Ramen Noodles
January 14th, 2006 :: noodleson
Regular instant ramen noodles are made from wheat flour without egg, precooked and then quick fried to dry. This is how instant ramen was invented and the first “instant” noodle even had pre-flavored noodles - no needs for any seasoning packets.
Fried instant noodles is actually relatively low compared to many common foods for percent of calories from fats (this is not the Daily Value which can not be used for direct comparison between products, a common misconception!):
- fried instant noodle - 30%
- doughnut - 55%
- boiled egg - 60%
- beef frank - 80%
These numbers seem high, but that because you’re used to seeing the Daily Value’s only -Â the plain truth is that the typical diets of Americans already have more than 30% of calories from fat and it’s hard to do even a little less than this without a very restricted diets!
Newer instant noodles are breaking the mold, with many kinds of noodles developed to cook quickly. Even the air-dried noodles cook very quickly.
Ramen pros expect the noodles to have a good chewy texture and traditionally this is made by adding kansui, or alkali water (calcium and potassium carbonate) to the flour. A more modern method is to add a thickener such as tapicoa starch to it. This generally work well for thick white noodles like Japanese Udon and Korean style noodles.
The original instant noodle type does not need preservative to keep up to a year under optimal condition before there is a noticeable change in its taste. It can also be eaten as is, i.e., dried.
Regular instant ramen noodles are made from wheat flour without egg, precooked and then quick fried to dry. This is how instant ramen was invented and the first “instant” noodle even had pre-flavored noodles - no needs for any seasoning packets.
Fried instant noodles is actually relatively low compared to many common foods for percent of calories from fats (this is not the Daily Value which can not be used for direct comparison between products, a common misconception!):
- fried instant noodle - 30%
- doughnut - 55%
- boiled egg - 60%
- beef frank - 80%
These numbers seem high, but that because you’re used to seeing the Daily Value’s only -Â the plain truth is that the typical diets of Americans already have more than 30% of calories from fat and it’s hard to do even a little less than this without a very restricted diets!
Newer instant noodles are breaking the mold, with many kinds of noodles developed to cook quickly. Even the air-dried noodles cook very quickly.
Ramen pros expect the noodles to have a good chewy texture and traditionally this is made by adding kansui, or alkali water (calcium and potassium carbonate) to the flour. A more modern method is to add a thickener such as tapicoa starch to it. This generally work well for thick white noodles like Japanese Udon and Korean style noodles.
The original instant noodle type does not need preservative to keep up to a year under optimal condition before there is a noticeable change in its taste. It can also be eaten as is, i.e., dried.
