The Official Ramen Homepage

I really like Steak-Ems, except where I was from, they were called Buzz Buttered Steaks. Sadly it looks like Buzz Buttered steaks were discontinued in 2003, changing times I guess. Does anyone else here remembered Buzz Buttered steaks?

Submitted By: Shelia B.
Submitted From: South Carolina, USA

Ingredients
• 1 lb box thinly sliced beef (like Steak-Um or generic)
• Two 3 oz. pkgs. Oriental flavor ramen
• 1 onion, diced (optional)
• 1-2 cups frozen stir fry vegetables

This is the easiest ramen recipe I have. And leftovers are just as great warmed in the microwave. 1. Boil water for noodles. Break up noodles and cook to desired tenderness. Drain. Set aside in large bowl. 2. Cook steak slices according to package directions. Sprinkle seasoning packet contents lightly on each steak as you remove it from the skillet. When all is cooked, shred the steaks by hand, throwing the pieces onto the noodles. 3. Stir fry in the same skillet the onions and vegetables until desired tenderness. Add to steak and noodles. 4. Toss all together. Serve warm.

Google news popped this brief story from Richmond, VA tonight: Maruchan is expanding a ramen plant in Richmond, VA. The expansion will add 50 new jobs and will surely stimulate the economy in the former CSA capital. I know that some other companies have plants in California, anyone know where some other ones are?

The story is only about 5 sentences long and these are the main points:

Maruchan Virginia Inc. announced Thursday that it has completed a new manufacturing line, which will add 50 jobs. The $18 million project is the ninth manufacturing line at the Chesterfield plant.

NPR followed-up their ramen series with a set of ramen nostalgia stories sent in from readers.

This was my favorite of the stories:

It was gratifying to hear David Chang confirm for me that the pronunciation of the dish is “rahm-yen” as I learned it in Korea in 1967-68. At 50 won per package (about 7 cents back then) ramen was a staple. We could cook it in a canteen cup on the kerosene-fired space heater in the barracks or dispensary when it was way too cold near the Korean demilitarized zone to walk to the mess hall. Pop in an egg or a big spoonful of peanut butter from one’s mess hall “procurements.” Properly done, doctored ramen nearly always beat whatever mostly unidentifiable culinary delight was on the camp’s lunch menu.

Craig Marckwardt
Dallas

Thanksgiving is coming soon! With no family in town, I probably won’t be eating any turkey, but for everyone else who will end up with 18 lbs of leftovers, do you have any recipes that use turkey? How about stuffing made with ramen? Let me know if you do, use the contact form on the right –>

I got an email from TeeFury.com late last week, which I missed of course, about the one-day only sale of this great t-shirt.

The shirt is a take on The Ramones iconic logo.

A friend pointed me to a NPR story on New York City chef and restaurateur David Chang and his new ramen cookbook called Momofuku. The book has non ramen recipes also and from the excerpt seems to be for the serious cook. Here’s one excerpt discussing David Chang’s ramen broth recipe:

Momofuku contains a recipe for his ramen broth that’s miles away from the salty foil-wrapped flavor packets that come with instant noodles. In fact, Chang’s broth recipe requires pounds of meat and takes hours to prepare. But, Chang says, the layers of flavor that result make the prep time pay off, especially if you think of the dish the way you would a hearty soup.

Momofuku by David Chang and Peter Meehan is available from Amazon.com, currently it’s on sale about 40% off. If you buy it, use the Amazon.com link in the right hand column.

Note – The link also has the full audio from the NPR story which may be longer than the text story.

Well, it looks like she did it. Addie Broyles in Austin managed to navigate another week on the poorly designed interstate system and eat ramen for 7 days, with her family’s support! (I’ve never been able to get my wife to buy in to this kind of thing). As long as you ignore the opening sentence and the finger-wagging about nutrition this is a great article, including some of the recipes.

Great story with a nice photo collage as well.

Excerpt:

Ramen noodles aren’t exactly the pharaoh of the food pyramid, but at less than 20 cents a package, they are cheap and easy to make, which makes them a favorite among college students. Just the thought of opening the crinkly plastic package and dumping a block of noodles into boiling water might take you back in time.

But in a recession like this one, maybe it’s time to give ramen another chance.

With a few vegetables, an open mind and suggestions from ramen lovers on Twitter, could I turn that brightly colored package of ramen noodles into the base of a really good meal? To find out, I proposed a weeklong challenge to my husband: to make ramen interesting enough to eat for seven days in a row.

Addie Broyles in Austin, TX (capital of Texas and home to one of the most screwed up interstates I’ve ever seen) is the food writer for the Austin American-Statesmen and Austin360.com. She announced on Monday that she would be trying to eat ramen once a day for 7 days and try to “not get sick of it”. Personally, I think this should be easy. If you go to a decent grocery store you can find enough basic variety to keep you interested even if you only add a few veggies and some chicken.

She has several good ideas so far from readers, if you have one, add a comment to her story.

ClassesAndCareers.com is hosting a contest where you can share your story about what you had to do to get free food. The winner gets several hundred dollars and a case of ramen, which is nice. Unfortunately the contest says “no stealing”, so if you survived off of sugar packets from the cafeteria, I guess that doesn’t count. On the other hand, if you committed arson in order to get free food in jail, I guess you’re in.

I tried to grow spinach this summer, but the seeds never sprouted. I like to eat spinach in salads, but it also does well in stir-fry’s, even if it doesn’t give you super-strength. Note: As usual, this is vegetarian in that you’re not adding meat. Check your noodles before adding the seasoning, the seasoning may have meat in it.

Submitted By: Melanie T.

Submitted From: Tennessee, USA

Ingredients
• 1 packet of ramen, any flavor except the “creamy” flavors
• 2 large handfuls fresh spinach leaves
• 1 tbsp roasted sesame oil (with or without chilis)
• 1 Tbsp black sesame seeds
• 1 tsp minced fresh ginger
• 1 clove minced fresh garlic

Boil the noodles just until barely done. Pour off water, add cool water to stop the cooking, stir in the seasoning packet to lightly flavor the noodles. Set aside. In a wok or seasoned frying pan, heat the oil along with the ginger, sesame seeds and garlic just until it begins to be fragrant. Toss in the spinach leaves and stir-fry until they are wilted but still bright green. Add soy sauce, remove from heat. Drain noodles and place in bowl. Pour spinach and sauce over the noodles.