Quick Recipes : Instant Noodles with Thyme broth

Yes, I know – I have never talked about food in my blog before today, but if you are close to me, you’d know that food is a very critical part of me. I never think twice if it has got anything to do with food. Since the 2020 lockdown, I have realized that cooking is the best way to know your food – the source, the texture, the taste, the flavor, and the aroma; cooking is underrated magic.

Before lockdown, I wasn’t very dependent on my home cooking – I had regular meals from takeouts and in-office. Cooking was a series of experiments reserved for weekends – involved exotic ingredients, undercooked food, and burnt fingers. After the lockdown, added to the scarcity of vegetables and grains ft. panic buying, I could barely put together a meal three times a day. Instant noodles were the last resort to me and many others like me. Noodles are the best things to experiment with – sometimes they are yummy, some experiments turn them clumpy. Here, I share with you my latest innovation with instant noodles.

I am a big fan of instant noodles, but a great adversary of the little seasoning packet that comes with it. Fresh, flavourful broths are great substitutes. This one’s called Chilli Garlic Instant Noodles with Thyme Broth.

Ingredients (serves one):
1. Instant Noodles/Ramen, preferably unflavoured.
2. Vegetables and proteins of your choice, I like spring onion and tofu
3. Miso/Gochujang/Chilli Garlic Sauce
4. Crushed black peppercorns
5. Thyme leaves
6. Salt to taste
7. A medium-sized saucepan

Steps:
1. In a saucepan, bring 250 ml of water to a boil.
2. Add 1.5 tbsps of thyme leaves and crushed peppercorns to the boiling water.
3. Once the water develops a yellow-greenish tinge, add vegetables and proteins of your choice with some salt to taste.
4. After the vegetables and proteins have been cooked per your preference, add noodles to the pan.
5. Then, add some soy sauce and give the mixture a good stir.
6. Add miso/gochujang/sauce of your liking – I like Chilli Garlic Sauce, and give it a final stir.
7. Garnish per your liking and serve hot.

It tasted amazing to me, and I am craving it already!