Facehugger Ramen
Every since Our Lady of Survival, Ellen Ripley first brought facehuggers to the worlds attention we’ve had a complex relationship. Yes, they’re harbingers of death, emerging from their cocoons, skitthing about and determined to paralyse you and implant a Chestbuster, but did you know they are delicious? They take a bit of preparation, but they’re a great source of protein and collagen, and having batches of Facehugger ramen broth in the freezer can really help though those long winters.
You can of course roast Facehuggers whole, and I’ll write that up another time. I suspect they’ll also work well with a rich, spicy curry sauce, heavy on the warming spices like cinnamon and clove.
You will need
- 1 Facehugger (dead), airsacks and legs removed
- 1 InstantPot
- Plenty of cold water
- A tablespoon of vegetable oil
Do
- Skin the Facehugger. This is more difficult than it sounds but the same method used for eels on Earth (nail to a tree and pull away the skin from the top) will work, or use a big handful of dry paper to get a good grip and a pair of engineering pliers.
- Joint the tail, using a heavy sharp knife to separate the vertebra and cutting though the spinal column. If you can, break the body in half or leave whole if your pan is big enough
- Brown all the pieces on a reasonably high heat in the oil until well coloured
- Cover with cold water and slow cook on a low heat for 3 hours
- Pass everything through a collandar and remove the now clean bones and any really big chunks of fat.
- Recombine the meat and broth, divide into usable portions. Once cold, freeze.
- Use in all ramen dishes for quick and tasty lunches!
Results
The stock will set to a stiff gel because of all the collagen and gelatin making it easy to handle. The pieces of meat might need cutting down but are super tender with a rich beef like flavour.
I’ve been popping a bowl full into a pan on a high heat, adding fine sliced cabbage and egg noodles and then topping with chilli flakes in oil and hoisin sauce for a quick and tasty lunch. The broth is velvet smooth with a great mouth feel, but you might need a bit of salt.
Addendum
No, it’s not a real Facehugger, it’s a complete ox tail from our wonderful meat supplier Christmas Farm. I believe in nose to tail eating, and never miss an opportunity to have a go with something unusual.