This dish is super simple and has a sappy soft spot on my heart. On one hand, it brings back memories of my poor (OK, so I still am a poor, starving artista) college days when I consumed a lot of ramen noodles — but which one of us didn’t, right? On the other hand, it reminds me of my sweet Mother who always managed to make the precious $1 stretch by sprucing up ramen with vegetables from the garden. I still love ramen noodles to this day, especially the Japanese variety.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 bag of Japanese “Nong Shim Gourmet Spicy” ramen noodles ~ broken into 4 chunks (reserve seasoning packet for some other use)
• 1/4 bunch of chive flowers ~ washed, ends removed, cut into 2″ pieces
• 1 bag of beech mushrooms ~ ends removed, mushrooms separated into small pieces
• 5 large cloves garlic ~ peeled, smashed
• 1 small yellow onion ~ washed, peeled, sliced thinly
• 1 cup fresh Thai basil ~ washed, only leaves reserved
• organic extra virgin olive oil
• filtered water
• soy sauce
• chili sauce ~ optional

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. In a large skillet, heat the oil on medium-high and lightly brown the garlic. Add the onions, chives, and mushrooms; sauté until brown.
2. Remove all the veggies and place in a large serving bowl.
3. In the same skillet you were using, add just enough water for the noodles to simmer and soften. Let the noodles simmer on medium-high until the water evaporates and the noodles are cooked. Add more water if necessary.
4. Once the noodles are cooked (they should be dry, not soggy), add them to the bowl of veggies.
5. Sprinkle some soy sauce and chili sauce and toss until evenly coated.
6. Lightly toss in the basil while the noodles & veggies are still hot so that the basil wilts ever so slightly. Voila!

NOTE: You don’t have to use this type of ramen noodles. It’s just my favorite.