If I were to estimate it, I would say that Ramen Noodles are, quite possibly, the one food that almost every person as tried at one point or another. Broke and hungry, a package of Ramen Noodles still ranks as a cheaper and more popular meal than the $1.00 cheeseburger. I openly admit that I have eaten Ramen in the past couple of weeks for the simple reason that its comfort food. When I was on hard times, there were alot of cheap meals that I ate that weren't high in flavor, yet, I never complained about a pack of Ramen.....with half the water and extra pack of Shrimp flavor, of course.
Ramen noodles have origins over 4,000 years old. Although they were known in many different shapes and sizes, the noodles we know today can be traced to a fella by the name of Momofuku Ando. He was the founder fo Nissin Foods and who began packaging and selling the product that we are familiar with in 1958. Even with its humble origins as a cheap, quick food to help solve the rather nasty food shortage in Japan after WWII, Ramen Noodles can be very tasty food and, as good food usually is, a surprising crutch when you're in a pinch.
A Recipe and a Story follow and before you think Ramen can't be Versitile Food, read below with the knowledge that Japanese Chefs still use cheap, ol' Ramen noodles in very high cuisine
Salmon Noodle Pockets / Individual Serving
1/2 brick Ramen Noodles
1 small Salmon fillet, about the size of the half brick (or talapia, bass, or any fish with a light flavor)
3-4 thin slices each of yellow squash and zucchini
12 or so small shreds/juliennes of carrot
3-4 Tbsp water
1 Tsp Soy Sauce (low sodium for this recipe)
1 Tbsp Thai Fish Sauce (most groceries carry it now)
1 10" X 10" square of aluminum foil
Medium hot grill, toaster oven (for one or two servings) or oven preheated to 350. I prefer the grill but I will include all each method.
Place the half brick of noodles in the center of the foil square and bend the foil up around it to make a dish. Remove half brick.
Add water, soy, and fish sauce to bottom of packet, place noodles on top, place vegetables on top of noodles, place fish on top of vegetables, season fish with a touch of salt and pepper.
Roll top over itself and do the same with the ends to completely seal the packet. Make sure it is sealed tightly.
Place packet(s) on grill or in the oven for about ten minutes. Adjust cooking time depending on the type of fish. By the time the fish is done, the noodles will be cooked, the vegetables will be steamed just right, and each packet will be ripe with tasty goodness. As always, play with spices, flavors, and seafood.
Now, as I can't let a good story go untold, I submit the following for your approval. Oh, and the names have been changed to protect the not so innocent.
So, we plan to get together with another couple for a small trip to a steak house that they just raved about. It would have been about an hour drive but it was a bit longer as three of us were interested in stopping for a cocktail every so often (the fourth was the more responsible of the crowd and was the D.D....Thank God).
Well, one thing lead to another (as it usually does in cases like this) and the husband in the other couple got a bit more Happy than anyone had planned. After belting out every word of the Springsteen CD that was playing, he abrubtly annouced that it was time to turn around, go home, and take our culinary chances there.
Upon arrival, our drunken counterpart immediately went to bed without fanfare. Nothing in the house was enough to feed all of us with the exception of four Ground Chuck Steaks that would be more than enough for The Living and still have leftovers for the Close to Dead. Of course, I set in to whipping something up that will make the lost trip almost worth while.
I saute some onions and garlic, get the Ground Steaks cooking in those remnants, and set in looking for gravy ingredients. Flour: Check. A bit of Bacon Fat: Check. Seasonings: Check. Beef Boullion, Stock, Cubes......Nowhere to be found. However, our Drunken Counterparts Better Half did manage to scrape up one pack of beef Ramen Noodles...with the flavor packet....yeah. The recipe is as follows:
2 Tbsp bacon fat
2 Tbsp All Purpose flour
1 pack Ramen Beef Flavor
1 cup water
1 cup milk.
Cook the flour in the fat just long enough to lightly brown it. With a seriously hot pan, whisk in the water and milk until the desired consistency is reached. Pour over Ground Steaks and dive in head first.
To this day, that gravy goes down as one of the best I have ever made and, without a doubt, it beat having to run to the Waffle House to get something to eat to satisfy that Half Lit Hunger that alot of us have endured.
Enjoy,
Rob
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