"ramen" news and stories

"In Japan, miso soup and ramen soup are two very wonderful but very different soups that would never be combined into one bowl, but I don't let that stop me here in the States," says KitchenDaily contributor Kemp Minifie, who cooked up this delectable combo. "When I discovered the little packages of ramen soup noodles in my local supermarket, lunchtime became so much easier. Because I have no intention of using the MSG-laden flavor packets, I simply toss them out and use miso instead." Kemp adds fresh carrots and broccoli to this simple soup, and, she says, "miso delivers a wallop of savory deliciousness."

Recipe for Quick Miso Ramen Soup with Broccoli and Carrot

Each Thursday, we round up a selection of scrumptious links from our friends over at YumSugar. Here's what they've got cooking this week:

• If you still haven't recovered from the New Year's Eve hangover, try one of these salves.
• Kick off your post-holiday recovery with a winter salad.
• Do you dare cook plantains at home?
• A Mexican Christmas dinner is indeed traditional American.
• Start 2010 on the right foot with this mysterious piece of culinary tech.
• Will ramen finally graduate college, or will pho give it a failing grade?
• If you made a go-vegan resolution, why not munch on vanilla pound cake?

'Momofuku'
by David Chang and Peter Meehan
Photographs by Gabriele Stabile
Clarkson Potter -- 2009
Buy it on Amazon

Even if you haven't eaten at one of the Momofuku restaurants in New York City, chances are you've heard about David Chang -- the James Beard award-winning chef painted at times as a "neurotic" "culinary rebel" who just happens to be "a pork-loving, pickle-happy individualist."

Well, now it's his turn to tell his story. The world is finally getting a cookbook from the man who built his food empire on a simple bowl of ramen.

"Living up to high expectations sucks," he writes in "Momofuku." "But for all that, I know this: I am one very lucky bastard."

Lucky, yes, but it helps that his creations are filled with unlikely but delicious flavor pairings.

See what we tested and whether it's worth buying after the jump.

Ramen noodles are the college student's best friend -- they're cheap, filling and taste great. But what happens when you graduate from college and want to start making smarter, and even better-tasting choices?

The old college girl in me just can't get over the crush I used to have on the 33-cents-a-pop ramen noodle package. (Beef was my favorite flavor.) So now that my budget has grown and my waistline has shrunk, I still like to make room for ramen noodles in my kitchen.

Get the recipe for healthier ramen after the jump.

Photo: norecipes.com.

As a relatively recent convert to all things porcine, I'm positively in awe of this pork shot. Without even having any background info on the dish, one can immediately perceive the succulence of the pork, salivate at its melt-in-your-mouth talents and perhaps -- with a photo this enticing -- even hope for a seasoning that does justice to the tenderness of its vessel.

And norecipe.com's Japanese Chashu -- which indicates merely its component of barbecued or roasted pork -- is worthy of the perfection of its meat. Braised in a combination of soy sauce and miso, it undergoes a rather "unorthodox" approach, as Marc brings his version "full circle back to its Chinese roots, [adding] garlic, ginger, and white pepper, which give the meat some character without overwhelming its porky goodness." Prepared en masse, the pork is equally delicious atop a steamy bowl of ramen, pasta, salads and more.

[Via norecipes.com]