Galangal Lotus Ramen with Nori and Spicy Shrimp

Gourmet ramen noodles!
  
     Ramen snack noodles have been very popular during the past twenty years.  Ramen noodles have a reputation for being a poor college student's dietary staple.  Almost anything can be added to ramen noodles to jazz up the flavor.  Some people like their ramen noodles with a lot of broth and some like them with little broth.  Either way, the ramen noodles are usually cooked in broth and not water.
     Usually, I make ramen with asian ingredients.  In the past when I was very poor, I used to add frozen vegetables, canned tuna and so much habanero hot sauce that the plate looked like spaghetti with tomato sauce!  I do have a reputation for making my personal food extremely spicy hot.  There are medicinal benefits to eating so much hot chile pepper.
     There are a few restaurants in Las Vegas that feature gourmet ramen entrees.  Almost any flavor of ramen noodles that can be imagined are on the menu board at these gourmet ramen restaurants.  A ramen specialty restaurant is a great place to go, if you want to learn some new creative ramen ideas or to see what traditional ramen entrees look like.
     I decided to make this recipe mild.  The spicy shrimp is mildly spicy and it adds a nice visual effect to the ramen entree.  One shrimp is enough for a small single portion of ramen noodles.  Galangal is such a nice healthy flavor for a shrimp broth.  The broth is not spicy.  The broth for this ramen recipe is very savory and mild.  Lotus root is is very mild in flavor and it tastes kind of like a potato.
     
     Galangal Lotus Ramen:
     Boil 2 1/2 cups of shrimp broth in a sauce pot over medium high heat .
     Add 6 thin slices of peeled lotus root.
     Add 1 clove of minced garlic.
     Add 1/2 teaspoon of minced ginger.
     Add 1/4 teaspoon of ground galangal.  (Thai blue ginger root)
     Add 1 small pinch of Chinese chile powder.
     Add 1 pinch of cumin.
     Add sea salt and white pepper.
     Add 1/2 teaspoon of soy sauce.
     Add 1 small squeeze of lime juice.
     Boil the lotus root for a couple minutes, so it just starts to become tender.
     Add 1 portion of dried ramen noodles.
     While the noodles are boiling, the shrimp can be cooked.
  
     Spicy Shrimp:
     Heat a saute pan over medium heat.
     Add 1/2 tablespoon of vegetable oil.
     Add 1 clove of finely chopped garlic.
     Add 1 whole large shrimp with the head attached.
     Sear the shrimp on both sides, till it is fully cooked.
     Sprinkle a little bit of Chinese chile powder and sea salt on the shrimp.
     Set the spicy shrimp aside and keep it warm.
  
     Galangal Lotus Ramen with Nori and Spicy Shrimp:
     The noodles should be fully cooked by now and some of the broth should have been absorbed by the noodles.
     Carefully remove the lotus root slices and set them aside.
     Place the ramen noodles and broth in a soup bowl.
     Place the sliced lotus root around the edge of the bowl.
     Place a few cilantro leaves on the broth around the ramen noodles.
     Set a split thin slice of lime on top of the ramen noodles.
     Place the spicy shrimp on the lime slice.
     Place a small Thai basil sprig in the shrimp.
     Cut a few thin strips of roasted nori seaweed with scissors.
     Sprinkle the nori strips around the ramen noodles.
  
     Delicious, healthy and nice looking!  This is a very healthy ramen entree.  The health benefits of nori and galangal make this ramen entree worth trying.  The flavor of this ramen recipe is pleasant and exotic.  The spicy shrimp is not a large portion of meat but it is nice to snack on with the noodles.  The lotus root is still very crisp.  Gourmet ramen noodles!  Yum!  ...  Shawna