Popular Mechanics - USA (2019-04)

@PopularMechanics _ April 2019 53

The surprising solution to leftovers: ramen.

PRACTICAL KNOWLEDGE

↓ THE LUNCH PAIL

DIY Noodle

Enhancement

Cheap packaged

ramen noodles become

a real-person lunch

with this easy home-

made pesto. More

ideas below.

TO START

Heat your noodles

in a big bowl of water

in the microwave

without the

seasoning packet.

(This is important.)

NOW ADD

• Knock-off Thai
  peanut sauce:
  peanut butter, soy
  sauce, Sriracha,
  rice vinegar, and
  sesame oil. Optional:
  Add garlic, lime
  juice, scallions, or
  chopped peanuts.


• Pesto: miso paste,
  greens from your
  fridge (spinach
  and arugula both

work), garlic, olive

oil, sesame oil, and

lemon juice mixed

in a blender at home

• A can of chili,
  shredded cheddar
  cheese, and scallions


• Chopped garlic
  heated with butter in
  the microwave, plus
  shredded Parmesan
  and chopped parsley


• Chopped up leftover
  chicken sautéed
  with pretty much any
  Chinese vegetable
  (bok choy works well),
  soy sauce, equal
  parts garlic and ginger,
  and an egg


• Leftover beef and
  broccoli or orange
  chicken from your

local Chinese

food place

• A couple slices
  of American cheese
  and acan of tuna
  BONUS!


• If you have ramen
  at your desk, you
  can also sprinkle
  flavoring mix in the
  bag, crumble up
  the noodles, and eat
  them like chips.


• For dessert: Micro-
  wave a bunch of
  marshmallows and a
  tablespoon of butter
  (pause and stir every
  15 seconds). Stir
  in finely crushed
  ramen. Voilà, ramen
  crispy treat.

The Ramen

Experiment

P

ACKAGED RAMEN NOODLES didn’t get their

reputation as broke-college-kid fare because

they come dried and in a bag. That’s standard

for most pastas. Packaged ramen noodles got

their reputation because they’re easy and cheap.

In fact, they’re so easy and cheap that ramen

noodles are a standard cooking element in the

most spartan environment imaginable: prison. Commis-

sary Kitchen, a 2016 Kindle cookbook from one ha lf of the

rap duo Mobb Deep, contains recipes for ramen pad Thai,

ramen chili, and even a ramen wrap containing Doritos,

canned sausages, and hot sauce. (It also contains the sen-

tence “This ain’t no conventional cookbook. I’m not here to

tell you about pinches of salt and shi*,” which is hilarious.)

Assuming you do not work as a correctional officer,

your desk, breakroom, or trailer is unlikely to be as grim

as prison, which means you should be getting as creative

with ramen noodles as the guys on the inside. Even better:

You have access to leftovers, a stove, and vegetables.

Appreciate what you’ve got, man.—Jacqueline Detwiler