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THE GAZETTE, EMPORIA, KANSAS
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Wednesday, February 5, 2014
Home Cooking RAVING OVER RAMEN
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h, the ramen noodle. Sustenance for billions, rich and poor, around the globe. Those who lived on the little compressed rectangles of ramen noodles during their less-affluent days might wonder what the fuss is about. One does grow tired of the chicken, beef, pork and shrimp flavors in the accompanying seasoning packets fairly quickly. But the ramen noodle has a long and glorious history! Created in China, the wheatbased noodle, kneaded with alkaline mineral waters, became very popular in Japan, where they earned the current name. The Japanese word “ramen” is derived, many sources say, from the Chinese words for “pull” (la) and “noodle” (mian) because Chinese noodles are traditionally “pulled” by hand. If you’ve ever seen the Jackie Chan movie, “Mr. Nice Guy,” and his scene pulling those noodles, it’s amazing. Fantastic stuff, heaving a 10-pound ball of dough over and over, twisting and turning it, pulling it until you have skinny little noodles, all without ever touching a knife. But, I digress. Since coming to the U.S. in 1970, ramen noodles have saved many a budget and hungry tummy. However – as is – they’re not as tasty or nutritious as they can and should be. So, buy the noodles, toss the seasoning packet, and make a legitimate, tasty, nutritious bowl of ramen at home. Ramen noodles need a hearty stock, the noodles, and then toppings. They are served in a deep bowl, with the toppings layered on top and any extra seasonings, such as soy sauce, hot sauce,
Murphy’s Menu REGINA MURPHY V V V freshly chopped herbs or spices added after serving. The base flavor for the stock can guide your toppings. A chicken stock paired with sliced duck and poached eggs. A fish stock paired with shrimp and bok choy. A beef stock paired with thinly sliced skirt steak, green onions and broccoli. The combinations are endless. We’ll talk more about the special stocks used in ramen later. Here are a couple of recipes to get you started though. A hot bowl of ramen on a cold snowy day is what you need. Let’s get cooking!
RAMEN NOODLE SOUP 4 cloves garlic, smashed 1 medium onion, chopped 3-4 thin slices ginger 1/2 pound sliced bacon 2 pounds chicken wings 6 dried shiitake mushrooms, rinsed 6 green onions, chopped 1 Tablespoon sake or dry sherry 2 Tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce 1/2 teaspoon sugar 1/2 teaspoon white peppercorns 4 packages (3-to-5-ounce) dry or vacuum-packed ramen noodles Assorted toppings
Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic,
onion and ginger and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is dark brown, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, make the broth: Put the bacon and chicken wings in a Dutch oven and add enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer 10 minutes. Drain and wipe the pot clean. Rinse the bacon and wings under cold water, then return to the pot. Why? To remove some of the fat (every little bit helps). Add two quarts water and the dried mushrooms. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium; add the garlic mixture and gently simmer for an hour. Strain the broth through a colander into a large bowl, pressing on the solids to extract as much of the liquid as possible. Discard the solids and skim any excess fat from the surface of the broth. Measure the broth, adding water if necessary, to make one quart. The broth can be made up to four days ahead and kept in the refrigerator. Just before serving, heat a small amount of vegetable oil and the scallions in a medium skillet over medium heat until the mixture starts sizzling. Add the sake, soy sauce, sugar, peppercorns and 1/4 cup water. Simmer and reduce to 1/4 cup, about 5 minutes. Bring the broth and the scallion mixture to a simmer in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the noodles and cook until softened, 1 to 3 minutes. Gently pull the noodles apart with tongs. Transfer the soup to bowls and top as desired. Suggested toppings: shredded roasted chicken, sauteed mushrooms, shredded greens (mustard, chard, kale, cabbage), cubes of roasted squash, snow peas, poached or fried egg, cubed tofu or
pork, bean sprouts, sliced jalapenos, thinly sliced green onions. Suggested added seasonings: minced ginger, wasabi, sriracha, sesame oil, Thai chili oil, or even just salt and pepper. This recipe is less brothy and served on a platter. If you want, double your broth and serve in a bowl.
