Hello! And welcome to the 36th post of Pizza Rat's Paradise.
Recipe:
Another improvised twist courtesy of the Community Food Bank of San Benito -- I had 2 packets of Maruchan Ramen and this amazing Trader Joe's Cabbage Slaw.
This was my first time ever trying Maruchan Ramen (Chicken Flavor) as a packet -- I remember in middle school during brunch breaks my classmates and I used to eat the cup Maruchan Ramen -- I think it was at Graham Middle School in Mountain View, when the weather used to feel freezing and we would warm ourselves in our hoodies and eat those cup noodles.
I also remember at Egan Jr. High (Los Altos) loving other snacks... I think I remember really loving the taste of Propel water (which was new at the time) after running around in PE and these vanilla creme sandwich cookies by Snackwell's -- for some reason, I loved those cookies so much.
These are what I used to make this recipe, but one can tweak it to one's own taste and preferences, trying out different flavors, herbs, spices.
Ingredients:
1 Packet of Maruchan Ramen, the brick split in half
1 Package of Trader Joe's Cabbage Slaw, Rinsed
Water
Oil
Any other add-ins / toppings as you like (such as egg, Sriracha, chili sauce - I used fresh Salsa Verde, sesame oil to coat the noodles at the end of frying, protein, veg's)
Note: Images from Google Search.
Directions:
Boil the noodles according to directions or as you like (I found these noodles are very delicate and thin and overcook easily, so I try to undershoot the cooking time a little bit, and I have to keep a watchful eye before transferring them over to the frying pan.) I try to make sure the 2 bricks are as separate as possible, so I can make kind of a "sandwich" with 2 ramen carb patties, but it's okay if it's not perfect. I added the seasoning packet into the water to flavor the noodles more evenly throughout and make a broth, but one could also add them in the frying pan later, if they prefer.
Once noodles are done cooking, add oil into the frying pan and add about 1 brick's worth of noodles into the pan, making sure to press down to form a patty. If one REALLY wanted to add a binding agent, they could crack in a beaten egg or add some kind of flour/starch, but I didn't have any on hand.
I like to fry until the edges are crisp and a little brown, for crunch/texture -- if you're having trouble getting that crispy edge, it helps to add a tiny bit of oil to the edges of the ramen patty to achieve that desired effect.
Flip the patty over to cook on both sides. Turn off the heat. One can add a bit of sesame oil as a finishing oil to flavor the patty and add some oomph/flavor.
Repeat Steps 2-4 for the other brick of ramen.
Set both patties aside.
For the cabbage, I liked to stir-fry it in oil as well, to cook off the raw edge, but one could also just serve it plain -- I found the Trader Joe's brand was fresh and packaged extremely well, and quite clean and high-quality.
Once done, I added the stir-fried cabbage slaw between the ramen brick patties. It went AMAZING with salsa verde / Sriracha, and on the side I sipped the chicken ramen broth.
One could call it like a VERY basic version of Okonomiyaki (Japanese cabbage pancake) -- not authentic to Japanese culture in the slightest bit, but for just a few basic ingredients, one has room to then play around with technique and extract the most taste/flavor bang for your buck.
All-in-all, a great recipe for anyone with barely any cooking skills! It reminds me of how one of my classmates was enrolled in a Home Economics cooking class in high school. My favorite thing I ever saw (and sampled) was their cream-cheese brownies.
If you have made it this far, thank you for reading! 💚
Appreciate any suggestions on what I should do next. If you would like to collaborate or support, feel free to comment, share, like below.
Accompanying Song: