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3 recipes lift dried ramen noodles to more respectable status

By Monika Spykerman, Columbian staff writer
Published: April 15, 2020, 6:03am
4 Photos
Get creative with your ramen haystacks by mixing in dried fruit and nuts. These haystacks feature mini-marshmallows.
Get creative with your ramen haystacks by mixing in dried fruit and nuts. These haystacks feature mini-marshmallows. (Monika Spykerman/The Columbian) Photo Gallery

Instant ramen has long been a mainstay of lean times, a ridiculously cheap and easy meal that’s both salty and satisfying. These much maligned yet incredibly versatile dried noodles deserve more respect. They can serve as a star ingredient in all kinds of tasty dishes, from stir-fries to cold noodle salads to dessert (really!).

Here are three recipes that take ramen from underdog to top dog.

Ramen Stir-Fry

Spiff up your stir-fries by replacing white rice with ramen for a yakisoba-style dish.

First, set the spice packet aside and cook a whole package (or more) of ramen noodles in a minimum amount of water, taking care not to let them get too soft.

In a skillet, saute two or three cloves of garlic with vegetable oil, soy sauce, a couple of dashes of salt and at least half a teaspoon dried or grated fresh ginger. For a sweeter sauce, add about a tablespoon of brown sugar. For tanginess, add a splash or two of rice vinegar or balsamic vinegar.

To the purists: This isn’t classic Asian cooking but merely approximates Asian flavors with what you have on hand. Don’t be afraid to add leftover sweet-and-sour dipping sauce or teriyaki sauce from takeout food, or that frozen packet of what you think might be plum sauce at the back of your freezer. You can also add the ramen spice packet, but if you do, exclude the salt and ease off on the soy sauce because the spice packet is already intensely salty. If you plan to add meat to your stir-fry, pair chicken flavor with chicken, beef with beef or shrimp with shrimp.

Now add sliced vegetables, whatever you’ve got. Try fresh or frozen carrots, green beans, mushrooms, broccoli, asparagus, zucchini, sliced onion, bell pepper, snow peas or shelled peas. Fiber is your friend!

If you want meat, toss uncooked sliced chicken, steak or whole shrimp into the pan before you add the veggies, or add chopped cooked chicken. (Canned chicken isn’t good in this recipe, as it tends to disintegrate into little bits.)

Using a slotted spoon, remove the stir-fry from the pan, leaving the sauce in the bottom. Add the cooked ramen noodles and stir them around to soak up the sauce. You can either add the veggies and meat at this point and gently mix everything together, keeping the noodles intact, or you can mound the noodles on your plate and top with the stir-fry.

Voila! Admittedly, it’s not as good as your favorite Chinese restaurant’s. But it’s plenty good enough for dinner, and you’ll be pleased that you’ve made a delicious, nutritious (if you count the veggies) and economical meal.

Crunchy Cabbage Slaw

Speaking of healthful eating, how about using the noodles to make a salad? This recipe comes via Betty Crocker; search for “crunchy chicken salad” at www.bettycrocker.com.

Melt two tablespoons of butter in a skillet and toss in crunched-up ramen noodles, along with two teaspoons of sesame seeds, if you have them, and the spice packet. Cook for two minutes, stirring frequently, being sure to soak up all that nice butter.

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In a bowl, mix a quarter-cup of sugar, a quarter-cup of vinegar (the recipe calls for white vinegar, but rice vinegar or even apple cider vinegar will do fine), one tablespoon sesame or vegetable oil, and a half-teaspoon black pepper or lemon pepper. Add the noodles along with two cups of shredded cabbage, four chopped scallions, a quarter-cup dry roasted peanuts, cashews or slivered almonds, and a can (drained) of mandarin segments. For extra protein, add two cups of chopped cooked chicken or a 10-ounce drained can of chicken. Ta-da! Salad. Please don’t think about the calorie count.

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Haystacks

Now, for a bit of magic: Ramen noodles can be transformed into dessert! Or breakfast, lunch or dinner, depending on how your day is going.

Crush a whole package of ramen noodles, any flavor. (The spice packet can be tossed in your junk drawer, where you’ll find it five years from now.)

Over low heat or in a double boiler, melt one cup of semisweet chocolate chips with two-thirds cup of smooth or crunchy peanut butter. Add the crumbled noodles and stir until they’re completely coated, then remove from heat.

Get creative by adding mini-marshmallows, peanuts, cashews, almonds or hazelnuts, chopped dried apricots or figs, dried cranberries or chopped crystallized ginger. If you make a combination that tastes bad, it’s not a disaster. Consider it an experiment in the interests of scientific discovery.

Allow the mixture to cool and thicken slightly before dropping heaping teaspoons of this mixture onto a wax paper-covered tray, then refrigerate until firm. If you don’t have wax paper, no worries. Pry them off with a thin metal spatula, or just eat directly off the tray. (Ha, ha, just kidding. Or am I?) Store in the fridge or freezer.

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