BEEF AND BROCCOLI RAMEN
(www.foodtv.com)
Two 3-ounce packages ramen noodles 1 pound boneless skirt steak 1/4 cup chicken broth 3 Tablespoons teriyaki sauce 2 teaspoons cornstarch 1 teaspoon sugar 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil 5 Tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon vegetable oil 4 cups broccoli florets 1 Tablespoon finely chopped ginger (about one 1/2-inch piece) 2 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 Tablespoon) 4 green onions, thinly sliced, plus more for garnish Toasted sesame seeds for garnish
Cover the noodles with
hot water in a large bowl and place a small plate on top to keep them submerged; set aside to soak for 5 minutes. Gently pull them apart, if necessary, with tongs or chopsticks, then drain the noodles well and set aside. Discard the flavor pouches or reserve for another use. Cut the beef crosswise into 2- to 3-inch pieces and then rotate a quarter turn and slice thinly lengthwise across the grain, about 1/4-inch thick. Stir together the chicken broth, teriyaki sauce, cornstarch, sugar and sesame oil in a small bowl and set aside. Heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil in a wok or a large nonstick skillet over high heat until lightly smoking. Add half of the beef and cook, stirring once, until brown on the outside and still juicy on the inside, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to a large bowl. Repeat with an additional 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and the remaining beef. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in the same skillet over high heat. Add the
broccoli and cook, stirring frequently, until the broccoli just starts to soften, about 1 minute. Reduce the heat to medium and push the broccoli to the side. Add 1 teaspoon vegetable oil, the ginger and garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add 1/4 cup water to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until mostly evaporated, about 1 minute. Stir the chicken broth mixture briefly and add it to the skillet. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 1 minute. Add the beef and stir to coat. Transfer the beef to a large serving platter, leaving room for the noodles. Wipe out the skillet and heat the remaining 2 tablespoons vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add the ramen noodles and green onions and cook, stirring frequently, until heated through, about 1 minute. Transfer to the serving platter and garnish with additional green onions if desired. Garnish the beef with toasted sesame seeds and serve.
bars (which she preferred over cake) and ice cream. It was an easy meal after being gone during the day to help make the subs. While the children were home yesterday we baked chocolate chip cookies and made noodles. Susan cut her and Mos out 2 new outfits. The material was part of her gift from Mose. She is taking more of an interest in sewing and wants to sew the outfits with me coaching her. Last week I cut out and sewed 3 dresses for daughter Verena. She is in need of more dresses. I want to teach her how to sew her own dresses too but am short one sewing machine due to it needing adjustments. I keep hoping our good friend Terry will show up at our front door one day when he gets back in the area. He always does a good job of getting it back in working order.
The last few times we made noodles I have used a different recipe and really liked it better than the one I usually used. I will share it with you and see if you will like it too.
WINTER SETTLES IN By Lovina Eicher
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t is Thursday morning and the temperature is 14 degrees. That seems warm after all of THE AMISH COOK these subzero temperatures we’ve had all week. on her way home from work The children returned to school this morning after being off since last Friday due to the extreme cold temperatures. My husband Joe and daughter Elizabeth were home on Monday and Tuesday from the factories due to the bad weather. We barely saw any traffic go by during those two days. It was still dark on Tuesday morning when a lady came to our door asking for help to get her car out of a ditch close by our house. She was
and said our house was the only one with lights on. Joe and the boys went to help shovel her car out of the snow and get her back on the road. They had to dress warm and were cold by the time they were back in the house. The temperature was 18 below zero with the wind chill even colder. Yesterday was the funeral of my Aunt Frances, age 79, from Berne, Indiana. We regret that we were unable to attend because of the bad
weather. Our most deepest sympathy goes to the family. They too are without both their parents now. That makes such a lonely feeling and I can sympathize with them. Frances is my Dad’s sister and is the 4th of the 13 siblings to pass. Life sure brings changes in different ways. I recently had a letter from my oldest sister Leah announcing the exciting news of the birth of her daughter Elizabeth’s third child named Rosemarie. This makes 6 grandchildren for Leah and Paul. Brother Amos and Nancy have 11 grandchildren. Little Harley Coblentz born recently to nephew Joe and Amanda is grandchild number 9 for brother Albert and Sarah Irene. What made Harley’s appearance so special is that he is the first grandson after 8 granddaughters. My parents would be so proud of
their 25 great grands to enjoy and spoil but our dear Lord had other plans for them. We never want to question His ways. It always gives me a sad feeling that our 3 oldest children are the only ones of our children who really remember much about their grandparents. They were such loving grandparents but our Heavenly Father knows best. Last Friday turned out to be a very cold day but with many willing hands, 9000 sub sandwiches were made by 12:30 p.m. This was to help a local Amish family with their hospital bills. I’m guessing 175-200 people gathered to help with this event. What a blessing to help each other in times of need. Daughter Susan’s 18th birthday was that day so we celebrated that evening with sub sandwiches, Swiss roll
NOODLES 3 cups egg yolks (usually 1 dozen yolks make a cup) 1 cup boiling water 3 Tablespoons salt 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil 3 pounds flour
Beat egg yolks really well then add water, salt, and oil. Keep beating while adding water, salt and oil. Pour egg mixture over the flour and mix together very well. Put in an airtight container for 10 minutes before rolling out and cutting or putting through noodle cutter.