Simple Soup Maker's Kitchen

Let's solve this mystery once and for all. Don't let those gourmets fool you. It really doesn't take a lot of fancy cookware or specialty items to make soup. In fact soup is ideal everyday fare, simple to make, and accessible to ANY budget. Have you ever heard of Stone Soup? It's a wonderful story that tells how simple soup really is. In fact soup evolved as a catch-all for leftover bits of this and that. Now you can get pretty fancy if you want to with soup - but we're going to stick to the simple stuff here - everyday fare for everyday folks.

Pots and Pans
You could get away with just one good sized soup pot (6-8 quart). Of course stainless steel is best or even cast iron will do. You want to stay away from pans containing aluminum or teflon as they've been associated with the developMent of Alzheimers and other brain disorders. I'd say the full extent of pots I use for soup includes a small pot (2 quart) for quick noodle soups or a roux, a medium pot 4 1/2 quart, and a large pot 6 quart - depending on who's coming to dinner, how much my ingredients will swell, and if I'm Cooking for a week or a day; a skillet for sautéing (but you could do it right in the pot and keep all the yummy flavors in one place).

A crock pot is great to have for those long winter days if you have to go to work or go ski or "board the rad pow", and want to have a pot of soup when you get home. I've broken crock pots and readily picked up a new one at the thrift store! So budget shouldn't be a limiting factor here...after all, it's reuse before recycle, right?

Cutting Gear
Have you ever noticed, you can have a drawer full of knives, but you always grab that favorite one? All the years I've been Food preparing and Cooking (and it's been many) I still have my favorite knife that has gone with me everywhere. You need something good to cut veggies without it being too much work. It may be a paring knife for you or something bigger. Just always be very careful and use a knife you're comfortable with. I have one paring knife I like, on medium serrated, and a large that I adore (family heirloom) that I always have to Watch my fingers with and pay attention, but I love how it cuts up my veggies for soup and salads.

Bottom line - use a knife you like, sharpen now and then, pay close attention when cutting!

Refrigerator - Produce
We are so lucky to have refrigeration, provides many options for keeping and enjoying a wide variety of produce. The baseline of my soups always begin with the many varieties of onions, potatoes, garlic, ginger and carrots. Some of these may not need to be refrigerated based on your climate and home temperature. See how they are stored at the market and do something similar.

Among the greens I always bring home cilantro, parsley and spinach; I love having them in something every day. Beyond these basics you can get into the fancier veggies such as mushrooms, kale, collards, squash, cabbages (several kinds), tomatoes, parsnips, turnips, beets...and more...

Pantry - Grains, Beans, Pasta, Herbs, Oil, Spices
In your pantry keep a Supply of the Super Immunity herbs and spices you like best. I order mine by the pound through my local co-op - you'll have to figure out your best resources and use those. Most health Food stores have a good bulk herb and spices section (fresher and better on cost/environMent than small jars).

Get yourself a Supply of beans and grains you like. Rice, quinoa and amaranth are some of my favorite grains to add to soup. I've found most dry beans even at the supermarket will sprout when soaked, so you can use those, or go to the natural food store and get organic (better for you and the Earth). Lentils, black beans (same benefits as red wine), and pintos are some of our favorites around here; we always soak at least 12 hours to start the sprouting process, drain the water (important), then add fresh water and cook 6-8 hrs to make a great soup, with greatly reduced digestive stress.

Keep some noodles in your pantry - rice noodles are a nice way to stay away from wheat which many people are allergic to (because there's so much of it in our culture). But find whatever you like among the smaller sized Pastas, and keep them around for quick soups. Even the ramen packets without msg, can be used as a base and add fresh veggies, for healthy 'Fast food'.

Olive oil and natural soy sauce will get you started on a good soup base and you can expand your seasonings from there as you learn about additional ingredients such as miso and Umeboshi plum vinegar.

Well, if you start out by stocking your kitchen as described above, you'll be well-prepared to make yourself quite a few pots of soup. Now take action, keep learning, discover what you like, and feed yourself and those you love in a way that protects their health and immunity.

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Chinese Cooking Recipes - Ramen and La Mian - What the Difference is and Why It's So Popular

I am sure most of us have heard of raMen but did you know it started as la mian in Chinese Cooking recipes? RaMen is that small packet of deep fried noodles that has been dried and packaged as a type of soup in our grocery store. It is also the main staple of many college kids diet.

