Journey to Perfection

High school/college years: ramen noodles...you know, the 18 cent per pack kind, were a main staple in my diet. They're quick. They're tasty. They're relatively filling. They served their purpose well.

Married-with-kids years: the instant ramen all but disappeared from the pantry, although the occasional time I made them for an emergency lunch got my son addicted to them. Soon, he was able to make them himself, and it was one of his life's greatest pleasures, right up there with getting his shoes muddy and fighting with his sisters.

About 5 years ago: I heard an NPR story about ramen noodle restaurants in Japan, and how hugely popular they are. Apparently they are the Japanese equivalent of hamburger places here. There's one on every corner, they're cheap, and everybody loves them. But these are real ramen noodles, not your crappy 18 cent grocery store variety. Hmm. Interesting. I file the story away into the recesses of my brain for future retrieval.

Within the past year: My friend Dom lives in LA. He's married to a Chinese woman named L (her name is Lucinda, but her nickname is L). They like all kinds of food, but, as he shares on a blog post, he's really been into ramen noodles lately. The real kind. Hmm. Interesting.

Dom posts a link to a website that shows how to make a simple miso soup. He claims that something like this, with some ramen noodles, is becoming his favorite meal.

Last week: Dom's mom is visiting them in LA. They take her to their favorite ramen restaurant. As Dom describes the menu in his blog, the NPR story resurfaces in my mind. This time, I am prompted to action. I will make real ramen noodle soup. It will be healthy and excellent. And I will become a god in my son's eyes.

Step 1: find some real ramen noodles. Fresh. Not the fried and dehydrated little bricks of toxicity. The real thing. Cris calls me one day from a huge Chinese grocery store. I tell her to get some real ramen noodles. The clerk shows her the refrigerated case with about 100 different types. We're in business.

The noodles sat in the fridge for several days while I contemplated the next step.

I finally found the link to that miso soup tutorial. I sent Cris to the store to get the ingredients. She didn't go to the Chinese place, though, she went to Sunflower, a health store. She got miso paste, tofu, green onions, and dried seaweed in rectangles, like for sushi. But she didn't get dashi, a soup base made with kelp and fish. She got some kind of fish sauce. Hmm. I would have to improvise.

I decided to use some other seaweed that we had. It was stringy, almost noodle-like. Using chicken broth instead of dashi, I make my first batch of miso ramen soup.



It was pretty. It was fresh. And I'm sure it was healthy. Alex liked the noodles. Bella liked the tofu. And even though we all ate a bowlful...it just wasn't that great. The seaweed was too hair-like and the chicken broth just tasted weird with the miso.

Everyone started out pretty positive, but when it came time for another bowl, or to make lunches for the next day, no one wanted more. First attempt: failure. Not a complete disaster, but still a failure.

I shared my struggles with Dom via email. He was supportive, but didn't offer any concrete advice. I wasn't ready to give up, but I was at a roadblock.

Then, today, a box came in the mail from LA. When I saw who it was addressed from, I asked Cristina "What would Dom be sending us?" I opened it up...


Seaweed, sesame, dried green onions, chili powder, two packages of dashi...

...and some cookie-type things called Moomin biscuits!

What a friend!

This weekend...attempt #2! I will cook ramen noodle soup!

Stay tuned...

Alex knits at school, so here's a video of the best of both worlds!