Ramen Hacks: Upgrade Your Instant Noodles into Gourmet Meals

Common instant ramen toppings: Kimchi, shrimp, dried seaweed, sesame seeds, green onions, eggs, corn, bok choy, fish cakes, Chinese roasted pork, and roasted chicken

Instant noodles are high in sodium and low in nutrition, but they will always have a special place in my belly. It is one of my favorite comfort foods that I occasionally eat late at night when I want something quick, hearty and not necessarily healthy. There are many varieties and many brands of instant noodles to choose from, but my all-time favorite is Mama Shrimp Flavor (Tom Yum) Oriental Style Instant Noodles. I eat this brand exclusively. No other brand can come between me and my Mama instant noodles, not even the widely popular and husband's favorite, Nongshim Shin Ramyun instant noodles. Both ramens are always well stocked in the pantry, enough to sustain us in a zombie apocalypse.

Nongshim Shin Black Noodle Soup, Spicy, 4.58 (Pack of 10)

$20.00

Buy on Amazon

30 Packages Mama Tom Yum Flavour Instant Noodles

$19.87

Buy on Amazon

As a kid, I ate instant noodles dry, straight from the bag. An after school snack was a bag of Mama instant noodles, crushed into small pieces and sprinkled with the accompanying seasoning packet. It was a poor man's snack, but it was one of my favorite childhood memories. Kids these day will never know the awesomeness of dry instant noodles straight from the bag.

My instant noodles have gotten a lot more sophisticated over the years. I pimp my instant noodles with lots of veggies, proteins and always an egg. Boom. Instant noodles are now full-blown semi-healthy meals. Best of all, they are quick to make. Proteins are usually leftovers and vegetables are whatever I have in my fridge or freezer at the time.

I love trying the real ramen in ramen shops but there are times when I just rather have my favorite instant noodles with some simple additions. Below are my three favorite combinations of toppings that can turn boring instant noodles into ghetto-fabulous meals.

Instant Noodles with Roasted Chicken, Hard-Boiled Quail Eggs, and Corn

Instant Noodles with Fish Cakes, Shrimp, Kimchi, and Fried Egg

Instant Noodles with Chinese BBQ Pork (Char Siu/Xa Xiu), Baby Boy Choy, and Poached Egg

MORE YUMMY RELATED RECIPES

Black Pepper Beef with Noodles and Vegetables Stir Fry

A delicious combination of vegetables, thick yellow Asian noodles, and tender beef, tossed in a peppery sweet and savory brown sauce. This healthy dinner option is easily customizable and makes excellent leftovers for the next day.

Northern Vietnam Vermicelli Noodles with Grilled Pork Meatballs (Bun Cha Hanoi)

One of my favorite Vietnamese dishes of all time, this refreshing and light dish is made with rice noodles, charcoal-grilled pork patties, fresh vegetables and Vietnamese herbs. It's served with a sweet chili sauce and pickled vegetables to bring all the flavors together.

Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup (Pho Bo)

Savor the wonderful flavors of Vietnam's national dish with this traditional beef pho recipe. This Southern-style variation of pho features flat rice noodles with tender beef slices in an aromatic and hearty beef broth, all complemented by fresh herbs and customizable toppings.

Central Vietnam Must-Eat Noodle Dish: Mi Quang

A popular noodle dish from Quang Nam Province in central Vietnam and a must-try if you ever visit the neighboring city of Da Nang. This noodle soup is made with turmeric rice noodles, served in a small amount but intensely flavored broth with a medley of fresh herbs and vegetables.

Vietnamese Chicken Soup with Glass Noodles (Mien Ga)

Looking for a comforting noodle soup without too much fuss? Vietnamese glass noodle soup, or Miến Gà, is easy to make and packed with flavor. Unlike other Vietnamese noodle soups, this dish comes together quickly and is perfect for a cozy and light meal at home.

Vietnamese Pork and Seafood Noodle Soup (Hu Tieu Mi)

This beloved noodle soup features a clear, savory broth made by simmering pork and/or chicken bones, and dried shrimp and squid to add a depth of umami seafood flavor. It can be served with three types of noodles, customized with a wide range of toppings, and served in two different ways.

