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May 16 2007, 09:40 PM
How to cook basic ramen: You'll want the ramen "al dente," as the Italians say. A good idea is to stop cooking a short time earlier than what the package says. So if the package says 3 minutes, try cooking it around 2 minutes and 30 seconds. This lets your noodles keep a tiny bit of their firmness without leaving them undercooked. Popular sides: Hard boiled egg - slice the egg in half and let it float on top of the soup. "Scrambled" egg - beat an egg. When the soup is boiling, pour the egg into the water. The water will cook it, giving a special ramen style of scrambled eggs. Seaweed - cook it just until soft, and drape it halfway over the side of the bowl. Chashu (grilled pork fillet) - a mainstay for all standard ramen dishes. Hard boiled egg - slice the egg in half and let it float on top of the soup. "Scrambled" egg - beat an egg. When the soup is boiling, pour the egg into the water. The water will cook it, giving a special ramen style of scrambled eggs. Seaweed - cook it just until soft, and drape it halfway over the side of the bowl. Chashu (grilled pork fillet) - a mainstay for all standard ramen dishes. Pan-Fried Ramen The taste of ramen is not only determined by the soup base, but also by the noodles' texture. Noodles and soup base don't always have to go together. Because most ramen is soft and sometimes too soggy, put the noodles in a frying pan over medium heat with a little bit of canola oil. The result is superb. And the noodles' crispy texture and golden color goes well with a bowl of soup and regular side dishes. Exotic Ramen If you're the adventurous type, then try putting pan-fried ramen on some lotus leaves rather than on a plate. Add a spoonful of coconut milk when frying the ramen. The coconut smell goes well with the lotus aroma and will enhance your ramen experience. Nuts or raisins can be added on top of the ramen, depending on how salty or sweet you prefer your meal. Thanksgiving Ramen Of course, a turkey is a must for a Thanksgiving dinner. But it can be a whole new experience if there is more creativity involved in cooking the turkey. This year, consider using pan-fried ramen noodles as stuffing for the turkey. But don't just use the crispy noodles by themselves: fresh beets and chopped mushrooms cre- ate a juicy, appetizing result with the crispy ramen. Curry Ramen Another choice for eating ramen hot, but without a soup base is curry ramen with saffron, which offers a spicy aroma. Chop the chashu and eggs into tiny pieces and then mix the meat, ideally with carrots added, into the red curry. Sprinkle the chunks of egg on top of the dish to make it look more colorful. Fun Ramen Not all students like alcohol, but many like the Nintendo Wii, a popular video game console. Playing Wii and enjoying ramen at the same time mixes food with entertainment. In the Wii game called "Cooking Mama," you can actually cook ramen. It's fun, while enjoying your real ramen, to chop a cucumber or pour water out of a bowl on a screen, trying to make an imaginary bowl of ramen. Sayuri Ramen The traditional style of ramen may still be the best choice for some, and there is no requirement to make a change or put creativity into the cooking process. But a simple supplement added next to it can give it that extra kick. A good addition is Sayuri - Japanese cold sake in a little bottle that has a milky color and a sweet, fruity taste. Served in a small shot glass, the alcohol blends perfectly with the taste of miso soup or shoyu soup. Although the percentage of the alcohol is quite high, the taste is surprisingly light, and the mint taste gives your throat a chilled feeling after drinking the hot ramen soup. Cold Ramen (with Fondue) If pan-fried ramen is too hot to eat with the upcoming warm weather, how about putting the noodles on top of ice? It's similar to soba, only the latter uses buckwheat or udon noodles. And like soba, a dark inky dipping sauce called soba tsuyu should be served with the chilled ramen. But if you don't have soba tsutyu, then do as the Swiss do - make cheese fondue. Twist a few strokes of ramen noodles with a fork and dip them into the cheese pot for a few seconds until the chilled noodles get warm and absorb the cheese flavor. It's surprisingly delicious when the cheese ramen melts in your mouth.