What is your favorite brand of instant ramen? (Providing package photos is a plus.) Any tips on fortifying it?
If I’m in the mood for something spicy, my favorite by far is Shin Ramyun Black. Spicy but not challengingly so, with big chunks of veggies and tons of flavor.
My other favorite is Sapporo Ichiban Kitsune. It’s actually an instant udon, with big thick noodles (still all curly) and a dehydrated sweet fried tofu chunk that’s totally delicious when soaked in broth.
I usually drop an egg in while cooking and whatever veggies I have laying around – frozen corn is good.
7 Likes
I can’t say I have a favorite, but the Shin Ramyun Black nungesser mentioned is up there. Mama shrimp tom yum is also absolutely delicious too. Lemon grass & kaffir lime are wonderful bright notes in it.
7 Likes
I’ll add IndoMie Mi Goreng to these recommendations. There are different flavors but I think this one’s the best:
It’s a little different from most instant noodles because, in addition to the flavor powder, there are little squeeze packets of oil and sauce, and another packet of dried onions. Slightly messier to make because the squeeze packets invariably get on my fingers.
I think all of the IndoMie varieties are vegan (in spite of “chicken flavor” etc.) in case that’s a concern, and they’re halal as well. Neither of which means that this stuff is any good for you, but as far as instant noodles go, they are very, very tasty. Amazon sells them (six 5-packs in a box) for about $20 and (around where I live) some of the grocery stores sell them.
ETA:
I used to like the Annie Chun noodle bowls, but they’ve become harder to find, and the places that do have them are pricey. Trader Joe’s used to have them.
And speaking of TJ’s, they used to sell Trader Ming noodles, which were pre-cooked noodles with a sauce packet in a box shaped like a take-out container. (For example) But I have not seen these in at least a year or two, and no one at TJ’s had any idea if or when they were coming back. The good thing is that they were more filling than other instant noodles. (I also liked to throw in a handful of frozen broccoli when I cooked them, which automagically made it completely healthy, of course.)
11 Likes
this afternoon i’m slowly smoking some baby back ribs on my grill. i build a small charcoal fire on one side of the grill, put an aluminum lasagna pan in the middle next to it, and then put the ribs in a boat of foil and make a baste of vinegar, olive oil, worcestershire sauce, and water which the boat catches and helps everything stay juicy. i make a dry rub which i cover the ribs in the day before i cook them.
3 T paprika
3 T smoked paprika
1 T ancho powder
3 T adolph’s
1 T lawry’s season salt
2 t black pepper, ground
1 t white pepper, ground
1 t cayenne pepper
1 t garlic powder
2 t onion powder
2 t sage, ground
whisk thoroughly until uniformly mixed.
i’m also going to make a batch of my citrus/ghost pepper barbecue sauce. the base of the recipe started out as a citrus/ghost pepper hot wing glaze.
4 cups orange juice (10-15 tangelo or large navel oranges for fresh squeezed juice)
One-half cup light brown sugar
4 fresh ghost peppers, de-stemmed and cut in half or 3 dried peppers
2 garlic cloves, whole
3 Tbsp. smoked paprika
2 Tbsp. sherry vinegar
5-6 juniper berries
Place the above ingredients in a medium sauce pan. Bring to a simmer/boil over medium-high heat. Stir often, about every 5 minutes, until liquid has reduced to two-thirds to 0ne-half cup and has formed into a thick glaze. Strain the liquid into a container and return it to the pan. The glaze can be used as is to coat cooked chicken wings. To make into a barbecue sauce add the following:
1-2 cup ketchup
2-3 Tbsp. Lea & Perrin’s Worcestershire Sauce
2-3 heaping Tbsp. whole grain Dijon mustard
4 tsp. ancho chile powder
1 Tbsp. smoked paprika
Return to a simmer over medium-low heat and continue to simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally for 15-30 minutes or until all ingredients are thoroughly incorporated and mixture has reduced by 10%. Let stand covered for at least 20-30 minutes before using to allow flavors to blend. The addition of some fresh grated orange zest can be added at this time if you want to emphasize the citrus flavor.