Vietnamese Rice Noodles with Grilled Pork, Shrimp and Egg Rolls (Bun Tom Thit Nuong Cha Gio)

Bun Thit Nuong Cha Gio is a light and refreshing Southern Vietnamese entree that consists of rice noodles, grilled pork and egg rolls, topped with fresh vegetables and herbs, crushed peanuts and the iconic Vietnamese fish sauce dipping sauce.

Pan-Fried Soy Sauce Noodles (Mi Xao Xi Dau)

Here is a quick and easy noodle recipe that is incredibly simple to make and versatile. Add in any type of protein you like, such as tofu, chicken, beef and mix in your favorite vegetables for a complete and satisfying meal.

Vietnamese Spicy Beef Noodle Soup (Bun Bo Hue)

Have you tried Central Vietnam’s spicy beef noodle soup? If you love Phở and looking for a fiery version, you will like its spicy cousin.

Vegetarian Yakisoba (Japanese Stir-Fried Noodles)

A classic Japanese stir-fried noodle dish in a sweet and savory sauce. This is a vegetarian version with plenty of fresh vegetables. A quick and delicious vegetarian one-skillet meal that comes together in under 30 minutes.

Easy Pad Thai Recipe (Hủ Tiếu / Phở Xào Thái Lan)

Pho is to Vietnam as Pad Thai is to Thailand. It’s a common street food in Thailand and one of the most popular dishes ordered in many Thai restaurants here in the United States. Pad Thai is a stir-fry noodle dish, tossed in a sweet and sour tamarind sauce. It is a well-balanced meal-in-bowl of many textures and Southeastern flavors.

Vietnamese Chicken Pho Noodle Soup (Pho Ga)

Phở Gà (Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup) is the quick poultry alternative to its more well-known cousin, Phở Bò (Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup). Phở Gà is lighter and simpler than Phở Bò. It's great for a cold winter day or when you want noodle soup without the hassle.

Hanoi-Style Beef Noodle Soup with Wok-Seared Steak and Fried Garlic (Pho Tai Lan)

Pho Tai Lan is a type of Northern-style beef noodle soup where instead of raw slices of beef topping the bowl, it is thin slices of beef and lots of garlic wok-fried in beef fat (tallow). As you can imagine, this extra step adds a whole new level of of flavor to an already very flavorful noodle soup.

Hanoi Noodle Soup with Ham, Chicken and Shrimp (Bun Thang)

Bun Thang is an elegant chicken noodle soup of Hanoi in Northern Vietnam. It is a noodle soup that is particular in all the toppings being cut the same beautiful thin strands. It consists of rice vermicelli noodles in a chicken and sometimes pork broth, salted dried shrimp floss, and delicate thin strands of shredded chicken, Vietnamese ham (Cha Lua/Gio Lua), scrambled eggs and shiitake mushrooms.

Vietnamese Duck Noodle Soup with Bamboo Shoots (Bun Mang Vit)

Bun Mang Vit is a Vietnamese rice vermicelli duck noodle soup with bamboo shoots, garnished with shredded cabbage, green onions and a wedge of lemon for squeezing. Other herbs like mint, cilantro, Vietnamese coriander (Rau Ram) and green onions may also garnish the bowl. This noodle soup comes with the must-have ginger fish sauce (Nuoc Mam Gung) for dipping the slices of duck meat.

Dry Vietnamese Pork & Seafood Noodle Soup with Sauce (Hu Tieu Kho Voi Nuoc Sot)

Hu Tieu noodle soup is the rebel of all Vietnamese noodle soups. There are no rules. You can add whatever delicious topping you want (chicken, pork, eggs, innards and/or seafood). You can have it with broth, without broth (dry) or with broth on the side. You can have it with rice noodles (Pho noodles), tapioca noodles (Hu Tieu noodles), egg noodles (Mi noodles) or any combination of them. It’s delicious chaos in a bowl.

Vietnamese Shrimp & Crab Thick Noodle Soup (Banh Canh Tom Cua)

Banh Canh is the only Vietnamese noodle soup that you will eat with a spoon. However, if you are like my kids, forego the spoon and chopsticks altogether, and slurp it directly from the bowl.

