I am looking for a healthy substitute for the ubiquitous ramen pack but I want it to be fast, relatively low in sodium and high in fiber. I had just about given up on finding a ramen that is fitting that set of criteria when I found these Udon noodles. Udon is not the same as ramen but similar enough in purpose to ramen, at least for me.
This type of Udon noodles is shelf stable, fast to prepare and healthy. And completely un-topped.
But they do not have any topping/flavor packet. So I am looking for a quick addition that would give them a flavor to look forward to. I have LaoGanMa chili crisp which I love but I need another one or two to keep from getting tired of my LaoGanMa.
Should I just add gochujang and be done with it? Oyster sauce? I was hoping for something Thai, Vietnamese, Malay or Chinese but I do not know the cuisines well enough to figure this out on my own. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
I ordered 3 boxes (with 3 packages in each box) of these noodles so one way or the other I am going to be eating them over the next month or two. Hopefully I won’t be OD’ing on my chili crisp.
On edit: You are very right, Saregama! I changed it!
The thread title really throws one off the track of your actual question
Have you tried Lotus foods millet / brown rice ramen?
Whole Foods (and other places) also now sell refrigerated ramen kits with fresh noodles and a pouch of broth that are better than the fry kind. Sodium is always an issue, but you can use less broth. Made by Nona Lim, Sun Foods, and others.
Pour in the amount of pasta you want, fill to the appropriate water line for that amount of pasta, microwave, drain with the special lid and eat.
In the past, I’ve been lazy and eaten right out of the pasta boat. I’ll “dress” the pasta with a touch of olive oil and garlic powder (cheese optional). When done, put the whole thing in the dishwasher and I’m done.
Two great responses and I have not even pulled the trigger on my original order.
So I added the top reco from Saregama’s article (immi spicy beef ramen) and the Fasta Pasta device (made in the USA! Woohoo!) to my list of stuff to get from Amazon. My packages of udon noodles may have to get dressed with chili crisp but I will have other tools in the shed when it comes to quick healthy meals.
Hmm… Udon noodles with olive oil and garlic powder? I usually have some older smokehouse Gouda that I could grate over it, too.
My one whinge is that immi ramen is a bit pricey at $6 per. Or did I get that wrong?
I thought of the $5 milkshake scene with Travolta and Thurman.
I usually stock up on pasta when it goes on sale. Just recently, one local grocery store had pasta on sale for 50 cents/box, you did have to buy 10 boxes to get that price. I found a way to get them stuffed into the back of the pantry.
In addition to enjoying the taste of a nice olive oil, I’ve heard it can boost your HDL (good cholesterol). So maybe a WIN-WIN??
If you get bored with whatever you’re using as a topping/flavoring/condiment, give it a squeeze of lemon or lime, or even a small glug of any kind of vinegar. A little acid can add depth and dimension with no work at all.
Saregama, I did add an “On edit” at the bottom to explain your comment and my stealthy revision! I tried to explain because you were right, my thread title was completely wrong for what I was looking for.
Ipsedixit, spice blends like that might be the ticket. They are quick and the one you point out is low in sodium, which is a plus. I have a Gandy Dancer Roadhouse Blend (3 types of pepper and a mix of dried vegetables) that I might try, now that you have pointed out that a simple shake or two, or three, might be a good choice
Thanks… When the day gets away from me and I have to put a meal on the table for dinner, that little thing has saved me.
I always have pre-cooked meatballs in the freezer and a jar of Ragu (pasta sauce) in the pantry, so I can throw together a quick filling dinner (for the two of us) in no time with minimal cleanup.
On a different note, try the Nona Lim or Sun versions at Whole Foods — they’re not that much more than the dried.
Also iirc @Mr_Happy or someone else here has posted other “fresh” options procured at asian stores, so it’s probably worth a wander to whatever your local asian stores are.
I live in NW Montana, so asian stores and national grocery chains are limited near me. So no WF, no Wegmans, no Harris Teeter, no Giant, definitely no Piggly Wiggly. My choices are Rosauers, Albertson/Safeway, Smith’s or Super 1 Foods. I actually found gochujang, kimchi and sambal at each of these stores so they are getting better.
I just assumed there were no Asian grocery stores north of Missoula but I checked Google maps and Mabuhay Oriental Grocery is just 30 miles north of me. They do not open until Tuesday but I think I will roll by.
Missoula is the nearest city of any size, and it is a university town so it has a decent amount of food choices. But it is 105 miles south of me and even in Montana that takes at least an hour to get to.
LOL!
Ok, an hour and a half if I slow down for Polson and Ronan.
Silly Montana story, one time in 1979 a friend and I drove like madmen 283 miles from Glasgow to Billings trying to catch up with a friend in a Trans Am that was going to the same place. We never caught up because the friend was behind us the whole time. We made it there in a ridiculously short amount of time.
Ah, the days before cell phones…
I have already ordered a couple suggested items, but I thought Wegmans was right out, if I am remembering my Monty Python correctly. LOL!
But I double checked and you are right. I added the Nona Lim to my order. I did not think a Wegmans or Trader Joe’s product would be online as well. Goes to show that I should never assume.
The Everything but the Bagel would not arrive until I was traveling so I will have to order that later.
There are some pretty good online asian markets these days too.
But also, Albertsons and some of the others might surprise you. I use Instacart to check if a store has something specific I’m looking for if the store is a long way away.
(TJs products often have illogical markups when someone is reselling them on Amazon.)
With udon, one thing that you can do is make a simple soup using pre-made mentsuyu diluted with water. Here’s one example on Amazon but it is pretty marked up compared to my local Japanese grocery:
You can also make a udon soup on your own with dashi (you may be able to find instant dashi at your local grocery), soy sauce, mirin, and sugar. Here’s one recipe that has different ways of preparing the soup:
The above site justonecookbook.com has a lot of other good recipes for udon as well.
I had not thought about Dashi sauce, thank you for that recommendation!
I will check at my grocery stores to see if any of them have it.
I see a couple highly rated sauces shipped in packets, usually 18 packets per shipment, but they are not Mentsuyu. $20 for a bottle is a lot but a bottle probably lasts longer than 18 packets.
I used to love Mrs. Dash on noodles - easy and cheap lunch when I was in college. Put a tablespoon in the bottom of your bowl and hydrate with hot water while the noodles heat up. Add some butter/oil and salt and you’re set. Comes in lots of flavors.
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