“The most useful information on CNN is when Anthony Bourdain
tells me where to eat noodles.” ― Michelle Wolf
It has been a somewhat strange week. My wife was outta town, and it is absurdly quiet throughout the household. I thought I would use this time to catch up on some projects. What this really meant is literally 30 minutes after dropping my wife off at the airport, I tore into two walls that have been driving us mad in our new home.
What this also means is that I can do some experimenting in the kitchen as well.
I’ve always been used to the standard college-issued ramen noodles and used my egg and peanut-butter style hacks to make what should be a 99 cent dinner into a palatable 2 dollar dinner.
Single serving Chicken Flavor ramen and I have a long history. My younger brothers were obsessed with this stuff, especially the picky eater middle child. He’s broadened his culinary palate from his 2-packet a day habit, thankfully, cause that’s a shit load of sodium. Jeezus, we could choke a rhino with how much sodium in this ramen my brothers and I horfed down.
I do enjoy the memories of my dad making all 3 of us a big ol’ batch of the Chicken Flavor packets and when the broth was too hot for us would drop an ice cube or two straight into our bowl to help cool it down. I hope one day I can do the same for my future children. I’ll limit the packets though, seriously 2000mg of sodium a serving is not healthy.
This will be the first time that I try my hand at homemade ramen. Which turns out is a hell of a lot more straightforward than I once assumed. Especially since my beef and broccoli sauce is a handful of ingredients away from a ramen sauce.
Standard Issued Homemade Udon Noods
Ingredients
- Standard package of Udon Noods
- Soy Sauce, Sesame Seed Oil
- Garlic Powder or Finely Shredded, Ginger Powder or finely shredded,
- Pepper, Red Pepper Flakes
- Brown Sugar, Honey,
- Corn Starch
- Green Onion/Sesame Seeds (Garnish)
Recipe
- Cook those Udon Noods per the package specification.
- I would take them away a minute before the finish since they will cook some more in the upcoming sauce.
- Mix together 1/2 cup Soy Sauce, a couple dashes of Sesame Seed oil, 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar, a splash of honey, some Pepper, depending on heat tolerance a few or a lot of red pepper flakes, add garlic and ginger in your preferred amount.
- Cooking is about experimenting. You’re lucky I gave you some measurements. I honestly say start small, taste as you go, and add what you think is best. It’s not heart science or rocket surgery, so messing up is perfectly acceptable. Something something happy accidents y’all.
- After mixing together, add a splash of water, then a few tablespoons of corn starch, and mix together some more.
- This is what will help make your sauce thicc.
- Heat a skillet to medium heat and add your noodles, sauce, and bird dog until you think they are ready.
- You know that feeling of “you’ll know it when you see it”? Follow that feeling.
- Taste test and determine if you need more soy sauce, maybe some additional spices.
- Garnish with some green onion and sprinkled sesame seeds.
- Then serve your friends/family to show that you aren’t just eating high amounts of sodium in the Chicken flavor ramen hiding in your pantry.
“But Will-yummm, your pictures don’t have any garlic or ginger looking stuff in it….”
“… Y’all are correct.”
“But whhyyyy???”
Listen, I was following a new account with some tasty-looking noods on Instagram, and I followed the same recipe from that account. Let me tell ya, they were edible, but they were missing something. So I took a sauce from my beef and broccoli recipe and adapted it for these noods. Consider this me saving y’all from bland noods. I’ll gladly suffer eating two helpings of noods for science so that y’all don’t have to spare the waistline!
Cheers Y’all,
William
W Is For Will 
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