Raman Noodles and Cashews

This Raman noodle-based meal is one of my favorite fallback recipes. It’s super easy to make, light on the stomach, and very economical. The ingredients listed below are what I like. Feel free to substitute the shallot for chopped green onions, cashews for pistachios, or add in any non-salt spices that inspire you.

Make sure you eat this out of your favorite bowl (I have a bowl I bought specifically for this meal 😊). Use chopsticks if you know how, although a fork will do.

Enjoy!

Calorie Content: Don’t worry about it.

Serving size: 1

Ingredients:

Musical ingredient: Suzanne Teng: Mystic Journey (I especially like her tune China Lily)

I package Raman Noodles (any flavor)

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 Tablespoon Toasted Sesame Oil (unrefined). See note below.

I garlic clove, minced

1 small shallot, chopped

1 Tablespoon Sesame Seeds

1/3 cup chopped raw cashews

Recommended drink: Darjeeling Green Tea (Goomtee Estate Darjeeling Green Tea - Organic from Upton Tea Imports)

Directions:

1.     In a large skillet (I prefer a cast iron skillet), sauté garlic and shallots in olive oil until soft and fragrant. Add sesame seeds and continue sautéing for an additional minute. Remove from heat.

2.     Before opening the package of Raman Noodles, squeeze with your hands to break the dried noodles into smaller pieces. Throw away the flavor packet. (You shouldn’t be using this anyway, That mixture will kill you in time.) Open the package and pour into boiling water for three minutes. Strain.

3.     Add cooked/strained noodles to skillet and mix with garlic, shallot, and sesame seeds.

4.     Place mixture into your favorite bowl. Drizzle on the Toasted Sesame oil then top with chopped cashews.

Note: Toasted sesame oil is an unrefined oil made from roasted sesame seeds. It provides a nutty, aromatic flavor best used in marinades or a finishing oil (as in this recipe). Since this oil has a low smoke point, the temperature at which it breaks down, it is not well suited for sautéing.

You can use the refined high smoke point sesame oil for sautéing, but this won’t give you the complete flavor profile that the unrefined toasted sesame oil does. If you still want the health benefits of sesame oil (heart-healthy fats and natural antioxidants) and the sesame flavor profile, use refined sesame oil to sauté and unrefined toasted sesame oil as a finishing oil.