Ramyun

Right around rubbish day, it's like the week before mid-term examinations. With only one pick-up per week, I frantically rummage through the refrigerator looking for items that have gone bad or determine whether the ingredient rides along the safe end of the cusp of deterioration. I'm stupidly adventurous in that vein and rely more on smell. Although, pink cheese is a toss-out unless it has port or cranberries. Spores are out, too. The smell test isn't very helpful with fermented food, so I am probably tossing these items out too soon. It probably balances itself on a food karmic scale.

Day 290/365

A week ago, I bought a packet of hot and spicy flavor Paldo hwa ramyum. The noodles are like other instant Korean noodles, bleached flour, thick, and good if you don't overcook them...except, it is very easy to overcook. I typically cook the noodles until they are half-done, then rinse with cold water. When the vegetables are almost done cooking, I add the noodles, stir for half a minute, then turn off the heat.

We've had a pouch of fresh peas, a carton of mushrooms, and a bag of aspagarus for nearly a week so I've been using them in everything from omelettes, soups, sandwiches, and salads. The surimi was nearly freezer burnt so I used the last two sticks. Konbu, ginger, red peppers, and eggs are a staple in our kitchen.

Phreddie from Flickr recently posted pictures of different bowls of noodles and once explained that he loves to add grated ginger. This sounded like a phenomenal idea, so I tried it here. Ginger adds a clarity to a dish, like just-polished silver or glass. I've added beni shoga to my Okinawa soba and tonkotsu broth with noodles, but grating ginger never crossed my mind.

I didn't expect the soup to be very spicy, which it wasn't, so I added some minced bird's eye chili peppers. With the sesame oil that I added in the pot just as I turned off the heat, the bowl of noodles were quite satisfying and could easily serve two, especially after reading the nutritional facts. As you see pictured above, I gobbled the bowl of noodles myself.

- Cassaendra