass]

That looks delicious!:drool:

Wonder what kind of meat that is. Is that noori at the back of the bowl?

Chinatown in Boston has a bunch of wonderful noodle soup restaurants. Usually Vietnamese I thought. I haven't been there in about 10 years. For all I know they reverted it back to the Combat Zone!:tongue:

[Brodirt]

Hey...just this evening I had fair success with my first shot at Udon. I did chicken tempura on the side and made the Udon in a dashi base with shiitake mushrooms, broccoli, carrot, baby corn and lotus. I topped it off with an egg, just like the above.

As an aside...the best use of additional cracked egg I ever had was on a pizza I had last summer in Italy. It was a mixed meat pie and just before it finished the cook pulled it from the oven, cracked the egg in the center, and put it back in for few seconds. Just enough to cook the white and set the yolk. When served the yolk was still soft and running. Yummy.

[thunderball]

That looks delicious!:drool:

Wonder what kind of meat that is. Is that noori at the back of the bowl?

Chinatown in Boston has a bunch of wonderful noodle soup restaurants. Usually Vietnamese I thought. I haven't been there in about 10 years. For all I know they reverted it back to the Combat Zone!:tongue:

The meat is pork from the south of Japan (Kyuushu). Very soft, just melts in your mouth. And yep, that's nori stuck in there too (and a boiled egg!). :biggrin:

[BigFish]

I never had Ramen noodles. Not even when I was in college.

[Dubbya]

I love Ramen. We had several different ways to prepare them in our freshman dorms.


Ah Burritos.:biggrin1:

[OldSaw]

The meat is pork from the south of Japan (Kyuushu). Very soft, just melts in your mouth. And yep, that's nori stuck in there too (and a boiled egg!). :biggrin:

For those of us stuck in the Midwest, the packaged ones are about the best we can muster. I did however, get the ones that weren't printed in English as the primary language. I think they were better than the Maruchan Ramen noodles.

[OldSaw]

I also found this link to the Official Ramen Homepage (http://www.mattfischer.com/ramen/). That bacon ramen recipe should go in the bacon thread.

[Dubbya]

Are you guys talking about that instant crap stuff? That ain't ramen....:wink:

This is ramen:


MMMMMMMMM

Nori, pork, and an egg with noodles.:drool:

I bet there's even real butter and fresh stock in the soup.

Edit: I just saw that you're in Osaka. That's kind of cheating. The closest that I can get is the little noodle house near the asian market here. It's pretty good but, much like all ethnic cuisine, it's never as good as a first generation, new to the country(better yet, go to their country to eat) cook will make.

[thunderball]

Edit: I just saw that you're in Osaka. That's kind of cheating.

True, being in Japan does afford one certain ramen-ical advantages. :biggrin: You also mentioned the stock: this type of ramen is called 'tonkotsu' which basically means 'pig cartilage/bones' and it's made by boiling huge pots of pork bones for hours on end....mmmmmmm, pork bones...:drool:

[Lynchmeister]

For those of us stuck in the Midwest, the packaged ones are about the best we can muster. I did however, get the ones that weren't printed in English as the primary language. I think they were better than the Maruchan Ramen noodles.

Agreed, for the most part that us Midwesterners miss out on a lot of the cool stuff.

I just realized, though, that I've been sitting on an untapped resource. Yes, I live in Wisconsin, but I'm so close to Minnesota that you'd never know it. News, TV ads, etc. are all Minnesota oriented--anyway, I digress. My point is that Minneapolis/St. Paul and the surrounding suburbs have a large Hmong population and there are restaurants all over the place. In fact, several of my coworkers are Hmong coming from Vietnamese, Laotian, and Chinese backgrounds. I'm thinking they know where the good stuff is at. :thumbsup:

[knlgskr]

Never needed them, know how to cook. Whole grain pastas, breads, brown rice for my taste are better and I ate/eat them; ditto for college. Ate/eat out very seldom; take pride in being able to cook/bake about anything we want to eat. Most pre-packaged/prepared seems not to be worth the money, time, effort.

[urr-lord]

my wife likes them a good bit.to me they are okay,i usually end up adding ground meat,dried onion,crushed red pepper etc.

[TstebinsB]

Never needed them, know how to cook. Whole grain pastas, breads, brown rice for my taste are better and I ate/eat them; ditto for college. Ate/eat out very seldom; take pride in being able to cook/bake about anything we want to eat. Most pre-packaged/prepared seems not to be worth the money, time, effort.
+1

Nothing beats the ability to cook and/or bake.

[OldSaw]

Agreed, for the most part that us Midwesterners miss out on a lot of the cool stuff.

I just realized, though, that I've been sitting on an untapped resource. Yes, I live in Wisconsin, but I'm so close to Minnesota that you'd never know it. News, TV ads, etc. are all Minnesota oriented--anyway, I digress. My point is that Minneapolis/St. Paul and the surrounding suburbs have a large Hmong population and there are restaurants all over the place. In fact, several of my coworkers are Hmong coming from Vietnamese, Laotian, and Chinese backgrounds. I'm thinking they know where the good stuff is at. :thumbsup:

Just take a drive down University between St. Paul and the U of M Twin Cities. Talk about a diverse mix. So let me know if you find a good place and I will take my wife and step daughter there for lunch, they both love these things.

