Ramen Noodles: One of the Top 10 2015 Food Trends
January 9, 2015
The start of every year brings food experts shouting out what they think the new food trends will be. Restaurants plan to use more foods grown locally. Coconut oil and avocado oil will be replacing olive oil (coconut to add a bit of sweetness and avocado to add an earthy taste to food). And all the experts seem to agree that Ramen Noodles are the IT item. Yes, the Ramen Noodles from our college days.
Just think, you can take a package of cheap Ramen Noodles and use it as the base for a delicious dish. Make cold salads or hot dishes, side dishes or whole meals. Add coconut milk and some curry paste for an entirely new flavor, or be more ambitious and add vegetables and meat to bulk up the content. And the noodles only take 3 minutes to cook!
Check out Huffington Post for a number of different recipes using Ramen Noodles, including this recipe that was adopted from Yummy Healthy Easy.
Chicken Thai Noodle Bowls
Ingredients
- 2 (3 ounce) packages Oriental flavored ramen noodles
- 3 cups stir-fry vegetables
- 1¼ cup water
- ¼ cup peanut butter
- ¼ cup lite soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 2 cups chopped cooked chicken
- 1 (8 ounce) can sliced water chestnuts, drained
- 1 (8 ounce) can bamboo shoots, drained
- ¼ cup chopped peanuts, for topping
- ¼ cup sliced green onions, for topping
Directions
- In a large saucepan, bring 2 quarts of water to a boil. Slightly break up noodles from both ramen packages (throw away one of the seasoning packets and keep one to use later) and add to water, along with vegetables. Return to boiling and reduce heat a bit. Boil gently, uncovered for 3 minutes (don’t overcook). Drain and return to saucepan.
- Meanwhile, make your sauce by combining water, peanut butter, soy sauce, brown sugar, cornstarch, crushed red pepper and 1 seasoning packet from the ramen. Whisk until smooth.
- Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 2 minutes more.
- Add chicken, water chestnuts and bamboo shoots to sauce. Heat through. Add to noodle and vegetable mixture in saucepan. Toss to combine.
- Place in bowls and top with chopped and sliced green onions. Serve immediately and enjoy!
I have always kept Ramen Noodles in my pantry for those times when I am not feeling well but want something substantial to eat. Now, those same noodles will be used more and more as I start to create my own recipes, based on my tastes. What recipes can you come up with using the pantry staple of Ramen Noodles?
