Make Soup With Noodles Like Ramen
Love the taste and texture of noodles like ramen, but want more variety? Love the convenience, but want freshness and nutrition? Love the price, but want something fancier? Turn them into a delicious soup--and clean out some odds and ends from your fridge--with a few simple additions.
Contents
Steps
- Decide whether to cook the noodles in the broth, or separately.
- Cooking the noodles in the broth adds flavor and thickness from starch and a little oil to the broth, and adds flavor from the broth to the inside of the noodles. If you like that, just cook the noodles in the usual manner substituting improved broth for water. But, if some part of the soup such as big or tough vegetables or meat requires extended cooking time, add the noodles to the broth three to five minutes before it will be done so they don't overcook.
- Cooking the noodles out of the broth avoids masking delicate flavors with starch and oil. Make Ramen Noodles the usual way, preferably right before the broth will be done, discard the water, and add the noodles to the broth when it's done. The amount of broth to make separately from noodles is up to you, but you may want to use less liquid than normally recommended because cooked noodles will not absorb much more liquid.
- Enhance the broth base. Try meat bouillon (broth) from a can or reconstituted from a dehydrated cube or packet. There are also vegetable broths some of which taste like chicken broth.
- Or, don't use a broth and just add soup-type toppings on top of the noodles. For that, you could Microwave or steam the toppings, or boil them in minimal water, to avoid leaching out their vitamins (but make sure meat is cooked thoroughly). Or, Sauté them (adds some fat and a more-cooked outside texture and flavor). You could also add some cheap, strong flavorings to the boiling water for the noodles to absorb into them, such as the seasoning packet, chili, or soy sauce.
- Add other items. Cut them into bite-size pieces, small and across the grain if fibrous. They will cook by boiling, but you can Sauté some or all of them and add them to the soup for different texture and flavor.
- Add vegetables. Canned, frozen or otherwise pre-cooked vegetables should be cooked as little as possible; add them once everything else is hot. Firm vegetables should be cut thin to speed cooking, and fibrous vegetables should be cut for easy eating. Some popular choices are:
- Bell peppers
- Tomatoes
- Bamboo shoots
- Chopped Lemongrass, especially with seafood
- Onion
- Add meat. The pieces should be bite-size and thin so they are tender and certain to cook thoroughly by boiling a few minutes. Some popular choices are:
- Baby clams
- Dried baby shrimp
- Asian beef meatballs
- Squid
- Shrimp
- Crab
- Salmon (available canned)
- Bacon
- Tuna (widely available canned)
- Add other sources of protein. Especially if you're a Vegetarian.
- Eggs (fried, dropped in, or stirred in)
- Tofu
- Grated cheese, especially cheddar, Colby, or Colby-Jack. Try it as a topping.
- Vegetarian imitation bacon bits.
- Add herbs and spices. Be careful if you're also using the spices that come with ramen noodles, because those can be very hot already. Give anything dehydrated a chance to rehydrate rather than just sprinkling it on top, which would leave it hard and difficult to taste at first. Some popular choices are:
- Chili
- Basil
- Hot sauce
- Lemon juice (try it with hot sauce for a flavor like hot and sour soup)
- Soy sauce
- Old Bay (don't add much; it's largely salt)
- Peanut butter (preferably unsweetened)
- For American-style noodles, ranch dressing (available in a light style) or butter adds creaminess. These would be best without a broth.
- Dress up the food with fancy presentation. Try small bowls, chopsticks, and big Asian soup spoons.
- Garnish with colorful small tender vegetables and herbs suitable for eating raw. Some popular choices are:
- Cilantro
- Bean sprouts
- Parsley
- Decorative spices and herbs such as slices of hot peppers and basil leaves.
Tips
- Try specific traditional styles of ramen noodles, such as Korean or Make Miso Mackerel Ramen.
- If you're making a soup with all kinds of odd things to consume leftovers, add hot pepper to cover over subtle different flavors.
- Try nontraditional noodle recipes. You could Make Ramen Noodle Chicken Casserole; Make Macramendog, a hodgepodge of common leftovers; Make Ramen Chicken Salad; or Make a Poor Man's Spaghetti, an improvised (though not particularly cheap, nutritious or simple) spaghetti with meat sauce.
- Check an Asian supermarket for more exotic ingredients and many, many kinds of noodles, many packaged as instant soup kits. Some instant noodles are not fried, and thus lower in fat.
- Try something elaborate, like this fancy recipe for Make Vegetarian Ramen, or Make Your Ramen Noodles Spicier.
- Try pouring melted cheese after you're done serving it on a plate. Flavored cheese works even better!
- You can use instant noodles other than ramen, and often-healthier non-instant noodles and pasta.
- Be adventurous, but be sure to cook meat and any other potentially hazardous food thoroughly.
- Try different kinds of soup bases and sauces. For instance, you could try Make Southwestern Style Ramen, or American-style instant noodles, Make Ramen with Beef, or Make Milk and Cheese Ramen.
Warnings
- When in doubt, add less spice. You can always add more, or add more to your portion only.