The second set of ingredients can be doubled to create a sauce less spicy but still carrying some of the characteristic citrus and ghost pepper notes of the basic recipe. If doing this I would recommend adding a further teaspoon of smoked paprika along with the ketchup, etc. to give it a little more of a smoky note.
8 Likes
Just made our deadly blue cheese dressing. The blue cheese grows over time, best after a week, and from then on. Use a blue cheese you love to eat, with lots of blue:
2 cloves garlic
8 oz blue cheese, in chunks
1/2 cup milk boiled and cooled
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbs fresh lemon
1 Tbs apple cider vinegar
black pepper to taste
Add the vinegar and lemon juice to the cooked milk.
Put the garlic in the food processor and chop.
Add the rest of the ingredients, and blend smooth.
Add some water if it is too thick, pour into a mason jar, give it a name, store in the fridge.
8 Likes
Lots of superfood ingredients in there. Nice!
4 Likes
I forgot to mention the 2 tablespoons of lime juice, so there’s even some nice vitamin C as well!
4 Likes
Cheese fondue.
Get 3 different hard cheeses, one dry and old, one not so old and one drawing threads when you heat it (like gruyere…). Slice, don’t grate.
Rub a clove of garlic on the pot.
Pour a glass of dry white wine in the pot and heat it to a boil. Add the cheese while drawing figures of height with a wooden spoon.
That is it. Takes 15-20 min. Count about 1 kg for about 4-6 people.
Never re-add wine to the fondue. Never grate the cheese. Never draw circles with your spoon.
9 Likes
I’ve never added garlic - great idea. We make this with a good beer instead of wine, and plenty of sharp cheddar.
4 Likes
Adds to the Vitamin C of the jalapenos.
I’ve been cooking like this a long time w/o even knowing the particular benefits.
I’ve been experimenting awhile with barley (helps the body metabolize carbs and fats) as a general replacement for rice; it’s worked well so far as long as it’s not hulled barley (which doesn’t absorb other flavors well). Sacrilegious (for me), but one day – with enough courage – I’m going to attempt a paella… but with barley replacing the rice !!!
5 Likes
Don’t forget the splash of Kirschwasser.
9 Likes
how about some healthy depression food recipes? simple beans and rice or something? i suspect my funk would go away if I took better care of myself but that’d take effort
3 Likes
Spaghetti alio et olio.
Dice a few cloves of garlic to taste. Fry in olive oil. Add a small chili.
Add spaghetti cooked al dente. Grate some hard cheese on top (officially: parmigiano).
You can also add diced tomatoes at the end. Not the same dish, but just as good.
Don’t use the cheapest spaghetti, spend the 20c more for durum wheat.
8 Likes
I like potato starch better, especially when i feel lazy and cheat by not reducing something to thicken it (add more wine, umami and a potato starch slurry =lovely pseudo-fancy gravy)
2 Likes
Standard in Hawaii. One local fast food joint sells 100 tons of chili every month, not counting the rice.
(Sorry, just noticed this thread.)
6 Likes
Its also a great coating for chicken or firm tofu.
4 Likes
So, growing up in the Midwest, where did I learn to serve chili like they do in Germany and Hawaii?
It must have been some book I read. I’m actually more curious about this now!
2 Likes
Diner owned by a German immigrant? (Though I assume that chili is an import into Germany, raising the question of where they got in the habit of serving it with rice. Here in Hawaii we eat rice with everything, so the question doesn’t arise.)
3 Likes
Thanks that sounds good. But a lot of work.
You sound like you know your carbs, anything w beans or lentils?
My aim is to find something high fiber like beans + rice or lentils and rice that can be dinner. I make oatmeal + yogurt for breakfast and usually cook eggs for lunch (or do the eggs at breakfast if can’t work from home)
2 Likes
