Update: Top Ramen – Not just for broke college kids anymore. Now, also available for broke adults such as myself. At 33 cents a packet in my local grocery store, and even cheaper when buying in bulk, these bad boys have become a staple in my cooking repertoire. Plus, the best part about this recipe is that you can flush that nasty sodium-filled garbage packet down the drain.
Hey, we all have at least one bag of Top Ramen somewhere in our cabinets. Whether it’s from a broke-streak in 2013 or from last week’s grocery haul, most people definitely have at least one somewhere. It’s a suuuper inexpensive ingredient I love to utilize, especially when it’s not a payday week.
Going with the broke theme – let’s add only vegetables and water to this dish. Trust me. Thinly slice the onion and keep the lengths somewhat long (trying to imitate the shape of a noodle once cooked).
Saute the onions for about 10 minutes on medium to medium-low, trying to caramelize them. You want them to be almost translucent before the next step.
Chop about 1-2 cups worth of thinly sliced cabbage, similar to the shape of the onion slices. Did I mention this was an awfully cheap and easy recipe?
Keep on cooking on medium heat until the vegetables are very malleable. Add in the chopped garlic and lots of cracked pepper. Add about 1-2 cups of water and throw in the brick of ramen noodles.
Is it safe to call this a “struggle meal”? Because I absolutely created this travesty out of a very, very poor week for me.
Once the noodles soften, flip the ramen brick open so it can reach more surface area and continue to stir and cook the noodles in the water.
The noodles should eventually soften to that of an al dente pasta, and the liquid mostly soaked up into the dish. It’s okay if this little amount of water is left.
You now know how to make a gourmet dinner when you have $4 left in your bank account. You’re welcome.
—INGREDIENTS—
- 1 packet of Top Ramen (flavor doesn’t matter)
- 1 medium onion, sliced
- 1/2 head of medium cabbage, sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, sliced
- Scallions to garnish
—DIRECTIONS—
- Thinly slice onions into quarter wedges. Saute them in a skillet with some oil on medium for about 10 minutes, continuing to stir so they don’t brown.
- Once slightly translucent, add the thinly sliced cabbage (similar in shape to the onions). Continue about 5-10 minutes more until vegetables are tender.
- Add sliced garlic, and continue to stir for a few more minutes. Season as you wish – I used a lot of cracked pepper, and just a tap of garlic powder.
- Take pan away from heat, and add about 1 and a half cups of water (you can always add more after). Throw the block of ramen noodles in the water.
- Turn heat to a little higher than medium. Wait until the noodles soften partially through, just enough to separate the noodle square pieces in half. Open the ramen brick in half, to get more mass area while cooking.
- Continue stirring until the noodles have soaked up all the water. If you notice it getting too dry, but the noodles are still too hard, add water by half a cup at a time.
- Do so until almost noodles have almost no liquid.
- Serve with sliced scallion on top.
—AMOUNT—
4 medium sized servings
taleitalei 