Oriental grocery stores sell fresh ramen noodles, which are used in restaurants. Noodles must be boiled and cooked on their own to remove the starch coating. Add the reconstituted ramen soup after cooking with lots of water and draining. It is best to cook the ramen soup base and fresh noodles separately.
The simplest method to obtain dry ramen noodles is to purchase a package and take out the soup base. Use only dry noodle. (save the soup pouch for later use). When cooked with water, the dry noodles typically absorb 200–250 milliliters of water. Dried noodles and ramen soup should be cooked together.
I know what youre thinking. A recipe for instant ramen? Don’t you just boil water, add noodles and spice packets, and then “stir occasionally” as directed on the package?
After the noodles have softened and separated after two minutes, remove them from the broth and let them stand for another two minutes. The air flow will impede the cooking process, resulting in slightly more al dente noodles.
For some, this vague and imprecise approach produces a satisfactory result. The noodles are warm, the broth is seasoned. But, as I found out when writing my cookbook, Koreatown, Koreans have a ramen process that makes for a better bowl.
In a large saucepan over high heat, bring two and a half cups of water to a boil. Add the soup base and vegetable mix. Boil for 1 minute. 2. DROP IN THE NOODLES—GENTLY.
And Koreans should know. Its said that, on average, South Koreans eat 80 bags per person annually, which is a hell of a lot of instant noodles, and reason I look to the Koreans for instant ramen tutelage. Most of that ramen is Shin Ramyun (shin means “spicy” in Korean, and ramyun is the Korean word for ramen, a Japanese word). The following step-by-step directions for preparing a standard four-ounce package of ramen was developed with Shin, but it will work with Japanese, Chinese and Malaysian brands as well.1. BOIL THE WATER, ADD THE SEASONING PACKETS
