A good salmon marinade

NWA canceled my flight out of Montana last Sunday. It was hard not to gripe about it, the only alternative they could offer us was a 6 am flight out the next day, with three stops (!!!). After countless wasted hours of trying to interact with their employees who must have gone through training on how to avoid customers, not answer questions, and not understand customers, we were able to cut that into two stops. The lady on the phone suggested our taking it, for our only other option was to accept a refund for the canceled leg of our trip. I suppose that is their way of saying, "Look buddy, you better take what crappy arrangement we have for you because in case you haven't forgotten, we don't need you. YOU NEED US!"

To look on the bright side, if I had to be stranded anywhere for another day, Montana is quite a good option. I was able to stay for my Aunt and uncle's Sunday BBQ, and it was a feast! My Aunt made margaritas, potato salad, and a great guacamole salad. Then she asked me if I had any ideas for a good salmon marinade. For the BBQ, teriyaki sauce immediately came to mind, but how to tie that into the margarita and guacamole salad theme? Add a touch of tequila, lime, and spice, of course. So here is the Southwest Teriyaki sauce that I made up for the salmon. I was worried at first, but people liked, it, so it is now tried and tested. Also because it went so well with the guacamole salad, I've regurgitated the recipe for that as well as I can remember it.

Southwest Teriyaki Salmon
4 cloves garlic, minced through a press
3 tbsp Tequila
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne or chipotle pepper
zest and juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp olive oil

Whisk all the ingredients together, brushing most on the salmon for BBQing, and leaving some in a little bowl with a spoon for those who want extra topping at the table.


Guacamole Salad
cherry tomatoes, halved
half a yellow pepper, cut to 1/2 in. cubes
1/2 a red onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
zest and juice of 2 limes
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
3 tbsp olive oil
3 ripe avocados

Mix the first three ingredients in a large serving bowl. Whisk the next six ingredients in a smaller bowl, and toss with the salad. Right before serving, scoop the avocados in and fold into the salad.

This is all so good with Margaritas!

Ramen Ratings II

Name: Stirfried Kimchi Noodles
Maker: Paldo
Country of origin: Korea
Kris’s Rating: 5 - Another superb contribution to the world of ramen. The noodles are okay - good, but not a revolutionary as Nong Shim's varieties - but the flavor of the soup rocks, and the packet of kimchi it comes with is even better than some fresh kimchi out there.
Good with: You don't need toppings, it comes with its own.



Name: Sapporo Ichiban Chicken
Maker: Sanyo
Country of origin: USA
Kris’s Rating: 0 - Throw this soggy stuff away, I don't even know how it got in my kitchen! Actually, I do know - Dave purchased it at Safeway long before I moved into his condo and commandeered the kitchen. He used to eat it with canned spaghetti sauce and extra ketchup (good god...).
Good with: Empty the flavor packet into the bag, hold it closed, and mash it all about. The flavored raw noodles are quite a good alternative to chips.


Name: Soybean Paste Ramen
Maker: Samyang
Country of origin: Korea
Kris’s Rating: 3 - I love miso ramen! Samyang's version is good but not outstanding.
Good with: Tofu, corn, egg.

• Ramen Tip: If you don't live near an Asian grocer with a great selection of ramen to choose from, you can now order them online! Check out H-Mart, which is where I shop (in Fairfax). Also, I've seen some of Nong Shim's products in some Safeways and some 7-11s.
  

The Art of Dressing Ramen

Ramen is quick and easy to make, but the lack of nutrition and substance can really leave something to be desired. The solution? Dress up your ramen with eggs, vegetables, and meat, and you can have a full quick-fix meal in just minutes.

My Neoguri Spicy Seafood ramen with napa cabbage and fishballs.

Vegetables:
Napa cabbage – break the leaves into bite sized pieces and put into the boiling water with your noodles.
Mushrooms – slice or cut into quarters and boil with your noodles.
Keep in mind that if you are making really spicy ramen, cabbage and mushrooms are very absorbent, so it will soak in all the spiciness.
Green beans – same thing.
Snap peas – same!
Frozen corn or any frozen vegetables – same thing!
Onions – fry them in a pan and top on your ramen.
Kimchee – just lay it on your cooked ramen.

Protein:
for meats, this generally works best if it is already cooked. This is a great way to use up leftovers.
Cooked chicken or turkey – cut up and add to your noodles.
Spam – fry in a frying pan and top it on noodles (I know Spam sounds gross, but Asians love Spam. Have you ever had Spam sushi? It’s pretty good. The best has got to be Hawaii McDonald’s spam burger)
Fishballs or beefballs – plunk them in your boiling water. Add your ramen noodles when the balls float to the top.
Ground beef, chicken, or lamb – brown in a frying pan and top it on your ramen.
Bacon – fry it up and crumble over cooked ramen.
Tofu – cut into squares and add to the boiling water with your noodles.
Egg – This one can be tricky, but there are several ways to do it. The easy way is to fry it any way you want in butter in a frying pan and top it on your ramen. For a really yummy way, boil some water with a splash of vinegar. When it is boiling hot, slowly crack an egg in, being careful not to break the yolk. The vinegar makes the egg whites stick together. Boil for a couple of minutes until the whites are cooked, but the yolk is still soft. Pout out the water and carefully transfer your egg to your ramen without breaking the yolk.

Ramen Ratings

Hey, I am back! And back with a vengeance, new recipes, and a whole new series of ramen ratings. Enjoy!

Ramen has gone a LONG way since Cup‘O’Noodle and Top Ramen. If you can, stay away from those oldies, they’re not so good now that there are plenty of new yummy alternatives out there from all different Asian countries. Here are a few reviews. Sorry it is heavy on he Korean brands, but our local Asian supermarket is Korean owned.

Name: Potato Noodle Soup
Maker: Nong Shim
Country of origin: Korea
Kris’s Rating: 5 - This is AMAZING. An important advance in Ramen technology. The noodles are made from potato flour, so it is incredibly chewy. The soup is good too, but garlicky so it gives you bad breath... Whatever, make it even better by adding your own thinly sliced garlic on top.
Good with: egg, mushrooms, any veggies, leftover chicken, kimchee

Potato Noodle Soup dressed with mushrooms and an egg.


Name: Mama shrimp aka Mama Tom Yam
Maker: Mama
Country of origin: Thailand
Kris’s Rating: 5 - This is my all time favorite. I have one of these every night at about 1 A.M.. The small portion makes it great for snacking, and I love the spicy sour flavor. Beware of using too much water, because that dilutes the soup. And it comes with a separate chili pepper packet, so you can adjust the spiciness for your taste. I usually use half a packet per serving of noodles. That leaves me with lots of little chili packets to use for spicing up other foods too!
Good with: Egg, fishballs.



Name: Chapagetti Chajang Noodle
Maker: Nong Shim
Country of origin: Korea
Kris’s Rating: 2 - Ehh. Novel idea, but needs work. This is a play off of a northern Chinese specialty, zhajiangmian. This saucy noodle dish is so good that the Koreans and Japanese have both adopted it as part of their regular menus. Chapagetti's noodles are good, which Nong Shim is famous for, but the sauce is lacking in texture and flavor. A lot better when you dress it up, but barely worth it.
Good with: chopped mushrooms, ground beef


Chapagetti with added mushrooms.