Summer'll come a broilin', and a poor vandweller asks hisself: “Must I cook these instant ramens?” No, actually. Soak ‘em and make cool salads like these! (See more great ideas in my YouTube Ramen! playlist.)
Turns out instant noodles, like your cheap-ass Maruchan and Nissin ramen packets, are already cooked. They’re dried by frying. Ya just need to hydrate them.
I just break mine up and soak ‘em in my Big Bubba Mug for about an hour, more or less. Mostly, I just set ‘em aside and come back awhile later.
They set up just fine, good texture. Of your cheap noodles, I think Maruchan has better mouthfeel than Nissin when just soaked. (BTW, Vanholio tried the same thing with regular pasta. Turns to mush).
Not going to give ya a bunch a proper recipes. Vanholia don’t do that shit. But here’s three ramen noodle salads I made, just for inspirationals.
This was my first evil experiment. I had confetti slaw on hand – that’s bagged slaw mix, made with broccoli stems, cabbage, carrots, etc., but sans dressing. And Walmart had canned chicken breast on sale. My rusty old brain wheels turned.
Soaked the noodles with the juice from the canned chicken and more water, plus canola oil, garlic salt, Tapatio hot sauce, and apple cider vinegar to make a vinaigrette. I don’t know exactly how much of anything – winged it.
After the noodles were soft, mixed 'em in two quart-size, Ziplock-type bags with chopped onion, the slaw veggies, and the canned chicken. Two delicious meals!
I soaked the ramen with the juice from a can a three bean salad, garlic salt, dried fried onions, and vegetarian bacon bits.
After the noodles got soft, I just mixed in the beans. Awesome! And you’ll notice it’s all from dry goods.
This was basically macaroni salad with added egg.
After hydrating the instant noodles for an hour or so in my Big Bubba Mug, I drained off the extra water. Then I added garlic salt, lotsa mayo, and two hard-boiled eggs.
Just kinda crumbled the eggs in there with my hands, then broke it up more with a fork. Mixed everythin' all around.
Good shit. Stuffed me like a Christmas goose!
Those are just three ideas Vanholio had and liked. You could do just about anythin'. What would you make? Comment below. And see more great ideas in my YouTube Ramen! playlist.
Soak Your Noodles 'Bout an Hour
Turns out instant noodles, like your cheap-ass Maruchan and Nissin ramen packets, are already cooked. They’re dried by frying. Ya just need to hydrate them.
I just break mine up and soak ‘em in my Big Bubba Mug for about an hour, more or less. Mostly, I just set ‘em aside and come back awhile later.
They set up just fine, good texture. Of your cheap noodles, I think Maruchan has better mouthfeel than Nissin when just soaked. (BTW, Vanholio tried the same thing with regular pasta. Turns to mush).
Three Ramen Salad 'Recipes'
Not going to give ya a bunch a proper recipes. Vanholia don’t do that shit. But here’s three ramen noodle salads I made, just for inspirationals.
1. Ramen With Vinaigrette Slaw and Chicken
This was my first evil experiment. I had confetti slaw on hand – that’s bagged slaw mix, made with broccoli stems, cabbage, carrots, etc., but sans dressing. And Walmart had canned chicken breast on sale. My rusty old brain wheels turned.
Soaked the noodles with the juice from the canned chicken and more water, plus canola oil, garlic salt, Tapatio hot sauce, and apple cider vinegar to make a vinaigrette. I don’t know exactly how much of anything – winged it.
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2. Ramen With Three Bean Salad
I soaked the ramen with the juice from a can a three bean salad, garlic salt, dried fried onions, and vegetarian bacon bits.
After the noodles got soft, I just mixed in the beans. Awesome! And you’ll notice it’s all from dry goods.
3. Ramen With Mayo and Egg
This was basically macaroni salad with added egg.
After hydrating the instant noodles for an hour or so in my Big Bubba Mug, I drained off the extra water. Then I added garlic salt, lotsa mayo, and two hard-boiled eggs.
Just kinda crumbled the eggs in there with my hands, then broke it up more with a fork. Mixed everythin' all around.
Good shit. Stuffed me like a Christmas goose!
What Ramen Salads Are in Your Brain?
Those are just three ideas Vanholio had and liked. You could do just about anythin'. What would you make? Comment below. And see more great ideas in my YouTube Ramen! playlist.
Get mail on the road – Traveling Mailbox! (review)
Also See ...
- RoadPro Stove Secrets – Hard Boiled Eggs
- Eating Roadkill Rabbit Down by the River
- Prison Ramen: Recipes and Stories from Behind Bars (Amazon.com)
- The Top Five Reasons Why Ramen Noodles Are Tasty Little Death Traps (Westword)
Speaking of canned chicken... I tried some decades ago and discovered why a brand of tuna is named Chicken of the Sea. Canned chicken tastes almost exactly like tuna. Or tuna tastes like canned chicken. At least to my tongue. And to Frank Van Camp, founder of Chicken of the Sea back in 1914.
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