Creamy Ramen - Customizable for Children and Adults

We love Ramen noodles. However in a house with a 6yr old an 8yr old and two adults making one meal that everyone will enjoy is always a challenge. Someone always wants something different in their plate. So after many trial and errors, I created a recipe that I can use as a base and then add the "toppings" to everyone’s taste without giving up on dinner!

3 Steps:

1. Make Ramen

2. Add base

3. Add toppings

Ramen:

1 Packet of Ramen (duh!) We use Top Ramen. It is crazy cheap and does what it needs to.

1 cup of Chicken Stock ( more if you want a soupier soup. Wait until the end to add more)

1/4 cup Milk (I use whole milk because that is what we buy)

Base ingredients:

(see Step two on how to put the base together. We call it Gizo)

1 x Onion (yellow or white)

1 x bell pepper (red orange or yellow)

3 x tomatoes (Roma tomatoes) Use these as a size measurement (2 vine tomatoes, or 1 beefstake)

Toppings (here are some of the combos for our dinner):

My children prefer:

soy sauce

quail egg (my 6yr old likes it hard boiled, my 8 yr old likes it soft like a poached egg)

green onions (only the 6yr old)

chicken or turkey or surimi or whatever protein you want or is available

My husband likes:

Soy sauce
Cajun powder seasoning

Sesame oil

Hot sauce

Green onions

protein

I like:

A soft, almost poached CHICKEN egg on top. quail eggs are fun but too small for me.

Soy sauce

cajun powder seasoning

sesamy oil

green onions

protein

So the base is the magic of this dish. It is a way to add instant super flavor to an otherwise noodles in chicken stock.

The base is a Gizo (sauce) that my grandmother used to make for everything. It is super easy. It makes plenty so you can store the rest and add it to your Ramen, soup, beans, poultry or rice when cooking. These ingredients make a little under 1 pint.

Ready?.......ok!

INGREDIENTS:

1 x onion (yellow or white)

1 x bell pepper

3 x Roma tomatoes (if you use the big tomatoes, just use one)

NOTE: The picture shows 2 vine tomatoes, those are the same quantity as 3 romas or 1 beefstake tomatoe.

It is as simple as CHOP, COOK, BLEND.

CHOP

1. Chop the onion, add it to the pan with some butter (1/2 tbs) or a bit of oil (1/2 tbs is enough) Add 1 big pinch of Salt

2. While the onion cooks, Chop the pepper, add it to the pan and mix.

3. While those are cooking, Chop the tomatoes, add it to the pan and mix.

Note: While you chop the next item, the previous ones (specially the onion) will cook down a little bit.

COOK

4. Let it cook down until it looks like a sauce, it will have an orange color. About 10 min.

BLEND

5. Use a hand blender or a food processor or whatever you have to blend the sauce into a sauce.

• NOTE #1: If you are feeding this ramen to someone who does NOT care about bits of veggies, then you can skip the blend. With kids, it is just easier to blend and use it as an invisible addition to the food to add nutrition and flavor without the whining :P.
  
  
• NOTE #2: You can always add other vegetables to this base. zuchinni, yellow squash, carrots. Use what is in the fridge and it just adds more nutrition. The carros give a sweet taste so experiment with what flavor you like.

Making
the ramen is nothing that differs from the easy noodles everyone has eaten, you just add things to it that make it better in all ways.

1. STOCK about 1 Cup. If you want it more soupy, add more stock at the end.

Yes, you can use homemade stock

Yes, you can use the stock that comes in a box.

Yes, you can use a bouillon cube (half is enough for one person)

Yes, you can use the package (although if you have one of the above, use that instead.)

NOTE: This time i used homemade turkey stock we made with the bones from a turkey my husband baked this week. (Recipe?: Raw or cooked Turkey bones, onion, celery, carrots and Salt. Cook for 3+ hrs)

2. BASE

Add about 1/4 cup of the tomatoes, onion, pepper base we made in Step 1.Mix

3. NOODLES

Make the noodles how you like them. LONG, MEDIUM, SHORT. Add them to the broth in the pot and cook for about 1-2 minutes

LONG: Do not break them, just put the entire cube in the pot

MEDIUM: Break the block apart to form two squares.

SHORT: Break the block apart to form two squares then break those in half. (This size is what I like)

NOTE: If you like hardboiled eggs (my 6yr loves hardboiled quail eggs) add them along with the noodles.

4. MILK

Add 1/4 of a cup of milk. Just a small splash to the cooking noodles when it begins to boil and foam up. This will bring the temperature down a bit (cold out of the fridge is perfectly fine) and mix.

That is it for the noodles! Ready to add toppings?...

So the best part, to me, about these noodles is that I do not have to do anythig different until I am about to serve them.

Once you add the milk...

1. Add the powder seasonings, I used Salt Free seasoning and cajun powder.

For those of US that like the poached egg on top:

2.. Crack the egg. Quail, chicken on top of the rammen and put a lid on top.

3. Turn the heat to simmer and leave it covered until it turns white on top. Differnt size eggs will cook at different speeds. (I broke my yolk in the example. Sorry :p )

4. If you are using frozen Surimi like I am in the example picture, add it now too so it will soften. Do not mix. <unless you like scrambled eggs in the ramen, then go ahead and mix>

NOTE: Once the egg white has turned white, judge is you want a more soup with the noodles. Add extra stock here if you want.

TOPPINGS

• Chopped green onions or any other veggy you like raw (spicy balloon peppers or mushrooms...up to you)
• Soy sauce is a favorite
• Sesame oil is a favorite of me and my husband. Try it! It adds a smokiness. yum!
• Hot sauce
• Roticery chicken (I buy mine from the grocery store, chop it up and add it to the top. :D)
• Leftover Turkey
• Surimi (imitation krab)
• Tofu
• Fried egg for those that like it a bit crunchy
• Cooked Shrimp

PLATE IT! SLURP IT! ENJOY!

Seafood version?

Everything will be the same except for 2 differences:

1. You can make a seafood versionof the stock by replacing the chicken broth with a little pinch of bonito flakes in some water. It is basically instant seafood stock.

2. Add the pealed raw shrimp to the pot along with the noodles. They will be doe by the time the milk comes to a boil again.

Vegetarian version?

Everything will be the same except for 2 differences:

1. You will use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock.

2. Use tofu cut up into squares and sauted in a separate pan with some butter on top of the ramen.

That is it! Enjoy!