COLUMBIA, S.C.--For the struggling artist, the broke student or the cooking-challenged bachelor, how about a few easy-to-prepare twists on an old favorite--ramen?
In his cookbook "Everybody Loves Ramen," Eric Hites walks his readers through simple ways to improve this college-dorm staple.
Among Hites' several dozen recipes: "Chili Cheese Dip a la Ramen," "Stroganoff Ramen-Style" and "Vegetarian's Power Dish."
Hites, an Indiana bachelor who can now afford a nice set of pans, admits not all of the recipes are, well, appetizing. But even the less-than-appetizing are sure to generate conversation.
They always do at his dinner parties, he said.
After all, recipes named "Orange Pez Chicken Soup" or "Hog `n' Cheese Mix and Melt" just beg for comments.
We admit we didn't dare approach either.
Especially when Hites confessed that there's little nutritional value in ramen beyond "the stuff you add to it."
But for comfort food, ah, yes.
For Hites' generation, Ramen staved off hunger on many a cold college night.
"I first came upon it when Mom would buy it for us," said Hites, now 29. "It was a common snack--quick, easy, 'Bam,' it's done, and we could do it on our own without making a lot of noise."
Hites' experimentation originated with care packages of foods that Hite and his college pals didn't know what to do with.
Stuff like canned beans.
"We started mixing it in with ramen," Hites said.
"If you have ramen, you won't starve," Hites points out. "You might get bored, but you can always make spaghetti the easy way--a can of Manwich and ramen."
A more upscale favorite of Hites' is Ramen pancakes. No, you don't eat these with syrup; instead, a dollop of sour cream makes the flavor, he said.
To assemble, grate one carrot and a cup of cheddar cheese.
Cook a package of ramen noodles with the seasoning packet removed. Mix noodles with carrot and cheese and form into pancake-like patties.
Sautee in a little butter until lightly browned on each side. The trick is in getting the heat just right so the pancakes fry up nice and crispy, almost like hashbrowns, Hites said.
This recipe points to one of ramen's interesting additions to a dish--texture.
Uncooked ramen noodles can be sauteed and tossed into a cabbage slaw, for example, to add great crunch.
And the crunch appeals to those beyond the poor student set.
The Columbia Junior League and the women of The Episcopal Church of the Cross in Bluffton, S.C., both feature salad recipes in their cookbooks that count ramen among the ingredients.
Ramen, it appears, has also hit the high life.
"Oriental Coleslaw," a recipe from the Bluffton church's cookbook, "Great Cooks Rise with the May River Tide," is a fine example.
"My daughter-in-law does this one all the time," said Becky Owens of Bluffton, who oversees sales of the cookbook.
"It's just a different version from your traditional cole slaw and the ramen noodles give it that wonderful crunch."
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