You see it in your friends dorm or apartment and it’s almost always tucked under the pre-workout powder or stuffed on top of the fridge.
It’s in a bright orange, plastic package labeled with “chicken” or “beef” flavor, complete with a picture of steaming noodles on the front.
You guessed it – it’s Maruchan Instant Ramen.
Not only is it a college food staple, but it is such a versatile, instant meal that can definitely be mixed up.
Throughout my time at San Jose State, I found ways to spice up the simple noodles while living in the dorms, apartment complexes and my sorority house.
First, ditch the seasoning package and use your own.
If you’re not a fan of the flavoring packet, there are alternatives. For a smoother and richer broth, add miso paste.
The paste can be found at the Nijya Market in Japantown, which is a quick Lime-scooter ride away from campus.
You can also add peanut butter to the noodles without soup and it gives the noodles a Thai flavor.
Second, add egg.
Egg is arguably the best ingredient you can add to a noodle soup.
I usually crack an egg into the pan as it is cooking my noodles and slowly whisk it around with chopsticks. It breaks up the egg and makes the broth even thicker with small egg bits.
You can also make a soft-boiled egg like the ones ramen restaurants serve in their bowls.
I learned to make a ramen egg, or a Ajitsuke Tamago, from the website Just One Cookbook, which shares easy Japanese recipes.
For the soft-boiled egg, you need to simmer the eggs for seven minutes, take it out immediately and put it into an ice bath for three minutes in order to stop it from cooking further. Peel the eggs gently, cut it in half and serve in your bowl.
Third, spice it up – literally.
Along with the broth, extra flavor is always a good idea.
If you like your food with a little kick, add your favorite hot sauce to the broth of your choice and let it cook with your noodles.
For a spicier touch, drain the noodles and add Sriracha sauce or hot sesame oil to the noodles so the actual noodles hold the punch instead of just the broth.
My favorite chili oil to use with my ramen is La-Yu, which can also be found in the Nijya Market in Japantown.
Fourth, throw in veggies, protein and more.
This is the fun part: adding color to your bowl.
A quick stop at the Spartan Food Pantry is enough to stock up on produce or frozen vegetables to add to your soup.
Broccoli and carrots are my favorite vegetables to add to ramen, as well as tofu for my protein. You could add pork or chicken as well.
Dry seaweed or furikake flavoring, which is a mixture of dry seaweed and sesame seeds, will be a flavorful finishing touch to your soup.
If you want to be ambitious, adding green onions, ginger or sesame seeds will also add a major boost of flavor and authenticity.
These are the extra add-ons that I use to upgrade my instant ramen, but there are endless variations to the basic meal. You can even cook the noodles, ditch the soup and make a stir fry!
Reach out to me on Twitter about how your ramen turned out, or if you have any other tricks to share, I’d love to hear!
