Dinner & A Movie with Tyler: Chicken Noodle Ramen Soup and "The Ramen Girl"

A girl needs a good chick flick now and then, something light and fluffy, where you don't have to think--a feel good movie. I ended up needing one last Friday; I was tired, grumpy, stuffy from allergies and needed a low-effort evening. In one of my Netflix envelopes was "The Ramen Girl", a total chick flick, and seeing the name of the movie made me crave some ramen to eat while I watched it.

 

Options? Go run and grab some takeout ramen, go to the store and grab a package of instant noodles, spend time creating some authentic ramen, or make Tyler's easy version of Chicken Noodle Ramen Soup from what I had in my cupboard and fridge. It ended up being an easy decision, especially after seeing Jessica's (My Baking Heart), delectable version of Tyler's soup in the Tyler Florence Fridays round-up. I used some leftover chicken breast and tossed in some extra veggies and seasonings based on what I had on hand.

You can find the recipe on Tyler's site here.

Chicken Noodle Ramen Soup
Tyler Florence
(Serves 4-6)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 medium carrots, cut diagonally into ½-inch-thick slices
2 celery ribs, cut in half lengthwise then cut crosswise into ½-inch-thick slices
4 fresh thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
1 quart organic chicken stock 
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces instant Ramen noodles
1½ cups shredded cooked chicken
1 handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

Place a soup pot over medium heat and coat with the oil. Add the onion, garlic, carrots, celery, and thyme. Cook and stir for about 6 minutes, until the vegetables are softened but not browned. Pour in the chicken stock and season with salt and pepper; bring the liquid to a boil. Add the Ramen noodles and simmer for 3 minutes until tender. Fold in the chicken, and continue to simmer for another couple of minutes to heat through. Sprinkle with chopped parsley before serving.

Notes/Results: Authentic Japanese Ramen? No. Good? Yes! This is a quick, easy and yummy dinner when you want something easy and comforting. Plop in whatever you have in the fridge or whatever sounds good--for me, in addition to Tyler's ingredient list, it was pea pods, loads of garlic, dried chili flakes, fresh mint and some sesame seeds. The broth has lots of good flavor and if you use a good, low-sodium stock, you cut a good portion of the sodium and other junk that is in those instant ramen packets. A keeper recipe for when I am under the weather or needing some chicken soup and need it fast, without a lot of bother.

The Movie: Brittany Murphy is Abby, an American alone in Tokyo after her boyfriend breaks up with her and leaves her stranded there. Finding comfort in a bowl of hot ramen from a noodle shop across from her apartment in Japan, and searching for some direction in life, she trains to be a ramen noodle chef under the tutelage of the surly and usually drunk owner and ramen "master". It's not the best movie you'll ever watch, it is complete fluff; the acting just OK, the story improbable at best, but it is sweet and cute. With a big bowl of Tyler's Chicken Ramen Noodle Soup and a warm kitty sleeping next to you, it is just what the doctor ordered and a good escape for a couple of hours. ;-)

You can see what recipes the other TFF participants picked this week and what they thought about them by going to the round-up on the TFF site here.

Happy Aloha Friday!