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Made in us
The Last Chancer Who Survived





Norristown, PA

Lately, I’ve been a little obsessed with ramen. Not the cheapy 50 cent packs in the supermarket with that neon yellow chicken flavored salt water, but better quality stuff. I’ve tried some from the asian section of the store, and recently found this one called Mike’s Mighty Good in the organic section. It actually is mighty good.

I always wanted to try “real” ramen from a restaurant, but never noticed it on any menus before, for any of the asian restaurants I’ve been to.. I’ve seen noodle cafes in passing here and there, but can’t recall where.. probably downtown in the city where I never go anymore. Actually a local game shop that specializes in playing games in store just added ramen to their cafe, haven’t been in yet to try it but I imagine a game shop snack bar isn’t going to be anything special.

So I thought I’d try making it myself. Bear in mind the only thing I have to base it on is the powdered broth microwavable bowl kind you get at the supermarket.. but I want to make something better. I’ve see pictures, some online recipes, and got an idea of ingredients (though I don’t think I’d enjoy a hard boiled egg in my soup). I think I’m gonna try it with some chopped up grilled chicken or pulled rotisserie chicken, garlic cooked into the broth and scallions on top, and maybe a little bit of spinach. Are you supposed to add anything else to the broth, like soy sauce?

What do you like to put in your ramen?

 
   
Made in gb
Ridin' on a Snotling Pump Wagon






Standard Noodles (they’re a Japanese brand, at least), a few peas, chopped spring onion, pre-cooked chicken, hot sauce to taste. Luvverly!

   
Made in us
Longtime Dakkanaut





I love Ramen. I spent a lot of my time in asia as a kid so its kind of my comfort food. However, I get mine from the asian stores, and my favorites are from places like the Philippines like the Lucky Me Pancit Canton stuff.

https://www.amazon.com/Lucky-Me-Instant-Pancit-Canton/dp/B00CAFZP3K/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_325_bs_t_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=ENFB2AQ217GJ5A1ZYNRB

The asian store I go to also sells boneless Pork Spare Ribs which I bag it up into smaller portions and freeze it. So when I go to eat, I boil up an egg and also use the water to also boil up some frozen shrimp or scallops, re-heat and add the pork, slice up the egg, add green onions, and most importantly, Sriracha.

As a mostly organic eater too, I have had a hard time enjoying the domestic organic ramen stuff. Sometimes I would rather pour how water into a shoe and drink that. While I would hate to see the factories where asian ramen is made, I hope for the best.

Ramen in recent years has changed the way I eat. I really wanted to cut down on meat and looking at the packages of ramen inspired me to cut down on the amount I was eating. Most of the time the meat in ramen is almost used as a garnish, rather than a side or main course. And adding the egg gives me the protein without having to rely on meat. It didn't take long before I was doing that with other dishes and now its not uncommon for me to only use half or even a third of a chicken breast in a meal when before it was the bulk of what I was eating.

I love ramen so much I thought about doing a blog about it, like reviewing the different brands and adding whatever ingredients. There, take my idea and run with it.

You should read up on something called Singapore Steamboat. It was my favorite dish we discovered in asia, and have been eating something like it ever since.

https://www.google.com/search?q=Singapore+Steamboat&client=firefox-b&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjN7biJ0ffdAhUr4oMKHa0OBZYQ_AUIDygC&biw=1920&bih=946

Its normally a whole spectacle of a meal, but I learned how to do it quick and dirty over the stove. And I kid you not, I haven't had a girl I have ever made it for not go nuts over it. Its typically the most requested thing I can cook up. And there is no set way to do it, there is a ton of variety that you can add to it. My family used beef, chicken, shrimp, dove eggs, and god knows what else. Secret weapon is the Sriracha. That plus the chicken broth is the best meal when its chilly out and you are wrapped up in a blanket watching TV.

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2018/10/08 20:10:31


 
   
Made in us
Omnipotent Necron Overlord






I'm not sure you can really make ramen that great. I've tried fancy ramen and to be honest...50 cent power beef ramen isn't really that far off it.


