I am unapologetically pretentious enough to admit that I loathe leftovers.  Despite the fact that I cook far too much food than necessary and most of the food winds up in the fridge, I wholeheartedly shirk from any sort of economical reuse of last night’s meal.

One leftover I do make use of, however, is pasta.  You can make it into a frittata or heat it up in some garlic oil and have a second Italian bonanza.  Since it reconstitutes remarkably well if properly encouraged, I find myself boiling a bit more than I need so I can create something tasty the next day.

The Italians stole pasta from the Chinese and I feel there’s a kind of poetic justice in reclaiming leftover noodles for their intended purpose, and thus was born my ghetto ramen.  I say ‘ghetto’ only in the sense that I know several Japanese who would curl up and die at this dish, but I’m going for flavors I like more than authenticity.  In any case, it’s far healthier than instant ramen, which has enough sodium and fat in it to kill a small donkey.

Before you critique my chipped chopsticks, please realize they’re my personal set that I’ve used since my first long-haul in Japan in 2000.  Recipe follows the jump!

Ghetto Ramen
Serves 1 Hungover Person.

1 tbsp sesame oil
1 glove garlic, grated
1, 1/2″ knob ginger, peeled and grated
Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
2 cups water
1 tsp dashi-no-moto (instant dashi stock powder)
1 1/2 tbsp good soy sauce (such as Kikkoman)
1 1/2 tbsp mirin
1 tbsp cooking sake
1/2 tsp fish sauce
1 tsp lemon juice
A handful of frozen peas
A generous handful unsauced leftover spaghetti
1 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro

This is more suggestion than commandment; feel free to toss in some chicken or shrimp.  Adjust the quantities of the soy, mirin, and sake to taste.  In any event, in a small pot heat up the sesame oil and add the garlic and ginger and red pepper.  Saute, stirring frequently, until very fragrant and just beginning to color.  If you let this burn, you are screwed.

Add the water, dashi-no-moto, soy, mirin, and sake.  Bring to a simmer and taste, adjusting seasonings if necessary.  Add lemon juice and return to simmer.  Plop in the peas and spaghetti and cook until both are heated through.  Pour in a bowl and add more lemon juice to taste and a big handful of cilantro.  Eat with shichimi-togarashi or la-yu (Chinese chili oil).