Easy hacks with Nissin U.F.O instant noodles
Let’s face it: instant noodles are life. If I had a dollar for every instant noodle meal I’ve had, I’d be much richer today. Some days, however, you do feel like you’re in the mood to jazz up your instant noodles, you know, to make them look more like a proper meal━we hear you, and we’re here with 5 easy hacks to make your instant noodles gourmet, with none other than Nissin’s U.F.O instant noodles.
1. Omu Yakisobameshi
Omurice makes up the bulk of many childhood memories of dining out at Japanese restaurants, and is so easy to recreate at home. Maybe you have some instant rice lying around, maybe you have leftover rice in the fridge that needs finishing, but you still want your cuppa noodles. Make the most of it with our Omu Yakisobameshi recipe that will tick all those boxes.
You could leave the noodles as is, and skip the rice, or take it up a notch and crush the dried noodles in a ziplock bag to make it a bit more rice-y. Since the noodles are crushed, be extra careful when you’re draining the water out of the bowl, after cooking!
Throw in whatever you have in the fridge or freezer. It could be mixed vegetables, luncheon meat, crabsticks, or without any of these if you so prefer.
The classic omurice calls for ketchup in the rice, but with the Nissin U.F.O Takoyaki seasoning sachet has got you covered here.
The most challenging part of this recipe is getting your eggs right. For something more foolproof, fry an omelette and slide it over the fried mix, which you’ve shaped into a dome.
How thick your final product is, is dependent on how large your pan is. For a single portion, I’ve gone with a 20cm frypan. Use more eggs if you use a bigger pan.
You don’t have to seal in the edges if it doesn’t fit. When you flip it out onto the plate, it all works out.
To finish, drizzle takoyaki or okonomiyaki sauce, depending on which you have lying around, or even ketchup. Then go in with Japanese mayonnaise, and finally, tear into the sachet of seaweed powder that’s included in the cup.
Omu Yakisobameshi
Equipment
- 1 Frying pan
Ingredients
- 1 bowl Nissin U.F.O Osaka Takoyaki flavour
- Boiling water As instructed
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 shallot optional
- 2 chicken franks optional
- 1 packet instant rice or 1/2 bowl leftover rice
- Frozen vegetables optional
- 2 eggs beaten
- Salt to taste
- Mayonnaise optional
- Ketchup, takoyaki or okonomiyaki sauce optional
Instructions
- Transfer dry noodles to a bag. Crush finely.
- Return to U.F.O bowl, add boiling water, and cover to cook for two minutes.
- Heat oil in a pan. Fry shallots till translucent, and add chicken franks. Fry till fragrant.
- Add frozen vegetables, give it a quick fry, then instant or leftover rice and seasoning packets except the seaweed to pan. Stir to combine.
- Drain water from U.F.O bowl, add noodles to pan. Toss till well-combined.
- Beat 2 eggs with some salt. Pour into oiled, heated pan and stir quickly with chopsticks.
- When omelette has begun to set, transfer fried rice and noodles carefully onto one half of the egg, then flip the other half over to seal.
- Plate, drizzle ketchup and mayonnaise over, sprinkle seaweed powder, and dig in.
2. Cheesy Korean Noodles
If you’re feeling the one-pan life late at night, this Cheesy Korean Noodles recipe is made for you. Loaded with cheese, nuggets and dumplings, it’s comfort food in every bite, and takes only as long as your nuggets need to get fried up.
Start your dumplings off in a pan with some water and oil, and put the lid on. While that’s cooking, pop your nuggets into the airfryer, and cook a bowl of Nissin U.F.O Hot Chicken for no more than two minutes. Be careful not to peel the lid on the bowl too much, or you risk having all your noodles fall into the sink when you’re draining the water off!
If you’ve never tried frying up your kimchi, this is your sign to start. It adds savouriness, and cuts down the acidic bite━especially great when you have older, more sour kimchi on hand. This, plus the addition of milk, helps to mellow the spice in the Hot Chicken seasonings. If you prefer something soupier, simply add more milk.
When it’s all ready, chuck your nuggets and dumplings back into the pan.
Finally, top the hot noods with cheese and mix it in for loads of cheese pulls and an absolutely indulgent meal.
Cheesy Korean Noodles
Equipment
- 1 Frying pan
Ingredients
- 1 bowl Nissin U.F.O Korean Hot Chicken flavour
- Boiling water as instructed
- 1 tbsp oil
- 4 frozen dumplings
- 4 frozen karaage
- 100 g kimchi
- 100 ml milk
- Shredded mozzarella as desired
- Korean seaweed topping optional
Instructions
- Prepare Nissin U.F.O Korean Hot Chicken flavour for two minutes in U.F.O bowl, setting aside seasoning packets.
- Air-fry karaage according to package instructions.
- Set frozen dumplings in an oiled, heated pan. Add 50ml water and cover to cook.
- In a separate pan, fry kimchi till fragrant. Drain noodles and add to pan with seasoning packet and milk. Toss to combine.
- Add dumplings and karaage to pan, top noodles with cheese, and serve.
