Ramen Noodles Recipes

With my ramen noodles recipes, you can throw away the “flavor” packet that comes in the package. Unless, of course, you enjoy a strong dose of salt, monosodium glutamate, sugar, hydrolyzed this and that, and whatever the heck disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate are. I’ll show you how to wiggle some ramen noodles into your backpacking meals without subjecting your body to a chemistry experiment.
I use ½ cube of vegetable bouillon in my Vegetarian Ramen Noodles recipe. The Organic Gourmet™ brand vegetable bouillon (from health foods stores) is low in sodium and has no MSG or mystery chemicals. Dehydrated sauerkraut adds a distinctive flavor to my Ramen Noodles & Kraut recipe. Last, but not least, your ramen noodles will go down swimmingly following my Cheese-O-Rama recipe.
It’s easy to invent your own ramen noodles recipes. Are there any poor souls out there who have combined ramen noodles with peanut butter and called it a meal? Reform, my friend, by combining ½ cup ramen noodles (half the package), ¼ cup dehydrated meat, and ¼ cup dehydrated vegetables. Boil in one cup of water for one minute, set your pot in an insulating POT COZY for ten minutes, and enter the Noodle Hall of Fame.

Vegetarian Ramen Noodles


Ingredients:
  • ½ cup ramen noodles
  • ¼ cup dehydrated black beans
  • ¼ cup dehydrated vegetables- try French cut green beans, tomatoes, corn, and onions
  • ½ cube vegetarian bouillon
  • 1 cup water
At Home:


Pack the ½ bouillon cube in a 2 x 3 plastic bag or wrap in foil and enclose with other dry ingredients in a 4 x 6 plastic bag. I separate the bouillon because it has moisture that could migrate to the dry ingredients.


On the Trail:


Combine all ingredients with one cup water and soak for five minutes.
Light stove, bring to boil, and continue cooking for a minute.
Transfer pot to insulating cozy for ten minutes.



Ramen Noodles & Kraut


Ingredients:
  • ½ cup ramen noodles
  • ¼ cup dried mixed vegetables
  • ¼ cup dried ground turkey or chicken
  • 2 tbsp dried sauerkraut
  • 1 cup water
At Home:


Use fresh sauerkraut found in the refrigerated section of your grocery store next to the sausage.
Dehydrate at 125° for approximately four to six hours until crispy.
Pack all dry ingredients in a 4 x 6 plastic bag.


On the Trail:


Follow same cooking procedure as Vegetarian Ramen Noodles.



Cheese-O-Rama


Ingredients:
  • ½ cup ramen noodles
  • ¼ cup dehydrated ham
  • ¼ cup dehydrated peas
  • 1 tbsp + 1 tsp cheddar cheese powder
  • 1 tbsp powdered milk
  • Pinch crushed red pepper
  • 1 cup water
At Home:


Combine and pack cheese powder and milk powder in a 2 x 3 plastic bag and enclose with other ingredients in a 4 x 6 plastic bag. I use the cheese powder from boxes of Annie’s or Back to Nature brands of macaroni and cheese. For milk powder, I use NIDO brand whole dry milk.


On the Trail:


Combine all ingredients except the cheese and milk powder in pot with one cup water and soak for five minutes.
Light stove, bring to a boil, and continue cooking for another minute.
Remove pot from stove, add cheese and milk power, and stir vigorously.
Cover pot and place in insulating cozy for ten minutes.



Ramen Noodles with Tomato Sauce

Let your noodles swim in a nice tomato sauce.










Pot Cozy

I let my meal sit for ten minutes after I remove it from the stove to finish rehydrating. Transferring the pot to a cozy holds in the heat so the meal stays nice and hot. Because I eat out of the pot, it’s nice to have the insulation around the hot pot so I can hold the pot in my hand or lap when there is no table.
The meal will continue to cook because of the retained heat, so a cozy saves fuel. For most meals, all you have to do is hit the boiling point, shut off the stove, and transfer the pot to the cozy. For pasta, maintain a boil for at least two minutes, but then the cozy will finish the job. 
You can make your own pot cozy with Reflectix™ material and some foil tape found in the insulation department of hardware stores. Reflectix™ is two layers of plastic bubbles sealed with reflective foil. The only problem is that you have to buy a whole roll which may be twenty-five feet long. This might make sense if you have some other insulation projects around the house, but an easier way to get cozy is to buy a cozy custom-made for your pot.
George, aka “Tin Man,” at Anti-Gravity Gear makes and sells custom-made pot cozies for just about every backpacking pot on the market including the Evernew™ ECA417 and ECA418 pots that I use now. The price is $8 up to $13, depending on your pot. Your pot will nest inside the cozy when packed and the cozy only weighs about an ounce.


Visit Anti-Gravity Gear Pot Cozy