Let's start this one off
with a little trivia: Did you know there
is more to our basic tastes than just sweet, salty, sour, and bitter? Yes,
there is another famous basic taste and it's (surprisingly) not spicy.
In 1908, a Japanese man named Dr. Kikunae Ikeda sought
to discover the secret behind the deliciousness of certain dishes. Perhaps
he felt there was a taste that none of the other basic tastes could cover.
After he conducted a number of tests, research and experiments, he coined the
term umami, a basic taste that is rich in savoury flavour.
Today's dish was the product of my insane craving for something umami.
I needed a meal that was sensational and overpowering. I needed an explosion of
tastes in a single bite—a party in my mouth kind of thing. So I turned to
something I felt could bring many tastes together quite gracefully in just a
spoonful: Ramen Soup. Now, I know what you're thinking... Ramen...
Really Ash...... *Insert dissatisfied sigh of unoriginality* But I
assure you, I'm going to be playing this up a little by recreating this ramen
into something of a cross-culture dish.
Featuring: Zero Calorie Noodles
If you haven't heard of its existence, now is your time to break into an over-eager song and dance number as I did when my boyfriend first told me about it.
 |
| Miracle Noodle "Shirataki Pasta" |
Now that you're probably
done, I will break it to you the real way. The major down side, in my opinion
at least, is that the texture of these noodles are way too soft to be used as
regular pasta, so I suggest to stick to whole wheat pasta if you want to cook a
low-calorie tomato or cream based pasta dish.
However, I find that the best thing about these noodles is that HELLO IT IS ZERO CALORIES MY GOD WHAT CAN GO WRONG. Another upside is that its texture is just perfect for putting into noodle soups just like this one!
Steak Ramen Curry
Japanese Ramen is the most common variant of ramen where I come from. In fact, there are quite a number of excellent ramen bars all around the metro. What is not commonly served over here is a thai-style ramen, which involves some curry paste and coconut milk.
What I wanted to do was exemplify the Japanese in this ramen by mixing it up to taste similarly to Sukiyaki soup (another famous beef stew served in Japanese cuisine) and give an unexpected twist of Thai-style which brings in in some spicy, salty and creamy flavour into it.
To achieve the taste of umami meant to find the right ingredients and combine it in just the right way. The trick is to let your senses take in the dish completely and you'll taste what umami is really all about.
 |
| My Ingredients |
Ingredients:
- ¼ cup of Sesame Oil (or Vegetable Oil)
- ¼ cup Garlic
- ¼cup Onions
- ¼ cup Sweet Potato
- 1 tbsp grated Ginger
- ¼ cup Soy Sauce
- ¼ cup Brown Sugar
- 2 cups Chicken Broth
- Zero Calorie Noodles (Or any type of noodle you want)
- White Oyster Mushrooms
- Sliced Enoki Mushrooms
- Chopped pieces of Steak
- 1/3 cup Coconut Milk
- 1 tbsp Thai Red Curry Paste
- 1 tbsp Peanut Butter
- ¼ cup chopped Red Onion Chives
- ¼ cup chopped Onion Leek
- Japanese Seaweed (shredded)
- A dash of Paprika
- Salt (to taste)
- Pepper (to taste)
- Egg (Optional)
This makes about 8 bowls.
Procedure:
Cook steak first.
Marinate
the defrosted raw steaks with soy sauce, salt and pepper
Wait for about an hour.
Cut
into cube-like slices.
Fry
with oil and garlic in a heated pan. (It’ll take you about 8-15 minutes varying
from rare, medium rare, and well done)
Heat a medium pot over
medium low heat.
Add oil, garlic, onions,
sweet potato, ginger, and fry for 2 minutes (add dash of salt)
Add soy sauce, and brown
sugar
Add chicken broth, and
noodles, both mushrooms, and steak
Let it cook for 8 minutes.
Add coconut milk, red curry
paste, and peanut butter
Wait for another 5 minutes.
Add chives, onion leek, and
seaweed
Let it boil. It will be
ready when green leaves have wilted.
Add a dash of paprika
Add salt and pepper to
taste
Add a raw egg on top of the
soup before serving. (Optional)
 |
| Before mixing the egg in |
 |
| Finished Product |
Suggested Beverage
I recently found Diet Hansens in Healthy Options while I was purchasing the Miracle Noodles. Both flavours are exceptional, especially since they are zero calorie drinks. I'm loving the flavours of both because they remind me of the sour liquorice and gummy bears I used to get as a kid in candy stores.
Okay so maybe it's not the best drink to pair with this meal but I really suggest you buy to try it. (It's 45 bucks a can) If you're not into diet soda (as much as I am) you can try pairing a sweetened green tea or some black tea with your Steak Ramen Curry. Both alternatives are quite good, and very healthy!