Top Ramen Chow Mein

Top Ramen noodles resemble the noodles used in Chow Mein, or soy sauce noodles, the notorious noodles that you usually find right next to fried rice at Chinese Restaurants.  Chow Mein has been chosen to be part of the dream team of commonly ordered hits along with Orange Chicken and Mongolian Beef.  Why?  The reason why they're so darn popular and tasty is because they're fried (just like top ramen noodles) and anything that's fried is tasty.

Eat them raw or if you want to cook them, all you'll really need is 3 minutes. They're also dirt cheap so you can have a great meal without spending too much time and money.

Top Ramen comes with a packet of soup base powder and I never use it because the long list of ingredients contained in it (most of which I cannot understand) scares me.  All I know is that there's many versions of MSG in it and that's enough reason for me not to use it.  I make my own base for a piece of mind, minimizing as much unhealthy ingredients as I can in my diet.

I normally prepare these noodles with a lot of soup and eggs, but at the time, I was feeling like Chinese Food, so I prepared it Chow Mein style with a soy sauce base.

You can apply the same cooking method described below but instead throw in your own favorite ingredients!  The noodles are such a nice canvas to work with and the possibilities are endless.


1 serving; 10-15min
Ingredients: 

• 1tbsp oil
• 1/2 lb chicken thighs cubed 1/2''
• 10 strings Bodi Beans chopped 1'' pieces
• 2 cloves garlic minced (~1tsp)
• 1/4'' ginger slice grated or minced finely (~1tsp)
• salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper for dusting chicken
• 1 1/2 tbsp rice vinegar (or lime juice)
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp. sesame oil
• 1/2 cup water or chicken stock (or more if you want soup)
• 2 bunches of top ramen noodles (without powder)
• 1 stalk chives or green onion (optional)

Directions
1. in a bowl, mix rice vinegar, brown sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and water (or chicken stock).
2. dust chicken with salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper (warning- cayenne is hot)
3.  In a pan, heat up oil. medium high heat. when hot, add chicken in an even layer with gaps in between. Don't stir. Wait until one side browns.
4. Once pink on top of chicken is almost gone, add ginger, garlic. Stir Fry for ~ 2 min.
5. Add bodi beans. Stir fry for another 2 min.
6. Heat a pot with water and boil noodles on high heat for ~1-2min or until they just become loose. You will finish cooking them in chicken mixture.
7. add soy sauce mixture into chicken.  cook ~1min.  Add noodles from pot directly to pan without draining. It's okay if a little water gets in. Toss ingredients together with two forks or tongs for another min.

*you can make scramble eggs and add them into the mix. just delicious. Enjoy!