Pi Delta Psi cook gourmet Ramen recipes

Before the instant version became the staple meal of every poor college student trying to kill hunger pangs, Ramen noodles were a common dish in Japan.

However, the Japanese version of Ramen often contains various meats and vegetables making it a relatively well-balanced meal, a far cry from it's sodium-laden brother, Instant Ramen.

On April 12, roughly 50 students gathered to attend a "Gourmet Ramen Workshop" held by members of Pi Delta Psi. The event was open to any students looking for interesting ways to spice up the college student pantry staple. Students were invited to not only learn about the history of Ramen and how the noodles were originally made, but also innovative ways to turn this cheap dinner into a well-balanced and delicious meal.

"In chapter, we were thinking  ‘What can we do for a cultural workshop?'" said Toan Tran, a sophomore micro & molecular biology major. "And one of my bros were like ‘College students are poor, Ramen is cheap to buy but easy to make, so why not try to turn ramen into a good meal?'"

Students were told various ways in which they could make their Instant Ramen noodles into what Pi Delta Psi called a gourmet dish, such as chicken alfredo.

Huy Tran, a sophomore business marketing major, said that one need not waste money on high-priced pasta dishes in Italian restaurants when making it at home is easier than ever. Tran explained that to make a delicious Italian meal out of a 40-cent package of noodles all you need to do is boil the noodles in the broth, for flavor. Then after straining the noodles, add in some store-bought alfredo sauce, and a few pieces of roast chicken.

Tran acted as the head chef for the event and shared his secret recipe for a tasty Ramen stir-fry, even bringing in the finished product for students to try.

"We eat Ramen all of the time, so I wanted to make something a little bit different," Tran said.

His dish consisted of diced garlic, green onions, and SPAM, fried in olive oil. Then he added the cooked noodles and sautéed until they browned a bit, and topped the whole thing with oyster sauce, which was his secret ingredient.

Tran didn't go to culinary school, he just stumbled upon new uses for Ramen the way most college students would, after coming home from a long night of drinking, only to find the cupboards bare.

"I looked in my refrigerator, there was nothing," Tran said. "My parents didn't bring home any food and I didn't have enough money to go out. I looked in my pantry and was like, ‘Oh my God, this is all I have.' There was a little bit of onions and garlic and I was like, ‘OK, I'm just going to try it.'"

Tasting as he went along, Tran came up with a delicious dish, and he didn't stop there. From then on, Tran began coming up with new recipes using Instant Ramen, and eventually began to share his recipes with friends.   

Brittany Tai, a junior English education major, said that not only did she enjoy the event and the dish, but she will be trying out these recipes at home. However, she admitted that SPAM does not have a reoccurring role in her pantry, so it will most likely be replaced with ham.

Sajan Parat, a freshman biochemistry major, said that he enjoyed learning about the origin of ramen and how it is made, but his favorite part by far was eating.

Students walked away from the event with a full stomach and the knowledge that just because they may have to sacrifice buying higher priced food at the grocery store, they do not have to sacrifice having a delicious meal on any budget.

"It takes you five minutes to make Ramen. If you take another five minutes you can create something like this," Tran said.