Buffing up your lunch to turn it into a meal you’ll look forward to.
Do you ever get sick of pulling out your lunch and having it the same as several of your other coworkers? This week we're showing you how to start off with a basic cup of ramen, or other similar cup of Asian noodles and turn it into a proper meal. This should probably be done the night before, although if you get up early enough, you don't have to. If you add enough vegetables, you can also turn one cup of noodles into two separate meals.
This recipe is meant to buff up a single cup of ramen or other Asian noodle fast foods. If you want to just feed yourself, think about each vegetable in the list as "how much of this can I eat in one sitting" rather than "what exact amount do I need."
Ingredients:
Ramen (cup)
Canned Meat (chicken or pork works best, but you can make other varieties too!)
carrots
chives
celery
onion
cabbage (Napa if possible)
baby spinach
mushrooms
garlic
Sesame oil (or vegetable oil if you don't have any)
hard boiled eggs
Seaweed for garnish
Sauce Options
Sriracha
Hoisin sauce
Fish sauce
Peanut sauce
Start with your cup of noodles. Admire the foam cup. Now set it aside. You're not going to need that 'til the very end.
Now, let's go back over to your ingredients. Start by chopping up your vegetables.
The point here is to get your veggies into sizes that are going to give your ramen different textures and layers.
For the carrots, you'll want to either slice them like matchsticks or on a diagonal into thin layers.
For the chives, you'll want cut them into slices, no more than 1/4 inch in length.
Moving on to celery, this one is up to preference. You can do a fine chop and just use it for garnish, or you can slice them diagonally into chunks about 1/2" in length.
Next up is your onion. Again, this is up to preference. We like to go for strips rather than cubes because it adds more flavor and texture. However, you also have the option to dice them into chunks and just use them to flavor the ramen.
Moving on to cabbage and baby spinach. For both of these shredding them is the best way to go, and both options work.
Mushrooms, depending on the variety, have all sorts of options, based on the texture you want. We like to leave them whole, but you can dice them, turn them into chunks or matchsticks, whatever you like.
Now that you're done with your vegetables, go ahead and mince your garlic.
Heat a pan and toss in about one tablespoon of oil. Bring it up to medium heat and toss in your carrots and garlic. Once your carrots have begun to soften, add in the onion and the mushrooms. Your onions will be your unofficial guide for when to move on to the next step. You want to wait until the onions are partially translucent, and then add in the cabbage, spinach, chives and celery. At this point, turn the heat up and stir constantly. Keep the vegetables moving as you work them around. You can also add in any spices you want. A good place to start is white pepper and sea salt. Once your vegetables are fully cooked, go ahead and turn off the heat. Set the pan to the side.
Now heat up some water and make the packaged ramen. While that is cooking, pull out the can of chicken or pork or whatever other protein you chose and crack that open. Make sure to remove any fats or liquids that naturally come about from the canning process (a quick rinse can also help if the meat tastes too much like the can it's been housed in). Use a fork to shred the meat, but don't remove it from the can just yet.
Once your ramen is done cooking (usually about four minutes), dump it into a bowl and add all of your cooked veggies and the meat. Toss in some sauce if you'd like, and garnish with some of that seaweed you totally didn't buy just for this recipe. Mix well and plate it up, for you or any other adventurous eaters.
Now that you have the basic concept, take a look at the produce section next time you go to grocery store. What vegetables do they have that you could add in? Do they have any meats or seasonings that you could add to yours to make the dish taste better? It's fun to keep an eye out as you go through the store to see what combinations you can come up with, it also keeps lunch fresh and interesting.
We hope you enjoyed this week's recipe, and that if you do try it, you'll let us know in the comments below or over on our Facebook page.
Don't forget that we're not just looking out for your meals. We also want to look out for your home. In the event you need something fixed, or if you're just interested in regular maintenance for your appliances, ARS wants to be there for you. Whether you're in The Colony or Coppell, we aim to be the best appliance rescue service for you and your home. You can always call us at ((214) 599-0055) or get hold of us via our website.
