Instant ramen is a staple college student meal. All of the ingredients (besides water) come in the package, and it only takes about five minutes to make. I personally don’t mind this quick and easy meal every once in a while, but it does get repetitive and boring. I’ve discovered that a few extra ingredients can upgrade the meal and still be affordable! The ingredients for this dish can be found, including in bulk, at your local Walmart for under $20.

Yields: 1-2 servings
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Total time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

Instant ramen
2 cups broth of choice. I typically use chicken.
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp cooking oil
1 tsp grated ginger
1 tsp grated garlic. Freshly grated or bottled minced garlic is fine.
5 mushrooms, chopped
2 green onions, sliced
Canned bamboo shoots. I typically include 5-10 shoots.
2 eggs

Optional ingredients:
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp mirin (Japanese rice wine)
4 tbsp of water

Instructions:
This dish is great for when you’re getting bored of the simple, two-ingredient instant ramen. You can upgrade this recipe depending on what you have in your kitchen. Enjoy! Bring a pot of water to a boil, then add the two eggs. Make sure the eggs are entirely submerged. In a separate pot, start heating the cooking oil. (See the optional step listed below for instructions on marinating the eggs for a more flavorful dish. Otherwise, plain boiled eggs will work.)

While the eggs and oil are heating up, prepare your vegetables by rinsing them thoroughly. Once they have been cleaned, cut your green onions and mushrooms thinly and place them aside for garnish.

Add the grated ginger and garlic to the pot with the cooking oil and stir until fragrant.

Next, add your mushrooms to the pot along with the canned bamboo shoots. Cook for about two minutes, stirring constantly.

After the two minutes are up, add in the soy sauce and your broth of choice and bring the mixed ingredients to a boil.

Once the broth and vegetables come to a boil, add the instant noodles. Do not add in the broth packet that comes with the noodles yet. The noodles will need to cook for about three minutes.

Optional: For the eggs, boil them for about 10-12 minutes, as the yolk becomes more solid as it cooks. Cool the eggs in cold water, then peel off the shells.

In a small bowl, mix together the soy sauce, mirin and water. Add the boiled eggs to the dressing. Let the eggs marinate for at least two hours, but it’s okay to marinate the eggs overnight. The longer the eggs marinate, the stronger the flavor will be. Do not leave the eggs in the marinade for too long however, or the eggs will become too salty. The marinated eggs will only remain good in your refrigerator for a few days.
Do you have a recipe to share that would be perfect for college students? Send it in to The Runner at [email protected]