To Ramen or Not to Ramen? That is the Question

[athena53]

I gave up ramen years ago because of the calories- salt must not be an issue for me since my BP is on the low end of normal.

I had to laugh, though, when DH and I were in Iceland in 2015. Typically we liked to pick up something at the grocery store at the end of the day for dinner, and relax in the room. DH didn't always want to eat substantial meals because of health issues, and one night he said that something with noodles sounded good. We had a hot pot in the hotel room so I got him ramen noodles, which he enjoyed on several other nights during the trip. So- we'd flown there in Business Class, we were in a lovely hotel, and DH was eating ramen noodles for dinner.

Well, it sounded better than the horsemeat carpaccio listed as an appetizer on the menu they posted at the hotel's restaurant.

 

[Winemaker]

Ramen noodles? Never tried 'em. I guess I live a sheltered life.

Everything in moderation, including moderation.

 

[Midpack]

The title may be an undeserved generalization. I love GOOD ramen, there are quite a few outstanding ramen restaurants in Chicago. It sounds like the OP is talking about the alarmingly cheap instant ramen noodles, some in styro cups, you see in grocery stores. I wouldn't eat that stuff under normal circumstances. I consider instant ramen cups to be a convenience for boating, camping, etc. (something warm when all you have to work with is hot water) - not a meal?

Sort of like judging Scharfen Berger, Vosges or Valrhona chocolate by eating Milk Duds...

 

[easysurfer]

There is such a thing as "GOOD ramen"? You must be talking of some type of escargot of ramen? While I was talking of the popular non styro, a dozen to a box type.

I've always thought of ramem is ramen.

Made a similar mistake back in college when talking to dorm mates and I said "What's the big deal? Beer is Beer". Then there was a pause and they saw red and I thought they were gonna make me walk the plank .

 

[Midpack]

There is such a thing as "GOOD ramen"? You must be talking of some type of escargot of ramen? While I was talking of the popular non styro, a dozen to a box type.

You can find GOOD ramen in most major metro areas, at fairly reasonable prices with no escargot involved. You might be very surprised how good and sophisticated great ramen is. The broths alone often have many ingredient/layers of flavor and take days to make. As I don't know where you are, here's just a few in Chicago that bear almost no resemblance to the machined noodles with salt and chicken bouillon "dozen to a box type" you're talking about.

The Best Ramen in Chicago, Revisited | Serious Eats

Again you're lumping artisan chocolates in with Milk Duds...

 

[Fedup]

We have similar ramen shop around here.

 

[RobbieB]

So do we. It's called "Osaka Ramen" and it's in Dublin, CA. My fav;

Salmon ramen with miso broth. Supurb -

 

[tmm99]

I am not sure how many of you have watched this, but this is a segment from a film called "Tampopo", a typical wacky Japanese movie from the 80's. The movie is about ramen (not the instant kind), but the ramen you can order at a ramen shop. The movie was actually educational and quite funny but I watched it in the 90's, so I don't know how I feel watching it now.

This movie I believe had a cult following at one point - I just looked it up and Rotten Tomatoes is giving it 100% (the first time I've seen 100%!)

 

[RobbieB]

The "real" stuff is not cheap either, that bowl of soup above is twelve bucks w/o tax and tip.

 

[braumeister]

When I was in college, instant ramen (the kind in the cellophane packages in the supermarket) was a significant part of my diet, just like most of my fellow students. Haven't had much of it since then, but once in a while I'll walk past it in the aisle and a package will somehow jump into my basket.

 

[Tadpole]

When a friend of mine's daughter was serving in Afghanistan, she would specifically ask him to include raman noodles in her care packages.

 

[Fedup]

I loved the movie Tampopo. I used to watch lots of foreign movies, I have a fondness for Japanese movies. But I have not seen any movie for a while.
Our city has a large Korean population so that's where I found my favorite non-instant ramen noodle soup.

 

[easysurfer]

You can find GOOD ramen in most major metro areas, at fairly reasonable prices with no escargot involved. You might be very surprised how good and sophisticated great ramen is. The broths alone often have many ingredient/layers of flavor and take days to make. As I don't know where you are, here's just a few in Chicago that bear almost no resemblance to the machined noodles with salt and chicken bouillon "dozen to a box type" you're talking about.