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Made in us
Legendary Master of the Chapter






The easiest hack is to add a soft boiled egg into it.

personally love Ramen with fried scallions and garlic chips.

but i also greatly enjoy miso based broth over the salt ones in those cup o noods.

but for the real thing id go to a ramen house.

French guy cooking also did a whole thing for making your own ramen also

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2018/10/08 20:12:39


 Unit1126PLL wrote:
 Scott-S6 wrote:
And yet another thread is hijacked for Unit to ask for the same advice, receive the same answers and make the same excuses.

Oh my god I'm becoming martel.
Send help!

 
   
Made in us
Imperial Guard Landspeeder Pilot




On moon miranda.

Actual ramen is my jam, and there's nothing more amazing than boiled eggs soaked in ramen curry with some decent fat noodles and a load of pork.

Dammit now I want ramen.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2018/10/08 20:13:11


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Made in jp
[MOD]
Anti-piracy Officer






Somewhere in south-central England.

To be honest, my wife makes perfectly acceptable ramen using packet noodles and ready-made ramen stock from a Japanese supermarket.

For a tip-top experience, though, the secret of great ramen is the soup stock.

In a proper Japanese ramen restaurant this is made of all kinds of stuff (see the film Tampopo for an example.)

You also need good quality noodles, cooked just right. The variations of toppings also benefit from being good quality.

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Made in gb
Decrepit Dakkanaut






UK

I made fairly basic ramen--more or less in name only, from what I saw of traditional recipes--a few weeks back.

Bought a rotisserie chicken, tore the meat off it and used that in sandwiches and freezing for later, and boiled the carcass with some veggies for stock--but added too much water, so the flavour was a bit watered down. Bought an 800g slab of fat-on pork belly from a local supermarket, halved it lengthways and stuck half in the freezer.

For the other 400g half I mixed salt, pepper, sugar, and chinese 5-spice in a ratio I couldn't begin to calculate and purely eyeballed--because who need absolute measurements? Well, me, actually, but I'm crap at taking them--took some kitchen paper to the pork belly to dry it, then rubbed it all over with the dry spice mix getting a good covering, wrapped it in clingfilm, and left it in the fridge for about 12 hours.

Pulled it out the next day, put it fat-up in a roasting tin at Gas 8 for half an hour, then right down to Gas 1 for a final hour. Near the end of that, I brought some of that chicken stock I'd made to boil, added the noodles, added some grated ginger after a minute or so, then some soy sauce and seasame oil after another few--I was using dried noodles, so needed more cooking than fresh--and pulled off the heat.

While the stock was waiting to boil I boiled an egg, but left it just a few seconds too long for that nice yolk where it's just beginning to solidify; not runny, but not completely solid, and still nice and bright.

Around the same time as the egg was started, the pork belly was done, so I pulled that out and left it to rest for a few minutes, after which I sliced it into about half-inch thick slices--the top fat had become really flavourful crackling, which is best removed before slicing and breaking your teeth on by itself.

I then fried those slices for about 2mins per side, just to add some crispness.

To serve, I just added a few ladles of the broth + noodles to a bowl, a few slices of the crisped pork belly to the edges of it, halved the egg and added a half to the bowl, and finished by scattering some sliced spring onions and parsley.

And if I do say so myself, it was rather nice. The star of the show was, by far and away, the pork, though. It smelt fantastic, it tasted fantastic, the fat was unctious and salty but with that 5-spice flavour and kick behind it, and I'm salivating pretty heavily just remembering it.

So that's my rambly, overlong, and twisted tale of how I made a nice ramen soup, with pork belly that has to be one of the greatest things I've ever tasted.

EDIT: One or two photos I dredged up. Colour balance is crap, but kitchen and dining room lighting isn't photo-friendly and I don't know what any camera options on my phone actually do...

Pork Belly fresh from the oven.

Spoiler:


The actual soup. (Forgotten I'd sliced one piece of pork belly without crisping it for looks and flavour comparison. Bare won looks, crisped won flavour.

Spoiler:

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2018/10/08 20:33:58


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Made in jp
[MOD]
Anti-piracy Officer






Somewhere in south-central England.

