Ramen Love

Well, I suppose I shall make the first post in this group blog (^_^)

We all know about the cheaptacular, simple to eat and make Top Ramen noodle soup.  Some make it soupy, some make it a little dry, some eat it cooked and some eat it raw and crunchy, and most are very specific about their preparation.

One day I was reading up on this lovely food, after a day of watching some Anime shows and wondering what this intense love of (usually a specific purveyor's) ramen and other noodle soups was all about, and boy was I inspired!  This site covers the regional styles quite well http://www.rameniac.com/ramen_styles/

I must say, we Americans are sorely deprived in the ramen department.  It is indeed a much greater soup than the stuff we have been led to believe is "top ramen."  I blame government conspiracy.  

You can usually get a wide variety of noodles on the cheap from your local hole in the wall Asian market.  Rice noodles, soba noodles, ramen noodles, as well as your traditional Western style noodles can all be found at these markets, as well as other lovely, fun ingredients that will get their own blog posts ;)

One of my favourite ways to prepare a simple, quick lunch ramen is to bring some pork, beef, chicken, or vegetable broth (strong garlicky turkey stock and pork stock are my current favourites for this) to a boil and add some garlic and lots of ginger to the boiling liquid, and let it all simmer/meld together for a couple of minutes before you add whatever small diced vegetables you want* and your choice of noodle.  Simmer 2-5 minutes until done and serve!  You can easily make this for one person, just eyeball the amount of broth, noodles, and vegetables you want. 

*If you want a quickie soup, you'll want to use very quick-cooking vegetables (or pre-cooked leftover), such as chopped frozen bell peppers, thinly sliced celery, frozen chopped spinach, etc, or you can use fine raw vegetables in the bowl at the last minute, using the broth simply to warm them instead of cook them.