Growing up in poverty has taught me how to make the best of things, including with the Top Ramen noodles I had in my cabinets. For most of you who do not know, Top Ramen noodles are known as the poor man’s meal in the “hood”. Top Ramen noodles were invented in 1958 by a Taiwanese-Japanese man name Momofuku Ando.
When my neighbor did not have enough money to provide full course meals for her children, she would stock up on Top Ramen noodles because you can get them for 10-20 cents a pack. I am sure her children would get bored with eating the same old Top Ramen noodles every day, so I instructed her on how to fancify ramen noodles. You can learn how also by following my guide on how to make Top Ramen dishes that have substance and ingredients that will fill your family up when you are on a budget which the noodles can’t do alone.
My favorite Top Ramen dish I created is the “Ramen chicken stir fry”, it is a meal you can create in thirty minutes and you can add any combination of vegetables you desire. I do not always use the same vegetables every time I cook this meal.
Top Ramen Chicken Stir fry
Cut up about 1 pound of chicken breasts in small chunks and fry, boil or steam
Boil about 4 packs of the oriental flavored Top Ramen noodles
Add frozen or fresh vegetables to boiling noodles, do not use can vegetables because they will be very mushy after cooking them into the noodles. Drain noodles when done.
Combined chicken, vegetables and noodles in a big skillet, then add the Top Ramen seasoning packets. Add a half cup of water and cook on medium low, once water has boiled out make a space creating a bare space in the skillet to add a tbsp of oil, then add 2 eggs to scramble in that space. Once the eggs are scrambled, mix them with the rest of the ingredients in the skillet.
Add desired amount of pepper, salt and soy sauce
You can use just one or any combinations of the following vegetables and the recipe will be very tasteful.
Broccoli, Carrots, Cabbage, Peas, Onions, Pea pods, Green, onions and Corn
This dish is easy to make and the ingredients cost less than $12 for a family of 4 if you are only adding about 2 vegetables.
Top Ramen noodles are excellent for making chicken noodles soup. My whole family was sick with a cold virus that was going around and I drug my miserable self out of bed to look for something quick I can make for my 4 sons. I pulled out some chicken breast, onions, chicken flavored top ramen, peas, carrots and threw it all in one pot to boil. I did not have to add any broth or special seasonings, only pepper. Of course the chicken itself make excellent broth and the Top Ramen noodles already came with chicken seasoning in the pack. It was the best chicken noodle soup I had in a long time. My sick children slurped it up and the warm tasty soup soothed them enough where they were able to rest longer.
Other things you can add to Top Ramen noodles
Brussel sprouts, pork, shrimp and chopped or thin steak
Some people may think they are too good for Ramen noodles simply because they are dirt cheap, others just find them plain tasting. If you add a little creativity and more ingredients to them, you can create a full course tasty meal that does not cost much to make. After exploring the possibilities with cooking with the in-expensive noodles, you will come up with your own recipes to fancify Top Ramen noodles.