I think Ramen is another of those recipes, like paella or bouillabaise or Lancashire hotpot, which has a standardised classic format but originally consisted of slinging a lot of leftovers into a pot and getting something hot and tasty out the other side.

Your recipe sounds just the job!

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Made in us
Willing Inquisitorial Excruciator




Ephrata, PA

Actually bro, Gamer's Heaven Ramen is really good, and it is made from scratch in the store's kitchen, as opposed to being instant noodles in a fancy bowl. I've had it several times.

Edit: stupid phone

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2018/10/08 21:03:33


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Made in us
The Last Chancer Who Survived





Norristown, PA

 Inquisitor Lord Bane wrote:
Actually bro, Gamer's Heaven Ramen is really good, and it is made from scratch, as opposed to being instant noodles in a fancy bowl. I've had it several times.


Cool, I will have to check it out then Actually seeing them post about it on facebook a while back is kinda what started getting me back into Ramen in the first place. I've only been in there a couple of times and only at the old location, but my old game group plays there tuesday and thursday nights.. tough for me to get there on a week night after work though.


 
   
Made in us
Willing Inquisitorial Excruciator




Ephrata, PA

I know. I make it out on Tuesday once or twice a month. New store is more than double the size, same shopping center. Definitely check it out.

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 feeder wrote:
Frazz's mind is like a wiener dog in a rabbit warren. Dark, twisting tunnels, and full of the certainty that just around the next bend will be the quarry he seeks.

 
   
Made in ca
Sagitarius with a Big F'in Gun





I love ramen - even the cheap buy-20-for-6.99 packs. Really though, it's probably 50% a nostalgia thing. I had a babysitter that would buy them in bulk to feed me and the other kids she watched. She was really just giving us the cheapest possible food she could.

Now, I can eat those for a week when I need to pinch pennies and not feel like I'm depriving myself.

Fun fact about ramen noodles. In Thailand they have a unofficial thing they use to track the economy's health called the "Ma Ma Index" (Ma Ma is their local brand of ramen noodles). If sales of noodles are up, the economy is likely going down.
   
Made in us
Fate-Controlling Farseer





Fort Campbell

I haven't had good ramen since I left Japan. There is plenty of Ramen restaurants in the US, but they're all people who come from southern Japan, and I never got a taste for those styles. All my time in Japan was up north, and Sapporo style is where its at.

I'm still on a ten year fruitless search to find a place that makes it.

Full Frontal Nerdity 
   
Made in ca
Nihilistic Necron Lord




The best State-Texas

 djones520 wrote:
I haven't had good ramen since I left Japan. There is plenty of Ramen restaurants in the US, but they're all people who come from southern Japan, and I never got a taste for those styles. All my time in Japan was up north, and Sapporo style is where its at.

I'm still on a ten year fruitless search to find a place that makes it.


That's funny, one of the Ramen restaurants we have nearby is "Sapporo Ramen and grill" I never realized they were that distinct.

Ramen, like pho, is all about the broth. If it is high quality broth, the ramen is incredible. If not, it can be just meh.


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Made in us
The Last Chancer Who Survived





Norristown, PA

Yeah, i've always wanted to be able to make awesome broth just for soup in general. I've followed tons of different recipes.. boiled chicken after chicken, beef bones, ham hocks, whatever I do, the broth just always comes out bland and I end up having to add bullion to it. So I usually just end up with canned broth and I add stuff to it. Also chicken of beef base is good, it's like a paste that you just add water too like bullion, but usually it's a lot more flavorful and not as salty tasting.

Growing up, my grandparents only ever bought College Inn chicken broth, it was like sacrilege to buy another brand.. so it's grown into my go-to broth now.

 
   
Made in us
Ship's Officer





Dallas, TX

If I cook it myself, I add a egg in while its boiling, I like mine hot.

If I was getting it at a noodle shop, I get it with mushrooms, hard boil egg, chicken, scallions, lots of chili. I wish noodle shop would make their ramen super hot, temp wise, but I understand they want to avoid lawsuits.


The difference is in the noodle, and the broth between cheap packet ramen and noodle shop ramen, plus any ingredient you might add.
   
