Breakfast Ramen

On most Saturday mornings I wake up with some kind of craving or another. Sometimes it's hashbrowns and eggs, sometimes it's sausage egg McMuffins, and sometimes it's ramen. Lately it's been kimchee. A couple of ramen breakfasts I've had lately:

ramen with bacon and eggs

ramen with breakfast sausage and kimchee (not pictured)

ramen with pork belly and kimchee
This last one was sooo amazingly good. Here's how you make it.
Cut up 2 strips of pork belly (it's like unprocessed, unsalted, uncured, meaty bacon) into a fying pan and fry. Cut it into small pieces with scissors and dump out the grease. Add a teaspoon of brown sugar, a clove of minced garlic and two teaspoons of ponzu sauce (I bought mine at the store - make your own similar sauce by mixing soy sauce, rice vinegar, and citrus juice). Add cut up pieces of kimchee. stir fry. Top it on your ramen. Yuuummm....

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.