Ramen

Midnight Ramen: a quick meal for those who don't care if they turn into gremlins. It's late at night. You've just returned home from a long hard day of strenuous labor - day in which you had no time to stop for a proper meal. What to do? You've used up the leftover rice and beef from the other night. Hmm...there's some leftover chicken, but what to eat it with? It's time for another entry in the continuing "Ramen" series.

Ingredients:
1 pack instant Ramen Noodles (not in a cup)
1 leftover chicken breast (sliced or whole, preferably sliced)
1/4 cup diced white onion
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon Amateur Chef's Steak Sauce
2-3 teaspoons Amateur Chef's Asian Spice
1 teaspoon Amateur Chef's Original Spice
1/2 - 1 teaspoon garlic
1/2 - 1 teaspoon peppercorn medley

Steak Sauce will be covered in a later post. For now you may substitute the same sauce from previous entry:
Teriyaki Sauce
Soy Sauce
Tabasco Sweet Asian Sauce
Worcestershire Sauce
Amateur Chef's Original Spice

Leftover chicken should be plain or lightly seasoned.

Process:
If leftover chicken is not already thinly sliced, do so.
In a large pot or medium sautée pan, add olive oil and stir diced onion over medium heat. Once onions begin to take color, add the chicken. Drizzle the steak sauce (or the replacement sauce) and stir. Add 1 teaspoon of AC's Asian Spice, 1/2 of the garlic and 1/4 of the peppercorn medley. Stir until onions have taken the color of the sauce, and chicken has warmed. Remove from heat and set aside.
In medium pot, add enough water to cover noodles. Add a pinch of salt, and 1 teaspoon of AC's Original, and another of AC's Asian Spice. Add half of the peppercorn medley using a grinder or pre-ground pepper. (The fresher, the better) Cook Ramen as per instructions. For this recipe, I used chicken flavored, but you may use you favorite. Once noodles are ready, strain the water. To ensure the tenacity of the flavor, I like to add after noodles are strained. Add another 1/2 teaspoon of AC's Asian Spice, along with the garlic, and peppercorn medley. For a little added flavor, add a touch of the steak sauce. Stir to fully integrate spices.
In a large bowl, combine noodles, chicken and onion. Serve immediately.

Serves 1 or 2 people.

A better midnight ramen, you will be hard pressed to find - savory, tangy, sweet, spicy, and comfortingly warm. It is how a midnight snack should be.

Amateur Chef Dining In

Hello, internet
I am an amateur chef, and by amateur I mean that I have not had formal training nor am I in a culinary career - though I have worked in the food service industry. Needless to say, I love food. I love to cook food and I love to eat food. It is my intention for this blog to express my thoughts on the subject of food; restaurants, home cooking, cook books, food television, and so on.
First, I'll tell a little more about myself. Growing up in the deep south I was introduced to good ole southern cooking at an early age. I'm not going to lie, much of it was fried. However, I also grew up with the exotic foods from my father's side of the family. Originally from Brasil, he moved all over the world before settling here in the US. Because of this, he gained an international palette, and he passed it on to me. At a young age, I began experimenting with food; different flavors, textures, cultures. Through that experimentation, I honed my tastes. I gained a love of fusion dishes; combining spices and ingredients from different corners of the globe. Recently I've been experimenting with whole spices and blending my own. The results have been astonishing. I have also been altering my own recipes to account for these rather than pre-mixed seasonings.(ie McCormick, etc.) - not that there is anything wrong with pre-made spices, I just want to achieve a more natural flavor.
Since I've had not formal training, I lack certain skills and techniques; such as, proper chopping techniques, and I have difficulty cooking certain foods, but I teach myself through experimentation and through cook books and cooking shows.
I also have a love of restaurants. I often go to different ones just for the experience, and I love tasting different foods. In this blog I will describe some of these; some of my favorites as well as new experiences. This blog will be the good, the bad, and the ugly of food, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

The Amateur Chef