By Lee Musho

Oh, Ramen. It’s quick, it’s cheap, it provides the ultimate slurp… it’s our generation’s chicken noodle soup. There’s an unmistakeable saltiness that borders on sweet, and the noodles never seem to end, until they do.

College and ramen are synonymous. I can’t imagine school without it, and I know a few people who would go hungry tomorrow if their stockpiles disappeared.

We at Baked like to take a little creative license and shake things up a bit. Here’s what our staff adds to the typical noodles.

Tess Berger: “When I want a more substantial meal, I’ll just throw an egg in there and poach it with the broth and the noodles. I’ll infuse the broth with fresh ginger and top it all off with a drizzle of Sriracha and soy sauce.”

Emma Ryan: “Siracha on everything. I am a believer in the spicy over the sweet, so I stay as far away from hoisin sauce as possible. I’m a big fan of adding scallions to the broth with some garlic for extra flavor if I’m making it at home.”

Tanya Motwani: “I usually add some pork strips, dried seaweed, scallions, kimchi, kimchi juice, and garlic! It’s a more Korean inspired ramen.”

Alice Chuh: “I love to add some sliced pork, sweet corn, and a poached egg.”

 

You can also…Alter it

Because those noodles are good for more than powdered soup.

Make some Pesto

There are a million ways to make pesto, as long as you have a green leafy vegetable or herb. We love Andy Baraghani’s Ramen Noodles with Miso Pesto from Healthyish, which uses spinach, cilantro, and miso. The best part? The noodles end up green, telling your body that you’re eating a salad when we all know the truth.

Improvise Pad Thai

Dry-scramble an egg, add some fish sauce, bean sprouts, peanuts, scallions, lime, and you’ve got a whole new take on your everyday ramen, with no need to order delivery.

Americanize it

The New York Times swears that if you add two slices of American cheese, butter, and an egg, the broth will become thick and gooey. The comments on their site back it up, but if you still don’t believe it, try it for yourself here!

 

No matter how you choose to chow down on our favorite meal for a dollar, can you promise us to kick it up a notch?  You’ll only be a college kid once.

 

 

Photo by Table for Two