How to Make Spicy Ramen

Plain Instant Ramen gets pretty old pretty quick. As a senior in college, I am well aware of this fact. I have been trying to add my own twists to this cliche college meal to make it better over the past few years. This is one of them I came up with. It is a little spicy. If spicy is not your style, there are a few other recipes at the end of these instructions. This does not compare to real Ramen, but it is still pretty good. This should take at most 20 minutes to make.

You will need:
1 pot
1 bowl
1 measuring cup
2 cups of water
1 fork (or whatever you prefer to eat/stir with)
1 pair of scissors
1 package of Ramen (I have only used chicken flavor with this, but feel free to try out another flavor)
1 egg
1 bottle of Spiracha Hot Chili Sauce (can be found at most grocery stores, even the grocery section of Wal Mart)
5-6 basil leaves (optional)

Note: As with most cooking, some of the ingredients are going to change based on your taste. Be creative!

Clean your hands before you start! Also, make sure all of your utensils are clean. (including the scissors)

Fill your measuring cup with 2 cups of water and pour it in your pot. Set the stove on "high" and place the pot on top of it.

Note: Normally, I don't go through the trouble of measuring the exact amount of water. I just have enough water in the pot to submerge the noodles. Likewise, if you want it less soupy, use less water next time.

WARNING: The stove and the water will be getting very hot. Steam from the water can also be dangerous. Don't burn yourself!

While you are waiting for the water to boil, open the package of Ramen and take the packet of seasoning out. I have dumped the packet into boiling water before on accident.

Once the water is boiling, crack that egg open and drop it in. Then, stir it up with your fork. The egg should cook almost instantly. Finally, reduce the heat a little bit and throw the egg shells away.

WARNING: Remember to be careful not to get burned while doing this!

Empty the package of Ramen noodles into the pot and submerge them in the water. If your water has stopped boiling, you reduced the heat a little too much. Keep stirring the noodles until they all separate and become soft. This should take 1 to 2 minutes. When the noodles are done, remove the pot from the heat.

Cut open the seasoning packet with your scissors and pour the seasoning in.

Note: I am looking for good alternatives to the seasoning. It's a bit too salty for my liking. Unfortunately, it doesn't taste good at all if you don't put the seasoning in. If you have any suggestions, please post them in the comments!

Place the leaves on top of each other, make cuts in them as shown in the second picture, roll them up, and snip them into little pieces over your Ramen with the scissors.

Note: The reason I say this is optional is I don't expect everyone to have a basil plant growing in their house. I recommend you get one! It's nice to have fresh herbs on hand. You can also try adding green onions, celery, or some other greens!

Squirt some of the chili sauce on your Ramen. This stuff is pretty spicy, so go easy on it if you don't like spicy food too much. The sauce is still important because it adds a lot of flavor to your Ramen.

Enjoy your meal! Make sure it cools off before you start digging in. When you are done, wash your dishes and clean up any mess you made.

There are many ways you can improve Ramen, please share them in the comments if you know any!