Made in de
Longtime Dakkanaut





My absolute favourite is the "Tan tan men" they serve in our local ramen place. It's the standard pork/miso broth with chili oil, minced pork and sesame in addition to the veggies.

I ate a similar ramen on my visit to Mito city and since that day I just can't get enough of it

I've tried to cook it myself, but I just can't seem to find the right miso. They use a very rich variety that is almost a bit earthy (in both colour and taste) and not as sour as the standard ones you get in asian super markets.

Maybe one of you can recommend a brand.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2018/10/09 09:46:10


 
   
Made in fi
Locked in the Tower of Amareo





Uh interesting thread since I love ramen and udon(what I would pay for good sanuki udon restaurant...). Thanks for all the tips. Have to try my hand on cooking it.

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Made in us
[DCM]
Secret Squirrel






Leerstetten, Germany

We finally got a couple good Ramen shops in Oklahoma City, and it's been tasty. My second choice is picking up a couple packets of the fancy stuff at the Commissary and adding some things while cooking.
   
Made in us
The Last Chancer Who Survived





Norristown, PA

Hit the supermarket on the way home last night, I got a fancy looking bowl of microwave pho. The noodles were soft and in their own bag, not hard where you have to boil them. It had a kind of licorice funk to it, not in a bad way though. I also got Miso from the same brand, gonna try it tonight. I have a feeling though that I'm just gonna be more into meaty broths rather than veggie broths.

 
   
Made in ca
Stormin' Stompa






Ottawa, ON

Does anyone else like to boil it down until the soup becomes a sauce? Really concentrates the flavour.

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Made in us
Proud Triarch Praetorian





Watch Mind of a Chef on Netflix. Narrated by Anthony Bourdain and hosted by David Chang. I think the first episode is about Ramen. They go to Japan and go to a couple very famous ramen shops. They even show a little bit about the shops making the broth.

It will definitely help.
   
Made in us
[DCM]
Secret Squirrel






Leerstetten, Germany

Now I just want to watch Ramen Girl again.
   
Made in us
Keeper of the Flame





Monticello, IN

I'm a troglodyte apparently, I'm content with Marunchan Oriental Flavor Ramen. $0.25 a pack and I can fix two packs at work for a rather sizeable meal. What's not to love?

www.classichammer.com

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Made in us
Fate-Controlling Farseer





Fort Campbell

I just ate at a Ramen shop in Nashville today.

It was alright, but it just didn't scratch that itch for me.

I think I've become a unconsciously prejudiced against Ramen now, I have spent a decade building up a memory of what I considered the perfect ramen, and nothing will ever match it again.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
 Just Tony wrote:
I'm a troglodyte apparently, I'm content with Marunchan Oriental Flavor Ramen. $0.25 a pack and I can fix two packs at work for a rather sizeable meal. What's not to love?


Yes, yes you are.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2018/10/13 19:26:34


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Made in us
Keeper of the Flame





Monticello, IN

What do you expect? I WAS Infantry for 20 years, after all...

www.classichammer.com

For 4-6th WFB, 2-5th 40k, and similar timeframe gaming

Looking for dice from the new AOS boxed set and Dark Imperium on the cheap. Let me know if you can help.
 CthuluIsSpy wrote:
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Made in dk
Stormin' Stompa





Check out Alex French Guy Cooking and his ramen series.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyZjoJcvHvE&list=PLURsDaOr8hWXGHjXPa3nTFZnbqJcAfs4N

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Made in us
Posts with Authority






The thing to bear in mind is that Ramen is not the whole of the dish, it is only a component of the dish.

Treat it as such, and you can get rewarding results.

A fish soup with ramen and mustard greens is wonderful, easy to make, and confuses the heck out of people that have never had mustard greens. (About 95% of Americans, I think. )

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Kilkrazy wrote:When I was a young boy all my wargames were narratively based because I played with my toy soldiers and vehicles without the use of any rules.

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Made in us
Monstrous Master Moulder




Rust belt

I use to enjoy Ramen noodles until I worked at a state prison. Inmates would pretty much kill one another for the stuff and them cooking it in garbage bags to make a “Chi Chi” every night is enough to make me vomit.
   
 
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