A lot of students and busy people rely heavily on cup ramen to have a quick and filling meal. If you want to make it a little healthier or more elaborate, here are 3 easy ramen hacks you can try at home!

Cup Ramen

It's usually only about a dollar or two, so it's quite hard to beat in terms of price and easiness to make. If you would like to upgrade your cup ramen because you've had it the usual way a little too often, or because your mom tells you you need to eat your vegetables, try these fast and tasty recipes at home!

The Instant Spicy Shoyu Ramen!

Ok, so this is what you're aiming for, the holy grail of Japanese ramen, shoyu ramen, and here's how to make it at home in a few minutes. Granted it won't look like the picture above, but it'll take you only a few minutes and will taste great. Close enough for now.



<Ingredients>

-Instant ramen (chicken flavor)

-1 tsp of sesame oil

-1 tsp of minced ginger

-1 clove of minced garlic

-1 tsp of dashi (fish stock)

-1 tbsp of soy sauce

-1 tsp of sake

-1 tbsp of chili bean sauce



TOPPINGS:

-2 slices of cooked bacon

-1 soft-boiled egg

-2 tbsp of chopped green onion

-2 sheets of nori

-Japanese chili oil



<Directions>

1. Heat the sesame oil in a pot and add the ginger garlic, once it has a golden color, add the chili bean paste

2. Add the instant ramen broth to the pot with water. (If you're up for it, drain the broth to get rid of the ginger and garlic)

3. Add all the ingredients to the pot that aren't toppings and mix well

4. Add the instant noodles

5. Transfer everything to a bowl and add the scrumptious toppings



Cheesy Cheesy Instant Ramen

<Ingredients>

-1 pack of instant ramen (preferably chicken)

-1 tbsp of olive oil

-2-3 slices of bacon

-2 eggs

-3 tbsp of cream

-Parmesan (or any kind of cheese you have handy)



<Directions>

1. Cook the noodles, but put the flavor packet aside. Drain the noodles

2. In a frying pan, fry the bacon until it is crisp

3. Whish an egg, the cream, and cheese in a cup. Add pepper to taste

4. Add the bacon, egg mixture to the cooked ramen and cook over low heat until all the ingredients are well combined.

5. And there you have it!

(If you're up for it, you could also make a soft-boiled egg to throw in on top)

Cup Ramen Pad Thai!

<Ingredients>

-1 package of instant ramen

-1 tbsp of oil

-1 clove of minced garlic

-2 eggs

-1 tbsp of soy sauce

-1 tbsp of lemon juice

-1 tbsp of brown sugar

-1/2 teaspoon of fish sauce

-A pinch of red pepper flakes



SEASONING:

-Cilantro

-Chopped green onion

-Peanuts



<Directions>

1. Cook the noodle (without using the chicken flavor) and drain the noodles

2. In a frying pan, heat the garlic until fragrant

3. Whisk the eggs and add them to the pan in order to make very soft scrambled eggs (they should still be moist)

4. In a bowl, mix the soy sauce, lemon juice, sugar, fish sauce and pepper flakes

5. Pour the sauce into the frying pan, add the noodles

6. Transfer to a bowl and add the toppings



That's it! You got yourself some tasty pad thai in about 10 minutes!

That's It!

And voila! 3 easy cup ramen upgrades you can easily try too!