Ramen Noodle Tips

By Cristie Will

Awe...those quick, easy and inexpensive Ramen noodles. There are so many ways to cook these long and curly noodles.

Take a package of the chicken flavored Ramen noodles and follow directions on package. Remove noodles after cooking and place them in an airtight container, but before closing the lid place 3 slices of Velveeta cheese (3 thin individually wrapped slices). Let set for 5 minutes. Remove lid and stir thoroughly and you have one of the most quick delicious meals that's similar to Mac 'N' Cheese, but better.

Another way is to take two packages of the chicken flavored Ramen noodles and follow directions on package. Remove noodles and drain most of liquid; add flavor packets then add a small can of Rotel tomatoes and chili's; next add 6 individually wrapped slices of Velveeta cheese. Cover and let sit for 5 minutes. Remove cover and stir thoroughly; serve warm. It's absolutely delicious.

One more great way is to take one package of the chicken or beef flavored noodles and follow directions on package. Drain noodles and rinse; add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of minced garlic and toss to coat well; serve warm. This is so simple but absolutely delicious.

This is just a few ways to fix Ramen noodles. Let your taste buds decide new creations.

Cristie has many more simple, but great tips at Cristie's Cookin. Be sure to check her spices out and submit your favorite recipe for a chance to win a free "Gotcha Covered" apron.

Cooking lessons for Cristie began at 8 years old with the best teacher in the world -- her Mom! Later, she cooked for the restaurant the family owned, and her love of the "trade" has grown ever since. Cristie's creative cooking has continued for over 40 years. Her creations can soon be on your kitchen table. Check out Cristie's books at http://www.cristiescookin.com and http://www.tjstokes.com

Read More......

The History of Ramen Noodles

Ramen noodles originated in China, where all noodles seem to have come from, and are called "Lo-Mein" in Chinese, which means boiled noodles.

"Ra-men" is the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese Characters for Lo-Mein.

	Lau									Ra
										Me
	Mein									N

This Chinese-style noodle became such a great favorite in Sapporo, the capital of Japan's northernmost island of Hokkaido, that it is now considered to be their regional dish. Ramen is to Sapporo what baked beans are to Boston. In other countries, the word for Ramen may be different, too. For example, they are called "Maggi Mee" in Singapore.

The process for turning the traditional Ramen noodles into the now familiar instant, packaged noodles was pioneered by Momofuku Ando, the founder of Nissin Foods in Japan. In 1970, Nissin Foods introduced Top Ramen to the United States and, as the saying goes, the rest is history.

Many other companies introduced Top Ramen clones and even such industry giants such as Lipton and Campbell's began to experiment with Ramen-like products. Fierce competition notwithstanding, Nissin still controls slightly less than half of the U.S. Ramen market and fifteen percent of the world Ramen market of about ten billion dollars annually. At this writing, the average wholesale price for a package of Ramen in the U.S. is only twelve and a half cents.

Because of their enthusiastic acceptance in the market place, it wasn't long before instant Ramen skipped over national boundaries and became an international phenomena. Factories that make Ramen noodles can now be found not only in Japan and the U.S., but in Europe, Korea, China, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.

Each country's Ramen noodles reflect their own particular flavor preferences. Korean Ramen is highly spiced and often contains packets of black bean sauce. China makes Ramen in Szechuan flavors. Thailand makes very thin, delicate noodles with very hotly spiced packets. Japan prefers the flavor of seafood and mild spices. In the U.S. they are usually available with meat flavors, mushroom flavors or mild spices often referred to as Oriental flavor.

Source: http://www.konzak.com/ramen/ramhist.html

Read More......