Making Low-Fat & Healthier Ramen Noodles

[JJANNE]

Love this!  I'd never thought of boiling in a second pot of water. I LOVE Ramen but had sworn off because of the fat.  I always go back in time to being a kid and happy days whenever I eat this.  Has anyone ever tried the kinds that are baked, not fried in oil?  I'm always tempted to try them but they cost so much...

[Travel Guy]

Instead of using the very salty seasoning, I use a little bit of fat free dressing or a tad of olive oil an Italian seasoning.

That's a great tip.  The seasoning packets are so loaded with sodium that you really have to be careful.

[vvslaura]

Take a look at the label for your ramen noodles. Notice the package says there are two servings per package. This means that half of your package of ramen noodles will provide you with 195 calories, four grams of protein, 28 grams of carbs, 1 gram of fiber, over 7 grams of total fat and 3 grams of saturated fat. One serving of ramen noodles also has about 500 mg sodium.

[RigelK]

Thank you for the tip about the fat and the water.  What a great heads-up for the New Year!

I only ever use 1/2 of the seasoning packet (or less!) because of the high sodium content.  The seasoning is so strong that the whole packet is actually icky to me.  My favorite Ramen fast and easy lunch is to add a big scoop of frozen black eyed peas from the freezer to the water when I'm heating it to a boil (honestly, I don't think canned would work as well, the frozen ones have the firmer texture).  Then, I just dump the noodles in with the black eyed peas when the time comes.  All cooked.  Drain thoroughly, stir in 1/2 (or less to taste) of seasoning packet (Oriental flavor).  Om nom nom nom nom!  You can adjust the blackeyed peas to noodles ratio to suit --- I tend to come out "noodles with my peas" over "peas garnishing my noodles."  LOL

[robinhoods123]

Instead of using the very salty seasoning, I use a little bit of fat free dressing or a tad of olive oil an Italian seasoning. Great article. And also, If you look closely, Oriental-Flavor Maruchan Ramen contains beef extract. I always remembered it being vegetarian, though. Perhaps they changed the recipe recently.

[monimoo]

Wanted to share a preparation tip that I learned from a neighborhood kid on my street, who in turn had been advised by his family doctor. You know those packages of dry, inexpensive ramen noodles you can get at the store in the oriental foods section?  Well, they're LOADED with fats from hydrogenated oils used for long shelf life. To greatly reduce the amount of fat, first you boil the noodles according to the directions.  The trick is at the same time you either boil ANOTHER pot of water on the stove or boil a cup or two in the microwave. When the noodles are cooked, you drain out the water that the noodles were cooked in (you can see the oily fat residue floating on the surface) and then you pour in the second pot of hot, clean water in place of the old.  Then, continue with adding the packet of powdered seasoning and voila! You have healthier noodles with the same taste, lower fat! Of course to make it even better, add thinly sliced carrots, string beans, sliced mushrooms, green onions, etc. A warm, inexpensive and stomach-filling dish on a cold winter's day! Enjoy!