Doing things with instant ramen
Eating it plain is misguided at best.
You knew this was coming. A budget minded food blog with a post about instant noodles? It is almost obligatory.
Cost breakdown-It's instant ramen. The standard by which other cheap foods are judged by, in fact it's a worthy consideration to start judging other foods by how many packs of ramen they cost. A New York slice of pizza? That is worth 8 ramen's, or how about an egg scramble with toast? 4-5 ramen's...it could work.
Kimchi+pork+sesame seed oil and a fried egg on top. Behind that is an equally simple caffeinated beverage perhaps for another post.
Some Simple and inexpensive additions-
Eggs
Chicken Breast
Other meats besides chicken breast
Kimchi
Green Onions
Tofu
American Cheese slices- It sounds bad but isn't.
Butter- A lot of ramen shops use butter in certain recipes and it actually tastes really good in the broth.
Peanuts
Carrots
Real broth/stock instead of the broth packet
Miso paste
etc....
The possibilities are honestly endless here but you already knew that so this isn't going to be a recipe, more like a simpler way to do things.
The default directions are usually to boil water and put ramen in for 2 minutes and either strain or put it into a bowl. However the cheapest prepackaged food around with remarkable production efficiency can be accommodated by a similar efficiency in its preparation right down to consumption. It is only natural to make it as quickly as possible with the least amount of work(and clean up).
Microwaving the noodles in a bowl with water will suffice.
Making a soup? Fill a bowl with water and ramen broken up into 4 sections with a cracked egg in the middle, poke a hole in the yolk so it doesn't pop in the microwave. Microwave for 3-4 minutes then add the stuff you want and cover it so things can warm up/melt. Enjoy.
Caution-use a kitchen towel or mitts to pick it up when it is done microwaving unless you don't mind burning your hands.
My tip-I put the things I want to eat with it around the sides of the bowl because it is way more initially presentable than if it was just to be thrown all together, like butter/sriracha/sauce packet/sesame seeds and diced up chunks of meat. Then I take a picture...and then mix it all together.
There is a poached egg in there with solid whites and a nice liquid yolk. Also don't let the addition of american cheese gross you out, its creamy and surprisingly delicious.
Not bad, only one dish to clean compared to three and you are making a relatively filling and inexpensive meal in about 4-5 minutes flat.
Or maybe you want to make some pan fried noodles, no need for a strainer. Just make it the same as the previous method with the noodles except keep the noodles whole and microwave for 3 minutes. Use a fork or chopsticks to hold the noodles while draining the water off and then transfer the noodles to a pan and cook it how you desire. See the kimchi noodles picture at the top.
I typically don't use the packet for pan fried noodles and make a sauce with soy sauce, sriracha, sesame seed oil and other similar combinations.
If your strapped for cash then chances are you have eaten your fair share of these. Everyone likes theirs differently but cutting out steps and making it easy as possible goes a long way. It is instant ramen, the default stereotypical food for the broke yet it's also a space age wonder. Throwing it together with as little time and effort as possible in the preparation of the noodles is not only acceptable but proper.