Notes
3. Jungkook’s Dry-Men
ARMYs, this one’s for you. Recreate the viral Jungkook’s Dry-Men at home without having to buy buldak sauce and all that other stuff.
The key to why this works is Nissin’s U.F.O Hot Chicken instant noodles, which takes no more than four minutes to cook, though I personally prefer the extra QQ-ness at the three-minute mark.
The Hot Chicken sauce pack means you just have to mix in a few other pantry staples for the quickest recipe in this list.
We’ve subbed out perilla oil for the ubiquitous sesame oil in this riff, but if you do happen to have the former, its unique fragrance makes all the difference.
Don’t forget to top the noods off with lots of Korean seaweed and toasted sesame seeds, plus that one egg yolk to make it extra rich.
Jungkook's Dry-Men
Ingredients
- 1 bowl Nissin U.F.O Korean Hot Chicken flavour
- Boiling water as instructed
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp sesame oil or perilla oil
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 egg yolk
- Korean seaweed topping
- Sesame seeds
Instructions
- Prepare Nissin U.F.O Korean Hot Chicken according to package instructions, reserving seasoning packets.
- In a bowl, combine seasoning packets, mayonnaise, perilla or sesame oil, and garlic powder.
- Drain noodles and toss with sauce mix. Create a nest in the noodles, and add the egg yolk. Top with seaweed and sesame seeds, and serve.
4. Kani Tomato Truffle Carbonara
Should you have a little bit more energy to spare, or are looking to impress your Netflix and chill buddy, this Kani Tomato Truffle Carbonara is a surprisingly decadent treat.
As with any worthy carbonara, start with bacon, or pancetta if you have it, and make sure to render out all that savoury, smoky fat.
Caramelise some tomato paste in that bacon fat to get the most flavour out of it. In a pinch, you could probably use ketchup, canned or fresh tomatoes, if that’s what you have in your kitchen. These substitutes won’t produce the same richness, but you can expect something brighter and more tangy!
There’s no need to add extra cheese, pasta water, egg yolks and all that, with Nissin’s U.F.O Truffle Carbonara powder sachet.
Undercook your noodles in the cup so they can continue to soften in the pan when you’re tossing it all together.
Don’t forget to drizzle the U.F.O truffle oil over at the very last step!
Kani Tomato Truffle Carbonara
Equipment
- 1 Frying pan
Ingredients
- 1 bowl Nissin U.F.O Truffle Carbonara flavour
- Boiling water as instructed
- 80 g bacon sliced
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 80 ml milk
- Surimi shredded
- 1 egg yolk
- Shaved parmesan optional
Instructions
- Prepare Nissin U.F.O Truffle Carbonara flavour, setting aside seasoning sachets and cooking noodles for two minutes in U.F.O bowl.
- Render bacon fat in pan till crisp.
- Add tomato paste and fry till fragrant, then transfer noodles to pan with milk and powdered seasoning. Stir to combine on low heat.
- Top with shredded surimi and egg yolk. Drizzle truffle oil sachet over, and shave parmesan to serve, if using.
5. Baked Truffle Carbonara
If you are team baked cheesy pasta, we’ve gotchu too, with this Baked Truffle Carbonara that’s also prepared with Nissin’s U.F.O Truffle Carbonara instant noodle.
As with the previous recipe, fry up some bacon, or skip this step to make it even quicker. We’ve also added milk to ramp up the creamy factor.
It is essential to cook your noodles for less time than the packet requires, since we’re putting it into the airfryer or oven to finish.
Go ham on the mozzarella! We won’t judge.
The U.F.O truffle oil turns this baked carbonara up a notch, so go ahead and drizzle that on━onto the noodles, before baking, or after baking, it’s up to you.
When the cheese is bubbling and melted, you can take it out, or leave it in a touch more for it to crisp up!
Baked Truffle Carbonara
Equipment
- 1 Heat-proof baking dish
Ingredients
- 1 bowl Nissin U.F.O Truffle Carbonara flavour
- Boiling water as instructed
- 50 g bacon sliced
- 100 ml milk
- Shredded mozzarella as desired
Instructions
- Prepare Nissin U.F.O Truffle Carbonara flavour, setting aside seasoning sachets and cooking for 2 minutes in U.F.O bowl.
- Render sliced bacon in pan till brown. Turn heat down, then add milk and powder sachet. Mix till dissolved.
- Stir in cooked noodles, then transfer to heat-proof baking dish.
- Top with shredded mozzarella, add truffle oil seasoning, then bake at 190oC for 10 minutes, or till golden brown.
Gourmet instant noodle hacks with Nissin U.F.O
This is definitely your sign to stock up on these handy instant noodles. Have them as is, or zhng them up with our super easy recipes that you can whip up to impress your friends and fam. Get them online, or in-store at all major supermarkets. P.S.: All Nissin U.F.O instant noodles are halal-certified too!
Get your Nissin U.F.O instant noodles here!
Photos taken by Melvin Mak.
This post was brought to you by Nissin.
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