GoGo noodles

The infamous Spam. People either love it or hate it. I used to hate it. In high school, I remember reading a magazine article about how cannibals on an island said it tasted like human flesh. So every time I saw Spam or people eating Spam, I would imagine someone in the Spam factory grinding up arms and legs and packing it into that familiar shape of luncheon meat. Yum. Fortunately, thanks to my boyfriend, I am totally over my disgust for Spam. On our last trip to Hawaii, we found Hot & Spicy Spam which was basically tobasco flavored Spam. We’ve also tried the Garlic flavored Spam which, to my disappointment wasn’t very garlicky.

If you want to add something more substantial to your bowl of noodles I highly recommend Spam, it’s quick and easy and tastes good! I decided to fry the Spam with an egg. Keep in mind though, that there’s a lot of sodium in Spam, so if you do decide to add it in your noodles, it will make for an extra salty meal. Either boil it to reduce some of the sodium before adding or use less of the seasoning packet.

This soft tofu can be eaten hot or cold. I don’t always have this in the fridge as it’s highly perishable after it’s been opened. But when I do have it, it tastes great in my soups.

Cubed into bite sized pieces.

We always have green onions in the fridge. It’s a great enhancement to so many dishes. I think it’s one out of the 2 must have ingredients for the noodle connousieur, the other being an egg.

I don’t always have bean sprouts in my fridge because it doesn’t keep for very long. But when I do, it’s a great topping for noodles. Bean sprouts have a mild earthy flavor. I like to cook them a bit before I add to my soup so it helps keep it stay warm.

Dried shitake mushroom is a great staple to have on hand for doctoring up instant noodles. Goes really well with udon and is a great enhancement to mushroom flavored noodles. It’s also super yummy in miso soup.

Miso soup paste with dried shitake mushrooms, soft tofu and scallions.

This topping seems to be quite popular in ramen houses and is so easy to make at home for instant noodles. Just pop open a can of corn and sautee in butter or margerine. So simple and deelishious. The sweetness of the corn goes really well with pork and chicken flavored instant ramen. I added fresh cracked pepper for some spice.

The egg is a great addition that will enhance the flavor of your instant noodles. It is, in my opinion, one out of two essential ingredients to always have on hand; the other being green onions/scallions. There are many ways to prepare the egg. Here are a few of my simple favorites:

Poached

This method is the most effortless, you just drop the egg into your pot of noodles and let it poach in the broth. I like a soft, runny yolk so I drop it in just before the noodles.

Scrambled in pot

For a more creamy, stronger egg taste, break up the egg in the pot by stirring rapidly. The result will resemble egg flower soup.

Hard boiled

The trick to cooking the perfect hard boiled egg is to not over cook it. The way my mother taught me to cook it was to boil it for 20 minutes which resulted in dry, rubbery eggs. The secret is to take the egg off the stove as soon as the water begins to simmer rapidly and cover the pot for 12-13 minutes depending on how many eggs you have in the pot. When the eggs are done, immediately submerge them in cold water. Here’s a tip for peeling an egg without tearing it apart: Peel the egg while submerged in water or under running water (I keep a really teeny teeny stream so less water is wasted). Then cut eggs in half and add to your noodles.

Fried

A fried egg is really good on dry noodles like the indonesian dish mi goreng. If you prefer the yolk a little runny like I do but don’t want any of the white raw, cover the pan with a lid and let the steam cook the white. A fried egg is a must have in instant Mi Goreng.