While I don’t hugely like jazz music (except for Weather Report and Birdland), I do recognize the validity of improv as a style. And I am really, really fond of improv in a cooking context – that moment when you need to make a meal in a hurry and you are limited to what you happen to have on hand. This ramen recipe was exactly that – it was a date night and I didn’t have the ability to shop so … improv. I started from Killing Thyme but it changed pretty quickly based on what I had.

Ingredients

  • 10 cups chicken broth
  • 5 Millet and Brown Rice Ramen Cakes from Lotus Foods (I got these at Costco)
  • 1/4 cup rice vinegar
  • 5 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 squirt sriracha
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 cloves garlic diced
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1/2 left over onion, diced
  • 1/2 left over habanero pepper, diced
  • 3 left over grilled porkchops
  • 1 ear fire roasted corn

Steps

  1. This starts by building the stock using the olive oil, sesame oil and garlic. Heat the oil in a large saute pan and add the garlic. Keep it moving fast so it doesn’t burn.
  2. Add the peppers and onion and saute for 2 minutes (they will finish cooking in the broth).
  3. Add in the broth, vinegar, soy sauce, sriracha and powder garlic and bring to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes - it will smell like the vinegar is too much but it will cook off.
  4. Add the ramen cakes and cook for 4 minutes.
  5. Add the pork chop and corn right at the end and let them quickly heat through.

Serve and watch even your teenage son, who normally eats only the cheap ass ramen, you buy at the grocery store actually enjoy it and have seconds.