ramen ramen revolution

The story of the instant ramen noodle is amazing!

At the end of World War 2, hunger was a serious problem in Japan. Observing lines 20 or 30 people deep, waiting to buy ramen noodles at vendors' stalls, Momofuku Ando started experimenting, looking for a way to make the popular and nutritious ramen noodle safe and easy to eat, cook, and store.

In 1958, Momofuku Ando started Nissin Food Products Co., Ltd. of Japan. In 1972, instant ramen was introduced to the USA. Members of the International Ramen Manufacturers Association now feed outrageous quantities of instant noodles to the world, including supplying large quantities of instant ramen to victims of natural disasters.

In a survey taken on the eve of the new millenium, Ramen noodles were conclusively voted the #1 most influential item manufactured in Japan in the 20th century!

If you should ever happen to be in Japan, be sure to visit the Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum in Ikeda City, Osaka Prefecture.

Momofuku Ando died at the age of 96 in 2007. His New York Times obituary is at this link.

Ramen bok choy

Okay, a success! After yesterday's abject failure, I tried bok choy (three servings) again. This time, I stir fried chopped fresh bok choy in canola oil with:

6 largish fresh white mushrooms
6 chopped strips of turkey bacon
1 handful of roasted sunflower seeds
a quick dusting of garlic powder
an even quicker dusting of powdered ginger

Meanwhile I cooked three individual serving size packages of ramen noodles in boiling water for about three minutes. I drained the ramen noodles, and divided them among three shallow bowls.

I reheated the stir-fried mixture, added three eggs, and stirred the eggs (plus cooked ingredients) until the eggs were totally cooked. Then spooned the hot stir-fry mixture over the ramen noodles.

For color and complementary flavor, I accompanied the stir-fry with fresh plums.

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Review:

My diners had the option of further seasoning their stir-fry with soy sauce, fresh ground black pepper, or with the powdered seasoning pre-packaged with the ramen noodles.

• The soy-sauce-seasoning diner said the dish was excellent! He figured out the "crunchy things" were sunflower seeds and commented favorably on them.

• The other diners opted for some of the ramen noodle pre-packaged seasoning as an additional flavoring, as well as a bit of fresh ground pepper. They agreed that the ramen noodles were too dry -- perhaps too well-drained before the stir fry was added.

Today's dilemma

Got up this morning, woke up the family, drank a cup of coffee, and drove 200 miles round trip to the nearest airport to meet a plane. By the time I got home, everyone was hungry -- those who had made the road trip with me, as well as those who had already eaten lunch (tuna sandwiches), but were willing to consider having lunch all over again.

A survey of the pantry got my mind going re: what to serve for lunch.

We had glorified Ramen noodles, cooked in a big pot on the stove top (instead of the microwave because I fixed five servings simultaneously). One small can green peas and a small can of chicken soup with rice added a little meat and color to the Ramen noodles. Everyone liked the food. Just didn't eat very much of it.

Suggestion on making tasty Ramen noodles would be appreciated!