The Best Ramen in Chicago, Revisited | Serious Eats

Again you're lumping artisan chocolates in with Milk Duds...

I was just kidding about the escargot. How do you spot "GOOD" ramen vs the regular stuff? By brand name? Or are we talking about knowing of restaurants that have the good stuff?

 

[RobbieB]

Yeah, you sort of have to go to a restaurant to see what it's all about. Then you would at least have some basis for home cooking the stuff. It's not going to be some "kit" in a cellophane bag either. The broth will be made from stock like all good soups, fresh veggies, meat of choice and go from there.

 

[FIREd]

I Ramen in moderation. Ramen noodle soup with SPAM, yum.

 

[folivier]

Oh no! Please don't find an article about spam. Spam is good, healthy, and tasty. Don't need to know anything else.

 

[Fedup]

The ramen at the restaurants is different than the ramen from the bag. I think from the restaurants they are freshly made.

 

[RobbieB]

Oh yeah, big time. No comparison, none, to the bag or cup style "instant" ramens.

 

[Aerides]

The ramen you survived on in college? $1 for a pack of 5? Hells to the no.

But downtown restaurant ramen, or a shop when you are traveling in Asia? - Please do.

 

[Midpack]

I've never had instant ramen at home, not even in college (we lived on Hamburger Helper and free pizza).

However I've done some overnight sailing and a hot cup of instant ramen at about 3am on a cold nd windy night is heavenly. I could see it backpacking too. But otherwise I'd rather have great ramen at a restaurant that's serious about it, it can be remarkable!

 

[Lawrencewendall]

Saw this on another site. Never tried it but it sounds cool.

Get a can of tuna fish in oil, remove the top and spread a napkin over the tuna fish so it wicks up the oil. Light the napkin and put a small pot or canteen cup of water over the fire. Supposedly, there is enough oil to cook ramen over it. Once it's done remove the napkin and add the tuna fish to the ramen.

 

[swakyaby]

I Ramen in moderation. Ramen noodle soup with SPAM, yum.

I confess to a secret fondness for making ramen and making spam musobi.

 

[ohyes]

I do not think I had ever tasted supermarket ramen until I ran across a NYTimes Cooking recipe a couple weeks ago. https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016583-perfect-instant-ramen

We have had it twice and will most likely have it again this weekend because 1.) it was really quite tasty 2.) We have (real!) American cheese left over 3.) we just met the guy our daughter is dating and he is a TOTAL loser and we have earned the right to eat crap like this

 

[FUEGO]

I guess I feel the same about fancy foods as others here do about ramen. Snails (escargot), mushed up liver (foie gras), fish eggs (caviar). Sounds like stuff I'd eat if I were three days into a wilderness camping stint and ran out of provisions so had to live off the land.

They'll all do in a pinch so you won't starve to death but give me the ramen, please. Undercook it slightly so that as it sits in the bowl steaming away, the noodles cook to perfection. Sprinkle some chopped green onion on top, maybe a smear of ta-dang chili paste (or sriracha if you're in an American kitchen) and enjoy.

DW and the kids all love to drop an egg in right as you turn off the heat. It cooks the egg perfectly - a little bit goopy in the yellow (which is gross to me, but hey I'm no foodie - I eat ramen).

FYI we use the cheapo 6 for a $1 ramen as the noodle base for pho. Our kitchen is consistently voted "pho-king greatest in Raleigh" by everyone we feed. Needless to say we can't enjoy restaurant pho any longer. Such is life.

Ramen is just a soup base. If you can't make it mind-blowing then don't blame the fact that it comes in a cellophane bag.

 

[Badger]

Ok, I'm not a ramen expert. They seem to be just another pasta made from the same basic ingredients of flour, salt, water, and sometimes eggs. So what is the problem except for eating too much? Japan, Northern China, Italy, US, etc. all eat large quantities of this whether called ramen or spagetti. What makes it so bad when it is called ramen? Am I missing something here?

Cheers!