Any healthy way to make Ramen noodles?!
Is there any way to maybe draw down some of the sat / sodium content, and more importantly add some protein in there for cheap?
Answers: I know they're terrible for you, but they're quick to make & cheap (which is important since I'm a college student & don't have much money these days)
Is there any way to maybe draw down some of the sat / sodium content, and more importantly add some protein in there for cheap?
To knock down the sodium content and make cheap meals with ramen that last a while you can make ramen chicken noodle soup. Buy cheap chicken (usually leg quarters) and some inexpensive veggies (frozen work best) Cover the chicken in a pan with water and the seasoning packets from three packs ramen. boil it all together, (remove the meat from the bones after it is well cooked, chop it up and add it back to the pot) then add your noodles and veggies, boil a couple more minutes until everything is tender and enjoy.
(this was my staple when I had to live on like 20 bucks a month for food!)
For a much quicker solution, just scramble an egg and drizzle it into the water as your ramen is boiling on the stove, leave a bit more liquid than usual and eat it as egg drop soup.
I Don't know about knocking down the salt content, but here is a website for your addins
http://www.mattfischer.com/ramen/
don't use the flavor pack , season it yourself + add some cooked veggies
I either add only half of the seasoning package or I'll add it all and then dump out most of the broth. Depends if I'm feeling brothy that day or not. I'm sure you could add some chicken to the chicken flavored one or shimp to the shrimp one and that should be yummy
Well, you could use a can of chicken broth instead of the powder to make the soup. Add vegetables -- broccoli is cheap. Anything really. If you want to add protein, I would do some ground beef (cook in a frypan and drain the fat off before adding it) or chicken. I used to do shrimp and broccoli in my ramen noodles when I had no money.
If you like it hot, go to the Chinese section of the grocery and look for a kind of spicy oil, or dry red pepper. In Japanese its called Ichimi or Shichimi, but I dont know it in another language. Anyway there are lots of different spicy products you can use to add more flavor.
Im a college student too so i know your pain with teh noodles.
what i normally do is instead of water, boil the ramen in beef broth (bout 1.00 a can) or low sodium chicken broth. that way it adds flavor without having to use that packet which is essentially salt and preservatives. Also, you can get a few chicken breasts (two good sized ones are around 2.50 at the commissary i go to), slice and pan fry them for a few with whatever spices you have (steal some from your mom, i SWEAR they come in handy with cheap cooking. Rosemary, Bay leaves, Garlic and cinnamon are my basics) and then toss them in with your noodles. You can also try stir fry beef in that way. Tuna doesn't work well in ramen by the way :p
best of luck! :D
they now make reduced sodium ramen noodles. I live off these noodles just because I love them and they are soooo cheap!! Try adding chicken or turkey for protein. A lot cheaper if you buy the chicken and cook it yourself then cut it up to mix with the noodles. You can also buy already cooked and cut chicken in the grocery store (usually with deli meets and ironically in the produce secton) but its gonna cost ya quite a bit more.