Night Ripper (1986) - Soup for You!

We are halfway through October--can you believe it? Here's the latest in our 31 Days of Halloween collaboration with movie review blog Outpost Zeta.

Night Ripper is a shot-on-video slasher whose most notable feature is that it stars [Larry Thomas,] the man who would later rise to fame as the ‘Soup Nazi’ on Seinfeld," writes Outpost Zeta, so naturally we have to make soup!

The brilliance of this recipe is that if you have a normally stocked kitchen, you're likely to have most of these ingredients on hand, making this a damned cheap recipe--especially considering that the base for the soup is one of the staples of budget-cooking... ramen noodles.

Nissin Top Ramen makes two flavors that are vegan: Oriental and Chili. Either will work for this recipe, though I prefer the Chili flavor. The amounts of vegetables are really up to you but I'd recommend about 1/4 of each per serving.

This recipe makes 1 large serving, or two smaller servings.

Ingredients:

1 package Nissin Top Ramen, chili or oriental flavor

Onions

Celery

Other vegetables of your choice such as sugar snap peas, broccoli, carrots

Fresh ginger - a few coins

Optional: 1 clove of fresh garlic, slivered, optional

Optional: 1 egg per serving

Optional garnishes of your choice such as:

• fresh basil
• fresh cilantro
• sesame seeds
• crushed peanuts

Optional: soy sauce or Braggs, sriracha sauce for serving

Directions:

In a small- to medium-sized saucepan, bring 2 cups of water to a boil. While waiting for the water to boil, chop vegetables into similar-sized pieces--cut the onions into fat slivers and the celery on the diagonal. If using carrots, slice them on the diagonal into medium-thin ovals. Slice the ginger into coins; you do not need to peel it. Sliver the garlic clove if using.

Once the water comes to a boil, dissolve the seasoning packet in the pan. Break up the noodles lightly and add them to the pan, along with the vegetables, ginger, and garlic (if using). Let everything boil 2 minutes.

If using egg(s): allow the above to simmer for 2 minutes. In a small dish, separately, crack the egg(s) without breaking the yolk(s). Use the smaller vessel to gently lower the egg(s) into the simmering saucepan.  Use a spoon to splash four or five spoonsful of hot broth up over the top of the egg(s).

Remove saucepan from heat and cover.  Allow to sit for 1-2 minutes, the carefully transfer to a large serving bowl. Garnish and serve.