[CriticalMass]

You also mentioned the stock: this type of ramen is called 'tonkotsu' which basically means 'pig cartilage/bones' and it's made by boiling huge pots of pork bones for hours on end....mmmmmmm, pork bones...:drool:

Stock from actual animal bones and not from a cube, packet, or jar??? Who'd have thunk it? Can't possibly taste better.:biggrin1:

I made some homemade ramen after seeing this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6B14tsnX2c) on a simplified, non-instant version. It's by Mark Bittman who is on TV and the NY Times website. Just had to pick up some chinese egg noodles at the asian market. Never occurred to me to put the whole egg in without scrambling and frying it first.

[Walter Sobchak]

I don't eat them anymore, alas.

My best friend in college was from Korea. He showed me things I could do with a basic package of Ramen noodles that could blow my mind. Usually it involved using very little to none of the flavor packet that comes in the package.

Two of my economical favorites:

You can toss out the sodium packet and make a tasty egg-drop noodle soup with an egg (obviously), a dab of miso, and a handful of spices or squirt of sriracha...toss in a couple of mushrooms and some kimchee on the side if you're feeling rich. :drool:

You can use a few splashes of the hot water, a small portion of the flavor pack, some chili-sesame oil, an egg, and some fresh peapods to make a fantastic stir-fried ramen. I found this comes out better if you make two packages at the same time. Otherwise it's easy to overdo the egg and peapods and be left with too few noodles in the dish.

There were other, much more elaborate ventures that often included pork, squid, black beans, kohlrabi, kimchee etc. But they were mostly out of my price range at the time.

[OldSaw]

I don't eat them anymore, alas.

My best friend in college was from Korea. He showed me things I could do with a basic package of Ramen noodles that could blow my mind. Usually it involved using very little to none of the flavor packet that comes in the package.

Two of my economical favorites:

You can toss out the sodium packet and make a tasty egg-drop noodle soup with an egg (obviously), a dab of miso, and a handful of spices or squirt of sriracha...toss in a couple of mushrooms and some kimchee on the side if you're feeling rich. :drool:

You can use a few splashes of the hot water, a small portion of the flavor pack, some chili-sesame oil, an egg, and some fresh peapods to make a fantastic stir-fried ramen. I found this comes out better if you make two packages at the same time. Otherwise it's easy to overdo the egg and peapods and be left with too few noodles in the dish.

There were other, much more elaborate ventures that often included pork, squid, black beans, kohlrabi, kimchee etc. But they were mostly out of my price range at the time.

Thanks for the tips. I just made some with sesame oil and the egg drop method. It was not a bad lunch.

[thunder54]

Funny hearing how everyone ate these in college. I actually went to culinary school and became a chef so I never had to worry about eating in school. I was working for a hotel chain when I decided to make a lifestyle change. Went on a mission with my church for 2 years and would eat ramen almost everyday. Of course I could doctor these up with the best bad things. All my companions loved having me around. The best was the Spam, egg, velveeta cheese, and ramen concoction I would make at least once a week. Reading all this made me go down and make some ramen and I put brisket and velveeta with some BBQ sauce. My wife just loves when I get creative.:biggrin1:

[pal]

Funny hearing how everyone ate these in college. I actually went to culinary school and became a chef so I never had to worry about eating in school. I was working for a hotel chain when I decided to make a lifestyle change. Went on a mission with my church for 2 years and would eat ramen almost everyday. Of course I could doctor these up with the best bad things. All my companions loved having me around. The best was the Spam, egg, velveeta cheese, and ramen concoction I would make at least once a week. Reading all this made me go down and make some ramen and I put brisket and velveeta with some BBQ sauce. My wife just loves when I get creative.:biggrin1:

Good Idea!

[Hemlock]

Not sure what to select. I ate them a lot in college. I actually used to enjoy them, but can't seem to eat them any more. Every once in a while I see them on sale and buy some, but after eating one package the rest just stay in the cupboard for ages.

[Blackstangal]

Not in college,But I think they are tasty!!:drool::drool:

[bluepunk18]

Ramen is awesome. :001_wub:The best part is what you can add to it. I rarely use the flavour packet, or if I do, only a little bit of it. I prefer the Sapporo brand, like this: http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51S8PMEF8WL._SL500_AA280_PIbundle-21,TopRight,0,0_AA280_SH20_.jpg

Prepare as per package, but with less of the flavoring, and add fresh chicken and ginger sausage. Yummy! Its almost fried this way, and extremely tasty...Although having read through these posts, I may have to try that Velveeta idea :smile: I haven't had good ramen in awhile. I suppose I should try some local noodle houses, there does seem to be a lot of them.

[Not A Nice Person]

Usually when I want noodles, I go to my local pho house and order a big ol' bowl . . . but I do keep a few packages of chili-flavored ramen around for when I don't feel like cooking anything more involved. Got pretty sick of raman and mac 'n cheese in college, which for me was in my thirties, but no less impoverished.

By the last semester, my usual diet was to cook up big pots of rice and beans every weekend and eat that all week . . . about $1 worth of beans, flavored with smoked pork neck bones (at 19¢ a pound!) and a 99¢ bag of rice and I could eat all week!

Don't miss it a bit. Now I have a house and a big ol' gas grill and throw a ribeye on there about 3X a week.

NANP™

[OldSaw]

Rib eye! Now I'm getting hungry.

[SRock]

I voted no. Not because I'm not a college student or because I don't like them. However, where I live I can get home made fresh Ramen and once you've had the best the .10 packages just don't seem to do it anymore.

[royalcrown]

True, being in Japan does afford one certain ramen-ical advantages.

Preach it.

[SRock]

Preach it.

Indeed. The first time I took my wife out for Yakisoba she said, "I think I've had that before, is it the fried spaghetti noodles?"

Needless to say I was :lol::lol::lol::lol: all over the place. Once you've had the real deal nothing can compare.