Who doesn’t love noodles? I’d eat them all day, everyday, if I could. If you’re looking for a healthier and cheaper alternative for a fresh, hot lunch, then instant DIY ramen noodle soup is calling your name. Sometimes you don’t have the time to sit in a drive-thru or feel like spending money on more food when you bought groceries last night and didn’t pack a lunch. This method is super easy for technicians on the road, because all you need is boiling water—and a RoadPro Hot Pot powered by your transit’s cigarette lighter to boil some water is perfect. If you’re in the office, an electric kettle or simply microwaving water obviously does the job too. The DIY instant noodles from J. Kenji López-Alt at Serious Eats tells you how it’s done:
The idea is simple and genius: combine par-cooked noodles, a bit of vegetable base, some raw sliced veggies, and a few seasonings inside a jar. Add boiling water, wait a few minutes, and you've got yourself a lunch with all the appeal of instant noodles, but with actual flavor and freshness trapped under that lid.
By the way, if you have any leftover mason jars—use ‘em for your portable lunch on the go. If you plan on adding any type of proteins to your jar, make sure they’re cooked, dried, or cured. When adding veggies, aim for thin slices, small pieces, and ones that can been eaten raw (sorry potatoes). You can store your dry noodle concoction in the refrigerator or pop it in your lunch pail with an ice pack until you’re ready to eat. Since you can get away with pre-making these with 4 days to work with, go ahead and prep your lunch for the week.
So the next time you’re running late on a call and super hungry, boil some water and you have an instant hot lunch while filling out your paperwork.
There are some other great tips over at Serious Eats about what kind of noodles are best, how to assemble flavor packets, and the works.
Read MorePhoto by: J. Kenji López-Alt | Serious Eats
