Not just for dorm dinners anymore, raman consumption on the rise

[carlyhippy]

I myself love raman noodles and eat them for lunch several days a week....great...now prices on raman will soar, it is still the only food that hasn't really soared in price, now it will...

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2009/03/24/dnt.raman.noodle.economy.kcal

[Hissyspit]

1. A lot of fat in Ramen noodles, since they are deep-fried.

I ate a lot in graduate school.

[eShirl]

12. I thought you were supposed to boil them

[Hissyspit]

14. They are deep-fried in the processing.

Partially cooked, so they have longer shelf life, but the noodles absorb a lot of oil. Lots of salt in the seasoning, too (you can use half the packet, of course). They are essentially do-it-yourself Japenese fast food. There are some low-fat brands, now, too. Not as cheap, though.

[Deja Q]

2. Styrofoam in a styrofoam cup - that's not food. Hell, it's not even fertilizer.

:(

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

3. I like ramen, I just don't use the seasoning packet

I add my own flavoring.

[ogneopasno]

4. If you use half the flavoring packet (if you can stand MSG) and boil a ton of broccoli or other

veggies with the noodles, you can improve it mightily.

[vadawg]

6. add a can of tuna, some chunks of pickled onion and some hp sauce, yummy

[carlyhippy]

8. those recipes sound good!

I will have to try the variations

[vadawg]

5. raman noodles are okay, but the king is chicken and mushroom pot noodle

food of the gods.

[OhioChick]

7. I eat a lot of them....

Many others must as well, as the places for them on the shelves at the grocery store are always bare.

[sendero]

9. If you live in a big city...

... go to the Asian food store and get some of the noodles made for the Asian market. They cost more, but they are a LOT better, with multiple packets of flavorings (spices, veges and oil) that you can tweak to your taste.

[dysfunctional press]

10. those things are almost dangerously high in sodium...

not very healthy for people with high blood pressure especially.

[OhioChick]

15. But, according to my physician...

Great for those of us with low blood pressure. :thumbsup:

[dysfunctional press]

22. i've always had low blood pressure as well...

but i attribute that to the amount of weed i've always smoked.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

11. Cook up the noodles, ignore the sauce packet,

add lots of fine vegetables - peas, broccoli, corn, tomatoes, onions, garlic, eggplant, cucumber, carrots, whatever you can find - throw in some tuna or leftover chicken - or not - toss it all with some olive oil and good vinegar, or soy sauce and sesame oil and some chili oil, top it with chopped green onions, and damn, I just made myself hungry...............

[ddeclue]

13. Not a fan of the Raman but Mac&Cheese, Pork&Beans, Spaghetti

PB&J, cereal and beans have become a lot more common at my house.

[LoZoccolo]

16. The best ramen I had was at Santouka at the Mitsuwa Marketplace.

http://www.mitsuwa.com/tenant/santouka/eindex.pop?s=9

Mitsuwa Marketplace is this big Japanese supermarket that also has this really neat food court and a few other little specialty stores (books, video, liquor, bakery, etcetera). They're in a few cities around the US as you can see on the page. Yeah, the ramen will set you back like ten bucks, but every now and then it's a treat!

My favorite instant ramen is Sapporo Ichiban in the styrofoam cup. Not just vegetables, but freeze-dried chicken chunks as well!

[Cirque du So-What]

17. Considering the recent revelations of Chinese contamination

of everything from pet food to pharmaceuticals, I don't consider it wise to consume cheap foodstuffs from China...but that's just me.

[nadinbrzezinski]

21. Most of them are not from china

mostly they are sent from .... ready... JAPAN

Ramen is not a Chinese dish, fyi

I don't have them because of the salt, the fat and the carb load

[Liberal_in_LA]

18. Salty and fat, in my opinion. Get oatmeal or cornmeal, make something healthy and cheap

[Liberal_in_LA]

19. Get the real Ramen noodles at an asian store.

[1]

20. that shit is nasty. get ye some rice or some beans...

and i love how half of the posters say "just cook the noodles and throw the rest away..."

actually, noodles are not that difficult to make if there is an asian market nearby for supplies.

even if you buy them its a much better deal.

check out this cool blog...

http://www.bloglander.com/cheapeats/2005/09/19/soba-noodles-with-dashi-soup/

[fortyfeetunder]

23. Weight Watchers had a --Ramen noodle recipe

I also found a --gasp -- Weight Watchers recipe using a ramen noodles, onions, lean beef, and cole slaw mix with their own soy sauce seasoning. I think (for the WW folks) it was 4 points a serving. That is my favorite ramen recipe that the family will also eat.