V'ger

[Enzo]

Well, 8 million college students can't be wrong... I stock those little packages of ramen noodles in my kitchen. Just the thing for a simple meal. sometimes I buy "nice" ones at the oriental grocery store, but mainly I get the 20 cent ones from my local grocer.

I can't leave well enough alone. At some point I started to throw in a handful of dried red pepper flakes while it boiled. They'd hydrate and lend a nice spiciness. Later I started tossing in a handful of dried onion flakes. Added that certain onion something. What savory food doesn;t like onions? Just for greenery, I started tossing in a handful of dried parsley flakes. Gotta get my vegetables.

Some of the fancy ramen at the oriental store include little packets of dried vegetables, which you throw in along with the powdered soup base. So i started looking for dried veggie bits. I tried a package of dried veggie soup mix, it had veggie flakes, but was mostly salty broth powder. Eventually the wife found me a large jar of just dried vegetable bits. So now I throw a handful of those in there too.

Recently at the oriental store I found a jar of shrimp bouillon powder, seemingly almost salt free. WHy not, now a handful of that goes into my broth.

I let all my added crap boil a few minutes to soften up before I throw in the noodle block. it isn't a bad tasting broth by now as it is.

But in goes the noodle cake, which quickly softens and I worry it apart as it cooks. But a lot of times it foams up some, and an old trick boiling anything starchy is to drop a little butter or oil into the boiling pot, which breaks up the foam. So I again said why not, and started adding a small amount of sesame oil to my pot. It adds a hint of that sesame oil flavor as well as taming the foam.

And of course, near the end I add in the little foil flav-r-packet of chicken or beef broth powder from the ramen pack..

I always start with more water than the package wants, just so I have extra broth. A few minutes later, I have my soup.

Works for me.

It started out as a simple pack of noodles and flavor powder, and has returned home loaded with all these additions... like V'ger.

[Lianachan]

I used to do precisely that, often adding strips of left over roast chicken (when available) too. Not done it for years! Need to revisit it.

[Enzo]

Sure,that sounds good too. We never seem to have a lot of leftover meat around here.


The dried veggies seem more appropriate, but for a while I would toss in a handful of green peas and/or some green beans from my freezer.

[Lance]

Now I'm hungry.

[Enzo]

20 cents can fix that.

[wring]

. Eventually the wife found me a large jar of just dried vegetable bits.

I do and do for you, dear.

[Enzo]

Yes, dear, I know I can count on you for a lot of do do.

[wring]

Yes, dear, I know I can count on you for a lot of do do.

Bite me, dear.

[Enzo]

Eat dirt, darling.

[Мастер]

Get a room!

[Enzo]

One of these days, she'll be the first woman on the MOON.

[Lance]

Har-har-hardy-har-har, Ralph.