Upgraded Instant Noodles
Instant ramen treated as a base layer, not a meal. Protein, fat, and vegetables go in on top.
- calories
- 720
- weight
- 5 oz
- cal / oz
- 144
- protein
- 30 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 2 min
- cook
- 8 min
- total time
- 10 min
- water
- 450 ml boiled
- cost
- $
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Lunch
- Canister stove
- Alcohol / Esbit
- Liquid fuel
- Backpacking
- Thru-hike
- Bikepacking
- Car camping
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Dump and stir
Ingredients
| Instant noodle block | 1 block | buckwheat or brown rice versions cook the same and digest slower |
|---|---|---|
| Dried vegetables | 1/3 cup | mushroom, cabbage, peas, carrot, or a handful of dried seaweed |
| Foil-packet tuna, chicken, or salmon | 1 packet (about 2.5 oz) | or 1/4 cup textured soy protein to keep it vegan |
| Miso paste or soy sauce | 1 tbsp | single-serve sachets travel without leaking |
| Sesame or olive oil | 1 tbsp | dropper bottle |
| Chili flakes, garlic powder, ground ginger | 1 tsp total |
Method
- Drop the dried vegetables into 450 ml of cold water and bring it to a boil. They rehydrate on the way up, which costs no extra fuel.
- Add the noodle block and the spices. Two to three minutes, stirring once so the block breaks apart.
- Take the pot off the stove. Stir in the miso or soy sauce now, not earlier: boiling flattens miso.
- Tear in the protein packet, pour the oil over, stir, and let it sit one minute with the lid on.
Instant noodles are cheap, light, and cook in three minutes, but on their own they are refined wheat and salt. That is a blood sugar spike, not dinner. You will be hungry again in an hour, which is the wrong outcome after a long day.
The fix is to treat the block as a starch base and build on it. Fat from the oil roughly doubles the calories for a third of an ounce of weight. A foil protein packet takes it from around 10 g of protein to 30. Dried vegetables add bulk and fiber, and they cost nothing to rehydrate if you start them in the cold water. Ditch the flavor sachet, which is mostly salt, and season with miso or soy instead.
Packing
Dried vegetables, spices, and the noodle block ride in one bag with the seasoning sachet left at home. Oil, miso, and the protein packet go in the food bag separately so a leak stays contained.
Variations
- Swap the water for less and finish it dry, closer to stir-fried noodles than soup.
- A packet of instant miso soup replaces both the paste and the seasoning if you want it simpler.
- Dried tofu skin or freeze-dried edamame in place of fish keeps it vegan and adds real protein.
https://slowerhiking.com/food/what-to-add-to-instant-ramen-noodles-backpacking-food