Ramen noodles for the soul

{ my homestyle version of ramen noodles }

I'm heartbroken over the recent events in Japan. Having Japanese friends from my University of Miami days who were born and raised in Sendai––one of the hardest hit cities affected by the tsunami––and who still have immediate family living there––I feel one degree closer to the despair and sadness that sweeps the people of Japan even as I sit here rather comfortably in my own bed with a roof above my head. You can help in many ways––traditional methods like donations to the reputable organizations or non-traditional ways like donating airline miles to aid Red Cross volunteers in their rescue efforts, which is what we did.

I've also been reading about many phenomenal fundraisers benefiting Japan led by all types of people all around the world. There was this one story of a grass-roots food relief effort that I find to be full of extraordinary heart and passion. Led by a makeshift coalition of ramen shop owners in Tokyo, this small group will truck in bowls of freshly prepared bowls of hot soup and noodles to those left homeless and hungry, every week for a year, because "ramen is the comfort food of Japan," said one of the chefs involved in this effort. And if that doesn't warm your heart...

Try my (makeshift) recipe for Quick Ramen Noodles, which I threw together tonight for dinner...

Ingredients
12 oz noodles (soba, thin spaghetti, whatever you have on hand!)
1/4 cups low-sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp sugar
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp rice vinegar
3 tbsp pure sesame oil
2 tbsp canola or vegetable oil
1/4 tsp hot chili oil (I used the leftover chili sauce that you always get with your Chinese take-out)
2 tbsp hot, salted water (I use the cooking water from the noodles – the salt helps bind the sauce together)
4 whole green scallions, sliced thinly (I used flat-leaf parsley instead, since this was all I had)
Black pepper, to taste

Directions
:: Whisk all ingredients together in a large bowl, except for scallions and noodles. Taste and adjust ingredients as necessary (I found I was in the mood for a slightly sweeter sauce tonight, so I added in an extra 1/2 tbsp of sugar, hehe). 

:: Toss in warm noodles and coat evenly. Sprinkle in scallions.

:: Eat with chopsticks!