Ramen Noodles: Advanced Group for Art of Cooking

Our 5 star Ramen: Art of cooking day 2

                               

A blog by Talulah

Kilali, Lulu, and Niko
 looking at the recipe

 Today the Art of cooking Advanced group took on the challenge of making Ramen, from scratch. Before we started, Chef Jessica went over the recipe with us and gave some rules and expectations. Half of the group started by making the ramen broth, and the other half of the group made noodles. 

Lulu and Kilali cooking
Chicken 

The noodle-making group watched some videos on how to make authentic ramen noodles. Making noodles from scratch was a jarring task, not only because it was the first time many of us did this, but also because of the non-traditional style of kneading the Dough. We had to step on the dough with our feet to knead it, something none of us had ever heard about before today. This was an uncomfortable but efficient way to flatten out the dough. We let the dough sit for a consecutive time of 2 hours and finally rolled it out into long strips to cut them. Even though the noodles didn’t come out the prettiest and in the most consistent sizes, it was satisfying knowing we were eating something we made entirely out of scratch. 

Mackenzie and Isa C making 
Broth 

We also made broth from scratch. We started by reading the 

Talulah stepping on
The pasta dough

instructions diligently, to avoid adding too much salt like the group did yesterday. Luckily our broth came out perfectly and didn’t leave Mr. Jacobs severely dehydrated. We used two types of broth, chicken and vegetable broth, as well as mushrooms, soy sauces and some other flavorings. Making the broth was a long process, but worth it in the end. 

We assembled our bowls with different meats we had previously prepared: Chicken, Pork Belly, and Tofu. We put in some vegetables like Bok Chow, glazed carrots, and finally we added a boiled egg top off the dish. We still have many recipes to make, but I think this will be a very difficult dish to beat. 

While we are still getting used to the kitchen, we were much more punctual today. We finished our food by lunchtime so we spent the afternoon enjoying the fruits of our labor outside. The weather was perfect for a picnic, so we all sat around the table and talked about various things. We even had time to play Volleyball and Basketball. Though we weren’t cooking, being in the kitchen together has encouraged us to bond. Food in many ways creates connections, and we were able to connect with teachers and staff by sharing our food with them. We even had kids come up and say how good everything smelled. The power of food, while it’s often overlooked, is a very significant part of our lives. This course is teaching us not only how to cook but how to treat food with respect, and create meaningful relationships with others by using handmade meals. 

The group taking a much
Needed break 

Aiden playing volleyball