Illustration: Peter C. Espina/GT

 

I love instant noodles and I treat the cooking of them very seriously.

I don't just steep them in hot water. I boil them and put all sorts of ingredients inside. I have all brands and varieties of instant noodles lined up in my kitchen. Supplementary ingredients are divided into three categories.

The first category is protein and vegetables that I will add to the instant noodles, including eggs, meat balls, and green-leaf vegetables. The second category is additional flavoring sauces such as pepper oil, garlic, sugar and olive oil.

And the last category comprises of the things that I will just mix and match based on my mood that day. There are countless bizarre things that I've tried to put in instant noodles, many of which have turned out to be incredibly delicious.

After years of experience and research, I've picked up countless tricks to make a simple bowl of instant noodles into a heavenly delicacy.

Microwaving noodles highly improves the flavor. A slice of cheese added to instant noodles is surprisingly yummy. Adding only an egg yolk or only the egg white also makes a big difference. I've even tried using a hair dryer to blow on the noodles every a few seconds, which, as I discovered, makes the noodles very spongy and chewy.

When I tell my friends some of my tricks, they are quite surprised. But there are many people out there just like me who are obsessed with making the perfect bowl of instant noodles.

Here are the two most important tips I have for fellow instant noodle lovers.

1. The most important factor for making the perfect bowl of instant noodles is whether to put the flavoring packets in before or after boiling the noodles. As for me, I'm a firm believer in putting the packets in just a few seconds after putting the noodles in the boiling water. Adding the flavoring at this precise moment means that the flavoring and the noodles will mingle harmoniously, resulting in the perfect bowl.

The timing is so tricky that even an experienced instant noodle cooker like myself can only succeed once out of every 10 attempts.

2. Modern logistics and convenient online shopping facilities allow us to sample all types and brands of instant noodles from all over the world. My personal favorites are brands from Hong Kong and the spicy varieties from Thailand.

Try to keep up-to-date on such information through Internet forums and make sure you subscribe to newsletters from instant noodle enthusiasts. This way, you can keep up with the trends, know the newest and most creative ways of cooking instant noodles, and  be fully appraised of what the most popular brands are at any given moment.

Why such enthusiasm for instant noodles?

Well, because they taste awesome.

And secondly, because they are so convenient and cheap. In the past, they served as a quick and simple way to fill people up. But if you just use a little effort and imagination, instant noodles can be elevated to an art form.

This article was published on the Global Times Metropolitan section Two Cents page, a space for reader submissions, including opinion, humor and satire. The ideas expressed are those of the author alone, and do not represent the position of the Global Times.