Chinese-Style Pork & Organ Noodle Soup (Mi Nguoi Hoa)

Mi Trieu Chau is egg noodles in a clear and flavorful pork broth. You can choose from a variety of toppings: blanched Choy Sum (similar to the well-known Bok Choy but with a longer stalk), wontons, squid, shrimp, ground pork, and thinly sliced pork organs like kidney, heart and liver. It’s garnished with a few bits of crispy pork fat (nom nom nom) and a sprinkle of chopped cilantro and green onions.

Miso Ramen Recipe

My husband loves ramen so when we get a chance to go to San Francisco, we head to the Westfield mall food court and have lunch at Ajisen Ramen. Their spicy miso ramen is one of my favorites. Whenever I have their ramen, I try really hard to perfect the ramen and broth ratio for each bite so that no liquid-gold-miso-broth would ever be left behind.

Unfortunately, San Francisco is quite a ways out. If we don't head to San Francisco, we get no ramen and that doesn't sit well with me. I figured it was about time to make my own ramen.

Vietnamese Thick Noodle Soup (Banh Canh)

Vietnamese Thick Noodle Soup, or Banh Canh, is one of my favorite childhood foods. It's the most simplest and purest of all the Vietnamese noodle soups. In its simplest form, it's thick noodles in a rich and savory pork broth. The only tricky thing with Banh Canh is keeping the darn slippery noodles on the spoon!

Vietnamese Egg Noodle Soup with Wontons (Mì Hoanh Thanh)

My mother-in-law would spend the entire day putting Mì Hoành Thánh together. Not only does she make the broth completely from scratch with chicken and pork bones, she also assembles each individual wonton, makes Chinese/Vietnamese Barbecue Pork, preps all the vegetables and makes the fried shallots herself when she can easily get them at the grocery store. And all that pork fat from meat trimmings that she stockpiled in her deep-freezer for, what one would assume, zombie apocalypse? She finally takes them out and fries them into crispy pork fat (Tép Mỡ) as a crunchy topping to dress the noodle soup.

Vietnamese Fermented Fish & Seafood Vermicelli Soup Recipe (Bun Mam)

Bún Mắm is a far cry from Phở. A typical bowl of Bún Mắm includes rice vermicelli noodles, egg plant, shrimp, squid, pork belly and flaky white fish. It is often served with a plentiful platter of crunchy vegetables and Vietnamese herbs, limes and fresh chilies. What makes Bún Mắm stand out from all the other Vietnamese noodle dishes is the broth. The broth is murky, salty and flavored with the granddaddy of all Vietnamese condiments, fermented fish.

Vietnamese Escargot Noodle Soup (Bun Oc)

Similar to Bun Rieu, Bun Oc is a rice noodle soup with a tomato-based broth that includes escargot and other proteins such as fried tofu, prawns, and fish cakes. It’s served with a plentiful platter of fragrant Vietnamese herbs, with fermented shrimp paste and chili oil on the side.

Stir-Fried Udon with Shrimp

Udon is thick Japanese noodles made from wheat flour. It's great in both soups and stir-frys. I would occasionally swap out my regular Banh Canh noodles, made from mostly tapioca flour, with Udon noodles because it's heartier with better texture. Udon in stir-fry is also great because the thick udon noodles absorb stir fry sauce nicely.

Ramen Hacks: Upgrade Your Instant Noodles into Gourmet Meals

Instant noodles are high in sodium and low in nutrition, but they will always have a special place in my belly. My instant noodles have gotten a lot more sophisticated over the years. I pimp my instant noodles with lots of veggies, proteins and always an egg. Boom. Instant noodles are now full-blown semi-healthy meals. Best of all, they are quick to make.

Vietnamese Pork & Crab Noodle Soup (Bun Rieu Cua Thit)

Bún Riêu is a Vietnamese rice noodle soup with a tomato and crab soup base. It is eaten with a lot of fresh veggies and Vietnamese herbs, the popular of which is split water spinach stems (Rau Muống).

Entrees, noodle soupVicky PhamOctober 25, 2016ramen hacks, instant noodles, instant ramen, upgrade your instant noodles, upgrade your instant ramen, noodles, ramen, turn instant noodles into gourmet meals, instant ramen additions, instant noodles toppings, quick2 Comments