Homemade Ramen Noodles

I must stress with all my heart and stomach that this is my most FAVORITE recipe of all time. I absorb Ramen noodles like a sponge and bleed those little packets of flavored oil like crazy. 

My favorite packaged Ramen noodles I buy from the Chinese supermarket. The Tung-I brand is also popular in Taiwan, which is why I adore this brand so much. Onion and Beef flavors are the BEST.

Alas, do you really know just how horrendous Ramen is for our bodies? Although they taste like heaven, the MSG it loads is extremely unhealthy. Click here to skim over a few health risks Ramen causes. A package here and there should be fine... but now you won't have to purchase these any longer!

I give you -- homemade Ramen noodles! It is mind-blowingly delicious and the exact same flavor and taste of the processed fried packaged Ramen we so dearly depend on. This bowl of noodles just happens to be much more healthier.

Time to tastily trick your body again!

First, snag a box of Chinese dry noodles. Wu Mu is an excellent brand, and try to look for this specific box when at the Chinese supermarket.

Next, in the aisle of sauces and oils, pick out a jar of shallot sauce. This is basically the same flavored oil in the packaged Ramen, but better and not brimming with MSG.

Finally, grab a jar of fried shallots (dried). Should be near the same place as the shallot sauce. 

Then we are set to begin cooking our homemade Ramen. Boil a pot of water, grab a nice handful of dry noodles (break in half for shorter noodles) and deposit.

Meanwhile, as the noodles are cooking, sprinkle some dried shallots onto a pan and toast over MED HI heat for a few minutes.

The noodles take about 10 minutes to completely soften. Therefore, we can also prepare the soup bowl. Depending on how strong you'd like the flavor of your Ramen, scoop a half teaspoon to a full teaspoon of shallot sauce into a bowl.

Sprinkle with salt. You can save this step for the very end to taste accordingly.

Toss in the toasted shallots.

On the other side of the stove, feel free to add some color to the Ramen, like leaves of spinach or any Asian vegetable you crave. 

Next, ladle some boiling noodle water into the bowl with the shallot juice and company. Let it sit for a moment to intensify with amazing flavor and become true Ramen broth.

Then transfer our cooked noodles into the soup bowl.

Traditionally, a poached or sunny-side-up egg is the perfect partner with Ramen noodles. There's something about soft rich yolk mixed with the onion flavor that absolutely melts my soul (and everyone else's soul).

Inhale that intoxicating aroma, grab some chopsticks and a deep soup spoon, and dig in! Delicious and healthier Ramen noodles, from scratch. All finished.

Enjoy~!

How To Cook Brussels Sprouts: Sautéed

For me, brussels sprouts = throw up.

Brussels sprouts in this recipe = HEY! WHAT'S THIS?

You have to try it to believe it. 

Have your supply of brussels sprouts ready. Just like you would a head of cabbage, slice off the hard center "core" of each little leafy ball. 

Next, semi separate the leaves so the brussels sprouts are not just compact individual balls. 

Rinse and soak in water for a bit.

Meanwhile, to make these taste GOOD, dice a few garlic cloves and slice a white onion.

Saute in oil until soft and fragrant, then dump in our brussels sprouts. 

Over MED HI heat, add 1/4 cup water, stir and sprinkle salt to taste, then cover for approximately 5 minutes.

Aromatic, glistening with garlic and oil, and tender... brussels sprouts are now off my "Absolutely positively never" list to "I honestly cannot believe this...!" An extremely quick and easy side dish. All finished.

Enjoy~!

Parmesan Stuffed Eggplant

Dear stuffed veggie lovers and eggplant fanatics, I have brought you heaven on earth!

The best part, if not the delicious taste and texture of stuffed eggplant, is how the taste intensifies after a day, so leftovers are twice as exciting! Well, the goal is to have our leftovers deemed as "exciting" ... 

This recipe requires a bit more ingredients from the supermarket, but never fear. Serving size is a fourth of an eggplant, and this calls for three whole eggplants! Food for a week, basically!

Tick off from your grocery list: eggplants, tomatoes, green peppers, and a white onion.

Prepare eggplants by rinsing them, slicing off the leafy heads, and slicing cleanly in half.

Next, spoon out the spongy insides into a bowl. Save for later.

Just like an apple, the eggplant will start to oxidize and brown immediately. Not to worry, it will all be covered with stuffing.

Set your eggplant shells in a casserole dish and let's turn to the rest of the vegetables.

Dice the onions! Dice the green peppers! Slice the tomatoes, squeeze out the seeds and pulp, and dice em' up too!

Next, dice the eggplant you spooned out minutes before.

Finally, breadcrumbs add the final touch to our scrumptious (and secretly healthy) stuffing. If you happen to have ground flax seed and wheat bran from previous recipes, bring them out!

With a spruce of fresh parsley diced and ready, drizzle a deep pan with oil and saute the eggplant and vegetables until soft.

Mix in breadcrumbs and wheat bran/flax seed.

Lastly, Parmesan cheese is our star of the show. You can pour in as much as you'd like, which can be dangerous for the cheese-lover in me.

Our stuffing is finally completed. 

With a generous drizzle of olive oil over each eggplant, spoon the stuffing into each shell. 

Tuck them snugly against one another in the casserole pan so they don't roll about.

Preheat oven to 400F and bake for 40 minutes, covered with foil. For the last 10 minutes, remove foil.

Carefully slice the halves into halves for serving, and all finished! So savory.

Enjoy~!