Ramen or "More than just those little foil packets." Ramen is a pretty nice noodle. It tastes good, is inexpensive, and comes in small packets which are very convenient for a single person. Unfortunately, the little foil broth packets usually enclosed are not very satisfying, at least too me. They've got essentially the same things wrong with them as boullion cubes: too much salt, and a lot of nasty additives. I'm a fourth or fifth generation health food cultist (my family was eating granola forty years before it was popular), so I'm not willing to settle for that kind of thing. Here's a couple of ways to help ramen reach its potential. Fried Ramen: I'm a sucker for fried noodle dishes. Pad Thai, Singapore- style chow mei fun, pan-fried noodle cake, and the list goes on; there's very few of them I don't enjoy. Ramen fries very nicely. All measurements are approximate-- I cook by taste, sight, smell, and feel and only measure when working from books. One single-serving packet of ramen (about two ounces) One medium shallot, or half a medium (a bit larger than a man's fist) onion (don't use frozen-- it stews instead of fries (too much water) and the texture is wrong.) One inch fresh ginger root A double handful of fresh greens (almost anything except pure iceberg lettuce-- napa cabbage, spinach (stems removed, of course), romaine, mesclun, some random salad mix, etc, etc) Approximately two tablespoons safflower or other neutral high- smoke-point oil (canola is less than ideal, and olive is right out.) Liquid: One tablespoon kecap manis (Indonesion sweet soy sauce) Two tablespoons regular Japanese or Chinese soy sauce (use a decent brand, not a store brand or a westernised one like La Choy-- the latter are chemically processed rather than brewed.) Red chile sauce to taste (I like Sriacha (sweetish Thai chile sauce)). or 2 1/2 tablespoons regular soy sauce Sugar to taste Red chile sauce to taste Slice the shallot or onion and the ginger into small pieces (exact size and shape don't really matter as long as they're small and roughly equal to each other). Greens should also be torn into fairly small pieces. Cook the ramen in boiling water, less time than the directions say (a minute and a half should be about right). You want it a bit less than al dente. Add a bit of oil to the water to prevent sticking-- I like to use sesame oil for this. Rinse immediately under cold water to stop cooking, and drain promptly. Heat your wok to a proper stir-frying temperature. This is hard to describe, beyond saying that it is quite hot. The oil will move across the surface when poured in. Don't try to do this in anything other than a wok! Frying pans and stainless steel skillets really don't work, and give far too much chance of hot oil being splasht about. Have a cold burner free-- if the oil does begin to smoke, you will need to move your wok before you set off the fire alarm. Fry the shallot or onion and ginger until softened. Add the greens, and cook until almost wilted. Add the drained ramen. Move about until mixed, then pour in the liquid ingredients. Cook until absorbed. Serve quickly. Variations and notes: You may need a bit less liquid when scaling up-- experiment to see what works best for you. If you have a bit of shrimp, chicken, beef, or squid, you can add it after softening the shallot or onion and ginger. Cook until nearly done (beef can be much rarer than chicken, which should be cooked thoroughly-- salmonella is not to be played with). If frozen, defrost and dry well before cooking. Slice beef or chicken thin and against the grain; if using medium shrimp, cutting in half along the sand vein line is a nice touch, but not essential. (Don't bother doing this with smaller shrimp than medium-- if your shrimp are much larger than medium, you'd really be better off to marinate them and grill them or something like that.) If using squid, cut into small pieces. It is particularly important not to overcook squid or shrimp-- squid, particularly will get tough and rubbery. Tofu or seitan should also work, although I've never used these. The same recipe will also work with other noodles-- rice noodles are nice, and need only soaking, not cooking (the directions on the package usually call for far too long a soak-- you will need to test frequently when using a new brand). Even spaghetti or angel hair will work-- cook this until a bit less than al dente. Kecap manis is nice to have around-- it is spiced as well as sweetened. Regular soy sauce with sugar will do, but doesn't give the full effect. The kecap manis is cut with regular soy sauce here because it pours very slowly and caramelises easily. Go easy on the chile sauce until you know how it handles-- it will cook down a little and may be a bit hotter than you think. You can always add more while eating.