circekills

you know, as an asian-american (chinese-american, if you want to be specific), i find it insulting that ramen is considered cheap, sub-standard meal. hello, us yellow folk have been living on the stuff for centuries, and look at us thriving with our population, electronic equipment and sneaker manufacturing! just because the stuff is available at four for a dollar does not mean it's bad! it's full of sodi-yum and if you throw some vegetables, tofu or egg in there, you've got a whole meal in a bowl.

sure, the true ramen afficionados know that to make the perfect ramen, you've got to use less water than as directed, especially if you're making the korean version, shin ramyun. you want to use just enough water to be able to boil the noodles but still create a thick and spicy sauce. not hot enough for you? toss in fifteen splashes of hot sauce. i guarantee you'll be shitting fire within an hour.

if you want to get fancy, you can cube firm tofu, or throw in some mixed vegetables or spinach, or those oily little taste treats that are "fish balls" (available frozen at any asian market). my personal favourite is to crack an egg into the mixture about ten seconds after i drop the noodle block in - you should cook the egg long enough so that the yolk solidifies. any less than that and you may wreak havoc with your intestinal system, but i'm personally willing to chance it for runny egg yolk. i'm also the girl who enjoys soft-boiled eggs, so go figure.

ramen has gotten a bad rap amongst college kids and the indigent. i'm here to stand up, loud and proud and say, "i'll pay a dollar for a package of ramen! it's just that good!"