Instant noodle soups for my work-from-home lunch

And now for something completely different. When I work from home, I like to spend my 30-minute lunch break in the kitchen – on the one hand to get a break from work, and on the other hand to get something fresh and delicious to eat. A few months ago I came across instant noodle soups that are so popular in Asia and I think it’s really good. Why? Packet soup? It’s not healthy at all, is it? So, the main reason is that I get a freshly prepared delicious and healthy main course within 10 minutes and I actually still have 20 minutes to enjoy my meal.

Asian cuisine is not particularly deeply rooted in our home. And the instant noodle dishes from the local convenience food manufacturers, Asian or otherwise, have never been my cup of tea, or rather soup, either. But at one point there were packets of noodles from a Japanese manufacturer for forty-nine euro cents. Since I don’t advertise here and don’t make any money with the blog, I’ll just reveal that the name sounds something like a Japanese car brand. Three flavours are available at our local super market.

During a very short lunch break, I tried the chicken flavor and found it very tasty even without modifications. Then came the idea that a few vitamins won’t hurt either, and so a series of experiments began, essentially working with the ingredients found in the vegetable drawer of our refrigerator. So that solves another problem on the go.

The process is similar to the following: The first thing I do is choose vegetables and other suitable ingredients. There are no limits to the imagination, it just has to fit somehow in terms of taste. Cold chicken, egg, ham, salami, almost all vegetables and whatever else is in the fridge. Then, according to the preparation instructions on the noodle package, I put on half a liter of water for the noodle soup.

While the water heats up to the boiling point, I cut the ingredients.

The pasta is cooked in three minutes over low heat. At the end, the broth powder and, if you are brave, the seasoning oil are stirred in.

Meanwhile, the vegetables have found their way into a heat proof bowl.

Now all that remains is to pour the soup over the vegetables and then stir everything

Most of the time, tidying up afterwards is also included in the sparse time since not a lot of equipment has become dirty. By the way, I couldn’t eat this kind of quick dish every day. At the moment they appear on the table of the house about once a week and so far, each one has been a new variation. I think that’s what makes it so exciting. Should you ask: I prefer this brand of noodle soup because the noodles are cooked and the noodle water makes the broth taste more intense. Most others just pour hot water over everything and then leave it for 3 minutes. But, of course, there is no arguing about taste.