My background in journalism impels me to correct my writing when I feel I’ve made an error. Some shocking revelations in the world of ramen noodles since I posted last night. Imagine my surprise when, upon Googling “ramen noodles“, the fourth URL to pop up (after 2 Wikipedia URLs and the “official ramen home page”) … but Nissin Foods.
But…Nissin Foods makes the ramen I like, the one with the Chinese writing and the poor English translation. The little cartoon baby running with chopsticks in the corner of the distinctly asian packaging. How is it popping up so high in Google?
Maybe it’s because Nissin also owns Top Ramen. And Cup o’noodles. Wow. So my attempt to turn my nose away from the tacky Top Ramen brand is all in vain, because the case of ramen noodles that I purchased today at the Asian Market is no doubt the same noodle as the Top Ramen that I eschewed so violently yesterday at the Market.
Go figure.
I still owe you a ramen noodle recipe. But, I’m too shocked to write it out today.
One thing that is interesting… Compare the U.S. Web site for Nissin Foods with the Hong Kong site. Um … Hello! Who is having more fun with their food?
MMM Ramen. To your point, the usda lists Nissan, Oodles of Noodles, and top ramen all together. Not sure if that means they are the same thing or just have the same nutrition profile (http://calorielookup.com/food/view/6581).
Here’s how I learned how to make it from a Chinese college student when I was a kid:
1. Cook the Ramen noodles in a little bit of water.
2. When they are cooked, drain out all but 1 tablespoon of the water, then put the noodles back into the pan with the reserved water.
3. Crack an egg in, and put in half of the season packet.
4. Put it back on the stove and mix it up real well with chopsticks until the egg is cooked.
5. Put it in a bowl with a little hot sauce.
You can get the nutrition info here: http://calorielookup.com/food/view/47045
Can’t wait to see how you do it, Chatty!
Cheers, Rick