Some relevant backstory: The Chinese grocery store that Michael and I go to always gives us a little gift at the checkout. I guess they've got to get rid of the stuff that's not being sold somehow. Usually this takes the form of packages of individually wrapped "vanilla" wafer cookies (yes, the quotes are intentional). But one time, we got a package of air-dried noodles, which contained eight or so little bricks of the same kind of telephone-cord noodles that come in packages of instant ramen.
Now, I have a serious weak spot for noodles in broth, but have never been able to have regular instant ramen since all of the broth flavorings contain powdered critter bits. The few brands that don't inevitably make up for this fact with loads of MSG and salt, which gives me a frightful headache in addition to f-ing up my circulatory system. But this package of noodles got me thinking: Could I make something similar, without the critter bits and nearly poisonous levels of sodium?
Yes, says Bittman. Here's how:
Soy sauce + ketchup + water. That's it. Bittman calls for 1/4 cup of soy sauce and 2 tablespoons of ketchup in 6 cups of water. I've taken to using a little less water to make the broth more flavorful, but generally these ratios work very nicely.
You could throw in some scallions if you feel like getting fancy, or some of last night's leftovers, or a splash of rice vinegar. A swirl of sesame oil on top is always welcome. Boil up the whole mess, then add the noodles. Cooking time: As long as it takes to boil water on your stove, plus three minutes to cook the noodles. If you'd like to boost the protein quotient, Bittman recommends cracking an egg into the broth. I haven't done this variation yet, but will definitely give it a try next time.
I don't know if this tastes anything like real ramen, or like real instant ramen for that matter, but I don't care --- it's delicious.
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