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Garlic Ramen Noodles

Garlic ramen noodles are a side dish that should be in your recipe rotation all year long. Fast, flavorful, and only a few simple ingredients are required. I keep instant ramen noodles in my pantry at all times for my cabbage salad, which is a family favorite. Those same noodles, minus the seasoning packets, are the base for this tasty noodle dish I could eat the entire bowl of myself.

Packets of instant ramen are super versatile and health-wise, they are not all that bad for you once you ditch the flavor packet.  The noodles themselves are neutral, so you have a blank canvas to create something wonderful. These garlic ramen noodles are almost effortless to make and if you are a noodle lover like I am, they don’t disappoint.

garlic ramen noodles

Momofuku

Momofuku Ando is the man who invented ramen instant noodles and in doing so, has become an unlikely hero to foodies around the globe. In addition to inspiring a plethora of trendy restaurants, Ando has earned the adoration of a nation. In a 2000 poll, Japanese respondents said instant ramen was the country’s top invention of the 20th century. And I think we all would agree about that.

Instant Noodle Invention

Momofuku Ando was born Wu Baifu in Taiwan in 1910, and after World War II he emigrated to Japan and took his new name. It was not until his 40’s that ramen inspiration struck. Ando claimed he was inspired by seeing people huddled around a ramen stall in postwar Osaka. With food shortages rampant, he believed noodles could be the cure to world hunger.

garlic ramen noodles

Ando founded Nissin around 1958, and his product got its start as a relatively luxurious convenience food since the first “Chicken Ramen” sold in Japan cost more than fresh noodles did. Regardless of how the story began, it was Ando who invented flash-frying noodles so they could be quickly cooked in boiling water. Ando followed that with the 1971 invention of Cup Noodles, inspired by customers who reused coffee cups as ramen bowls. Instant noodles took off, and instant noodles became world-famous. Ando passed away in 2007 at the age of 96, with an estimated net worth of 300 million dollars and an everlasting legacy.

This quick ramen dish has become a favorite of my younger son and one he requests often. I like to serve this with fish or tofu but left to his own, my son likes them as is and claims they are just as delicious served hot or cold.

About the Author

Andrea Potischman

I am a professionally trained NYC chef turned CA mom and food blogger. I post about real food, with doable ingredient lists that are family friendly.

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