By now, you might have heard about Kylie Jenner's ~viral~ snapchat of her bowl of ramen. Kylie says she adds egg, garlic powder, and butter to her ramen, so obviously everyone went out and made her recipe.
Not going to lie, I tried it last night for dinner too. But as a senior in undergrad, I have perfected the art that is eating ramen. I stock up on chopsticks whenever I get sushi/chinese take out/etc just for the sole purpose of properly eating ramen. I grew up eating ramen often, as it was a food I could prepare without setting the kitchen on fire. Here are the better ways I've learned to spice up your ramen oven the years, so you can feel like you're not actually just eating starch and fat.
1. Peanut butter pad thai: Let's be honest this tastes nothing like actual pad thai. But it does have a more interesting flavor than regular ramen. Add the seasoning packet like you normally would except 2 minutes in add a beaten egg and stir, then scoop a spoonful of peanut butter, a dash of sriracha and soy sauce, and squeeze some lime over the top. If you're a peanut butter fanatic like I am, you'll love this.
2. Frozen Veggies: This one is easy. Add frozen vegetables ~to taste~ when you add the noodles. Tastes just like a better cup o noodles, plus when your mom asks what you ate for dinner you can say pasta primavera!
3. Cheese: I eat this when I run out of easy mac. Not going to lie- it's not that great. But it's not that horrible either. Prepare ramen with half the amount of water. Mix any cheese you have with the remaining broth until it forms a sauce.
4. Tofu, egg, and chili flakes: Add a beaten egg for the last minute of cooking, some protein packed tofu (ready to eat from the store), and red pepper flakes (I have packets of them stored from when they come with my Domino's). Spicy, "healthy-ish", and tasty! This will please your vegetarian friends if you make this gourmet dinner for them.
5. Meat: Adding precooked meats and a chopped up scallion is one of the best ways to make ramen into a meal. Try leftover chicken, or even just hot dogs. They're precooked, so all you need to do is cut them into slices and reheat them with the ramen!