Upgrade Your Instant Noodles and Ramen with These Hacks

Looking to upgrade your instant noodles? Let’s face it, super noodles and ramen are a staple of a student diet but everyone knows the key to perfect noodles is upgrading them yourself. With a few additions, you can turn your dry super noodles into a gourmet meal, on a strict student budget.

So, if your instant noodles need an upgrade, here’s what you need to know.

What to add to instant ramen

If your instant ramen is lacking in substance, add some of these things to your shopping list as essentials to keep in your fridge or your cupboard. All of these instant noodle extras are super affordable or can be frozen, so you’ll always be able to grab something to take your noodles to the next level.

Meat, shellfish and protein

• Chicken
• Prawns
• Tofu
• Salmon
• Roast beef
• Boiled eggs

Vegetables

• Broccoli
• Edamame
• Spring onion
• Carrots
• Spinach
• Beansprouts
• Mushrooms

Sauces

• Peanut butter
• Chilli sauce
• Siracha
• Sesame oil
• Satay sauce
• Soy sauce

Instant noodle recipes

If you need some cooking inspo, try out some of these instant noodle recipes to upgrade your standard packet noodles:

Pad Thai- You can make pad Thai by adding fish sauce, peanuts and a lime wedge to your noodles. You can opt for chicken or tofu as the protein to make a tasty and simple pad Thai.

Satay noodles– Add satay sauce, chicken, spring onion and chopped peanuts.

Pesto ramen– Pesto pasta is a staple of many students’ diets and it tastes pretty good with ramen too! You can add some frozen vegetables, basil and sun-dried tomato too for a tasty twist.

Sesame ramen– Add sesame sauce, soft-boiled egg, tender stem broccoli, spring onions and chilli sauce for an extra kick.

Breakfast noodles– Who said noodles are for dinner only? If you want a hearty breakfast meal you can simply add bacon, egg and cheese to your noodles for a tasty and easy breakfast.

How to make Super Noodles

If you’ve got your hands on a packet of Super Noodles for dinner, here are the hacks you need to know to make your noodles taste even better.

First of all, you’ll want to boil your kettle (or you can boil water on the hob if you’d prefer). Add your super noodles into a big bowl, break them up and season with the sachet that comes with your flavour. This is also a great chance to add additional flavour or seasoning, such as chilli flakes if you like your noodles spicy. Next, put your bowl in the microwave and cook for a few minutes. If you’re using the hob you can just put your noodles and seasoning straight into the pan instead.

If you’re going to add extra protein, you’ll want to cook and prepare this first, before you make your Super Noodles, however, any sauces and toppings can be added once your noodles come out of the microwave.

Super Noodle flavours

The current Super Noodles you can find in the UK are:

• Bacon
• Curry
• Chicken
• Chow Mein
• BBQ Beef
• Chicken & Mushroom
• Southern Fried Chicken
• Chilli Chicken
• Thai Sweet Chilli
• Peri Peri Chicken
• Thai Green Curry
• BBQ Sweet Chicken
• Pulled Pork
• Steak Fajita
• Vindaloo
• Sizzling King Prawn
• Mild Mexican Chilli
• Peking Duck
• Chipotle Chicken

Some of these flavours are much easier to find than others, and if you’re looking in your local Asda or Tesco for Super Noodles you can probably expect to see Curry, Chicken and Bacon, but if you head to an off-licence or corner shop you’ll probably have a higher chance at finding some of the other flavours.

How to make Super Noodles better

Super noodles are fine on their own, but with a bit of customisation, they can definitely taste better. Try adding the following to your Super Noodles for a quick and easy 10/10 meal:

• Satay sauce
• Soy sauce
• Chilli flakes
• Chilli oil
• Tofu
• Chicken
• Tenderstem broccoli
• Spring onions
• Chopped peanuts
• Butter
• Beansprouts
• Peanut butter
• Hot sauce

Best instant Korean spicy noodles

If you’re not a huge fan of brands like Super Noodles or Pot Noodle, instant Korean noodles can be found in a lot of off-licences, Amazon specialist supermarkets or the world foods aisle in your local supermarket. Here are some of the brands to keep on your radar to try out!

• Samyang Korean Spicy Noodles
• Nongshim Shing Ramyun
• Samyang Buldak Spicy Noodles
• Nongshim Veggie Ramyun Noodle Soup

For more recipe inspo don’t forget to check out the best cheese toastie ideas and fillings and easy, healthy lunch ideas for students.