Two More Days of Ramen

So the past few days have been very busy. And the frozen flank steak in the refrigerator has obstinately refused to thaw. It all adds up to my testing the two remaining recipes from Everybody Loves Ramen sooner than I expected.

Crabby Spinach Ramen – Meal #1

I have to confess that I was well aware that the recipe called for one 14-ounce can of spinach when I wrote my grocery list. There is something about the concept of canned spinach that repulses me; I can’t quite put my finger on it. But rather than skip the recipe, which otherwise looked good, I just substituted frozen chopped spinach.

The recipe as written in the book is fairly simple: prepare the noodles as directed on the package; add the imitation crabmeat and the spinach; boil until everything is heated through; drain well; season with salt and pepper; enjoy your dinner.

The twists in my case were how much frozen spinach to add, and when to add it. A block of frozen chopped spinach is nine ounces, but the recipe calls for a 14-ounce can of spinach. I opted to be short on spinach and just use one 9-ounce block, saving the other for another time (probably the spanakopita I’m planning to make for brunch this Saturday). As for when to add the frozen spinach, I added it to the water as it was coming to a boil. I figured the spinach would take longer to cook than the ramen, so it needed to be in the water first. I was right! The block was still half frozen when the water reached a full boil and I added the noodles. I cooked the noodles for three minutes, and then added the full 14-ounce package of imitation crabmeat (after all, what was I going to do with two ounces left over?). I let that boil for as long as it took me to break up the block of imitation crabmeat. Then I drained it in a large sieve rather than my colander because I didn’t want the chopped spinach to escape. I tossed about half of it in a bowl and ate it. The other half I put in the refrigerator for my second meal of Crabby Spinach Ramen.

Overall, it was a bland meal. That may have been because I skipped the salt and pepper. But it was better than the watered down peanut sauce meal that I had eaten earlier in the week. I thought that the imitation crabmeat might be unpalatable, but it was okay.

Crabby Spinach Ramen – Meal #2

I was hesitant to have a second meal of the Crabby Spinach Ramen, because my diet plan is very light on both fats and carbohydrates. However, I had planned to meet my trainer at the gym and to walk the reservoir, so I thought it would be okay.

Reheating the dish without a microwave was a little bit messy. I brought out my wok, heated some sesame oil, and attempted to stir fry it in hopes of heating it through. However, the ramen had all stuck together and the imitation crab was still all clumped together, so that plan didn’t work as well as I had hoped. But it did eventually work. It was still a bland meal, although very filling. I set it aside after eating only half the bowl. It currently is Saran wrapped in the refrigerator, although I’ve yet to decide whether I’m going to make a third meal of it.

Creamy Ramen Mushroom Soup – Meal #1

I decided to toss the remaining Crabby Spinach Ramen, and attempt the Creamy Ramen Mushroom Soup, which was probably the most complex of the three ramen recipes. As usual, I made some substitutions. I forgot to buy an onion for the recipe, so I skipped that. I used one teaspoon of minced garlic from a jar rather than one clove of garlic; the standard conversion is ½ teaspoon equals one clove, but I was feeling bad about skipping the onion. I bought baby bella mushrooms, and used the full eight-ounce package rather than measure out two cups. I couldn’t find my ¼ teaspoon measure, so I used ½ teaspoon of dried thyme (although now that I think about it, I could have picked fresh from the garden). As mentioned in my earlier post, I could only buy ramen in six packs, so I used roast chicken ramen instead of chicken mushroom ramen. And I skipped the final topping of fresh parsley.

I say that this was the most complex of the three ramen recipes, but it was relatively straightforward because I used my wok instead of a smaller sauce pan. Sauté mushrooms and garlic in butter. When the mushrooms are soft, add the water, the ramen seasoning packet and the thyme. Once that is all combined, stir in the light cream and add the ramen noodles. Simmer for five or so minutes and then enjoy.

This recipe I actually did enjoy! I thought about adding some ground black pepper to it, but decided against it. The soup was rich, but light at the same time. The thyme was just enough to complement the mushrooms. I think if I had added the onion, it might have been too much. Against my better judgment, I ate the entire bowl (and slurped the broth) so there won’t be a Creamy Mushroom Soup meal number two.

Overall Assessment

So after testing three ramen recipes from Everybody Loves Ramen, I came up with one loser, one run of the mill, and one winner. I still have one package of ramen left. Rather than try any more recipes from the book, I think I am going to put that package in the horde cabinet and save it for a really rainy day.