I found this recipe online, and modified it with my twist. It is a good, easy recipe for when you are stuck at home with limited supply, but you still need to eat! Let’s check your cupboard and refrigerator, and see what ingredients have been sleeping in there. You can use whatever you can find with this Tuna Ramen Salad. Here are the basic ingredients you need:
INGREDIENTS: SALAD
2 teaspoon dried wakame seaweed
2 ramen packs
1 to 2 tablespoons furikake
1 to 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
2 cans of tuna in oil
1 scallions
Any veggies such as carrots, green peppers etc.
I only had tuna cans in water, so, what I usually do is to drain the can of water, and add about one tablespoon of oil in it. This helps with the “canned tuna smell” that I am not a big fan of. I like using the sesame oil, which normally goes well with whatever I am cooking. Be careful of how much dried seaweed you use. They do expand greatly! I use about one tablespoon of dried wakame per person. Don’t have dried wakame seaweed? Just use snap peas or other greens, like spinach or kale. And if you have other dried noodles, like udon or soba.
First thing to do is to bring a pot of water (that can fit your dried noodles) to a boil over high, and set the wakame in a small bowl. Once the water comes to a boil, ladle or pour enough over the wakame to cover it by 2 inches; let the wakame soak for 10 minutes.
While the wakame soaks, cook the noodles according to the package instructions. Do NOT add the ramen seasoning packs, unless you really want to. It is all up to you. While the ramen is cooking, let’s gather the dressing ingredients:
INGREDIENTS: DRESSING
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon mirin
1 tablespoon ponzu or soy sauce
1 teaspoon sweet/white miso
I didn’t have white miso, so I used the red miso, which is darker, stronger miso. If you only have red miso, use a bit less than 1 teaspoon of it. Transfer the wakame to a colander to drain and cool; set aside. You can see how much the wakame has expanded here! Run some cold water over them, or dip them in the cold water, which will enhance the color and texture of the wakame.
Drain the cooked noodles in the colander. Whisk to combine the dressing ingredients.
Add the wakame and about 3/4 of the dressing, and toss to coat.
Top each portion with tuna, drizzle with the remaining dressing, then sprinkle with the scallions and furikake and/or sesame seeds. Serve hot, cold or anywhere in between. I used Katsuo furikake, which has shaved bonito in it.
When I thought “OK, let’s eat!” I realized I completely forgot about my carrots and peppers! I was planning to mix them in at the time of tossing the noodles with 3/4 of dressing… So I mixed them in after I plated them. Hey, whatever works… I kept the veggies raw, as I wanted that crunchy texture. But if you prefer, you can sauté the veggies before you mix them with the noodles also. If you are going to serve this hot, that might be better so that the veggies will also be hot.
Ready for a quick, easy, quarantine life meal? Check your supplies and upgrade the boring ramen into a Tuna Ramen Salad! You can use chicken instead of tuna, use onion, shallots, kale, and any other “left-over” ingredients you might have in your fridge/cupboard. Let’s rescue those ingredients just waiting to be used, and make some interesting recipes!