Did the stir fry thing again last night...it was amazing!
A couple of ingredients to "kick it up a notch"...some have been said before, and together they really make crappy ramen into "cuisine":
1. Egg. If you eat them...flavor and protein...think fried rice
2. Onion. Onion goes into almost every savory dish in professional kitchens. They are sweet when cooked. crank up the heat and let them brown. Stir fry means high heat! (cabbage is cheap, nutritious and yummy use it too)
3. Ginger. Fresh and lots of it. Peal it and chop fine or grate. Good for you and makes it taste "Asian"
4. Sesame oil. This is not cheap...but if you can come up with some, you just use a little, and not for the cooking oil (use what you like) but for flavor. Add late so as to not kill yummy flavor. This give a very "Asian" flavor also.
5. Brown sugar. Someone else mentioned this, and it, along with some soy sauce are kinda like Teriyaki. A little sweet not only "rounds" out the flavors, but sugar is one of only two "seasonings" on the planet...salt being the other...they "enhance"existing flavors...everything else that we commonly call "seasonings" change the flavor of what they are added to.
6. Something acidic. I use "Seasoned Rice Wine Vinegar" because I have it and it is theme appropriate. It has...you guessed it...sugar and salt added! This may sound weird, but think about your palate and the taste sensations on your tongue: Sweet, Salty, Sour, and Bitter. Save the bitter for a beer to go with it. Citrus (yummy...orange ramen!...hint:see #3), other vinegars, wine, or as an ingredient mentioned before...Ketchup...sweet, salty, sour, and rich tomato (tastes roasted if brown a little in pan) all in one little squirt. Keep in mind, ingredients like this and the sugar and #7 are to be used very lightly...just to taste...you may not want your dish to be sweet, or ketchuppy (new word for the culinary dictionary), though you might. Although these ingredients are used in minute amounts, colectively they create a symphony of flavors in your mouth...we are not just eating anymore...we are dining!
7. Spicy. This is not a taste, but a mouth feel or sensation created mainly by Pepper (chile and tree), ginger, and mustard. Even if you say you do not like spicy stuff, you probably enjoy foods that have small amounts of these, so here use to taste. There are many options for this but a few that come to mind are: Red chili pepper flakes (from the pizza guy), any green chile, tobasco, chili paste, spicy curries etc. note: if using tobasco or jar/can jalapeño...keep in mind they are sour...see #6. I am currently using a Vietnamese Chili garlic, which is used sparingly and adds garlic. I have had other Chili Galic sauces that were heavier on the garlic and I liked them better but it still adds great flavor.
8. Nuts. Peanuts, cashews, peanut butter has been mentioned before with the chili garlic. I tried it with a big spoonful in the stirfry. It was good but again use to taste.
A lot of this stuff is either really cheap or is already in most kitchens. I was thinking last n ight about new recipes, and I though curry. I am going to use the usual stir fry and substitute curry powder for my chinese 5 spice and add some potato (found in lots of curry dishes) along with the frozen peas & carrots, cabbage, onion garlic and maybe a little sour cream to make it a little saucier (not the french pronunciation/old job title).
Chef Hayduke.