La Mian Origins
There are many recipes for Chinese noodles. La mian literally translates into pulling noodles in Chinese and has one significant difference to raMen. La mian noodles are pulled and stretched to form a noodle. La mian is a staple of Chinese Food and used very frequently in their dishes.

RaMen Origins
Ramen is a Japanese version of la mian that has been changed from the original Chinese Cooking recipes for the Japanese pallet. The dish consists of noodles but they are cut rather than pulled and the broth they sit in has a different flavor than the Chinese broths.

Chinese Soups
The Chinese Cooking recipes for la mian usually calls for beef or mutton-flavored soups. These soups, unlike the Japanese, can be compared to a generic soup. The noodles, vegetables and other flavorings are what create the dish and can vary greatly between different Chinese cooking recipes.

Japanese Soups
Japanese soups are typically made from chicken or Pork stocks. Japanese soups fall into one of four main categories.

Shio - Salt soup
Tonkotsu - Pork bone soup
Shoyu - A combination of chicken and vegetable stock
Miso - Created with fermenting rice, barley, soybeans with salt and a particular type of fungus.

Why It's So Popular
La mien was just as popular as every other Chinese noodle recipe because the Chinese have so many recipes that include many different types of noodles. It became a street Food and migrated to Japan where they loved the Chinese cooking recipes. Ramen was born for speed and convenience as the Japanese adapted the noodle recipe.

More Noodle Recipes

miso soup packets

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Cabbage Ramen Noodle Salad Recipe

Cabbage Ramen Noodle Salad Recipe

RaMen noodles are made from dough of wheat flour, salt, and a type of alkaline water containing potassium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate. Eggs are sometimes used instead of alkaline water. Noodles are usually flat, fat, thin, and ribbon-like. They can be straight or wrinkled and they come in yellowish hue. RaMen is a typical Japanese Food though it originated in China. It is usually cooked with broth or boiling liquids flavored with meat and vegetables. Toppings are usually added like Pork and onions to add flavor.

One example of raMen noodles that gained popularity is yakisoba. Yakisoba means "fried noodles." It is prepared with vegetables, bite-sized Pork, carrots, cabbage, salt and pepper. It is usually served in a plate. Another way of preparing yakisoba is by piling the noodles. The piled noodles are placed on sliced bread and showered with pickles.

Instant ramen is a popular Food among Orientals. Since it production, its preparation has gave birth to wide varieties of recipes ranging from fried ramen to salads, served mostly in restaurants. It has gained popularity in western countries and is now served not only with meat-based broth but with a wide range of ingredients like vegetables, nuts, and fruits.

Salads are mixtures of Foods, often served with Dressings with addition of meat, Fish, cheese and grains. According to history, salads originated in countries like Italy and the Netherlands. The word "salad" comes from the French word "salade" which means salt in Latin. There are types of salads. These are sometimes named based on the Food items mixed with the vegetables. Some of popular ones are Antipasto salad, Chef salad, chicken salad, and ham salad. Dressings come in wide varieties like vinegar, mayonnaise, lemon, or soy sauce.

Below is a simple ramen noodle salad recipe that is easy to do. This requires no heating and is ready to eat as soon as all ingredients were mixed up.

Cabbage Ramen Noodle Salad
Ingredients for the salad:
1 package of Top Ramen Noodles, crumbled
½ head cabbage, finely chopped
4 green onions, chopped
½ can sliced almonds

Directions: Mix all ingredients together except the ramen noodles and refrigerate.

Ingredients for the Dressing:
Flavor packet from the noodles
2 tbsp of sugar
3 tbsp of vinegar
½ tsp of pepper

Directions: Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Serve as a salad Dressing.

If you are Tired of Cooking ramen the traditional way, you can try this ramen noodle salad recipe at home. You can serve this either as your main dish or side dish.

There are other simple ramen noodle salad recipes out there. Sanyo Foods Corporation of America offers different food services, products, soups, sauces, condiments and dressings to suit your innovation when it comes to making salad from ramen. Sapporo Ichiban, a product of Sanyo Foods, is one of the popular brands of ramen noodles in the market today. A wide variety of flavors ranging from soy sauce, chicken, beef, shrimp, and miso are available. These ramen noodles come with their distinct colored packaging.

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