What about real ramen, starting with chuka soba and making your own broth (this part would take much longer than 10 minutes, but bear with me), adding in your own choice of meats, vegetables, egg, bamboo shoots, negi, etc...
Edit: I realize I made it sound like you put the chuka soba into the broth at the beginning, which would make for soggy noodles! You generally cook the noodles separately, later, and put them in, still firm and chewy, toward the end...
Remember, ramen is a real food (and really, really good), that's served in real restaurants (there are several good ramen restaurants in the Bay Area).
"Instant noodles" is the caricature that most Americans are exposed to (I, too, was a victim of this ignorance for many years!), but for the sake of the deliciousness that is Ramen, please stop calling instant noodles "ramen", even if it says so on the package.
It would be like an entire country being exposed to the concept of "steak" through frozen dinners, and developing a prejudice against "steak" as some crappy packaged frozen food.
> Extra-fancy buckwheat soba is a bit pricier, but insanely delicious. A complex and rich taste all by itself, so you don't have to add much to it.
My favorite local ramen shop (Ramen Halu in San Jose, near Saratoga Ave and 280) uses it to make Tsukemen (sort of a dipping ramen, with cold soba noodles and hot broth and dipping sauce). Amazingly good. :D
What about real ramen, starting with chuka soba and making your own broth (this part would take much longer than 10 minutes, but bear with me), adding in your own choice of meats, vegetables, egg, bamboo shoots, negi, etc...
Edit: I realize I made it sound like you put the chuka soba into the broth at the beginning, which would make for soggy noodles! You generally cook the noodles separately, later, and put them in, still firm and chewy, toward the end...
Remember, ramen is a real food (and really, really good), that's served in real restaurants (there are several good ramen restaurants in the Bay Area).
"Instant noodles" is the caricature that most Americans are exposed to (I, too, was a victim of this ignorance for many years!), but for the sake of the deliciousness that is Ramen, please stop calling instant noodles "ramen", even if it says so on the package.
It would be like an entire country being exposed to the concept of "steak" through frozen dinners, and developing a prejudice against "steak" as some crappy packaged frozen food.