If I've learned anything in my past four years of living in a dorm (and seventeen years being Asian), it is that ramen is a necessity. A warm mouthful of umami broth paired with some thin, chewy noodles never disappoints. And that's true every time, season, and month of the year!

A classic Asian dish with Chinese-style wheat noodles, Ramen originates from Japan and is served in delicious miso or pork-bone broth. Traditionally, ramen is topped with braised pork slices, seasoned bamboo shoots, seaweed, and scallions. Yet, more modern additions include literally anything you want to add to it. I love some good chili crisp, fried egg, spam, chashu, baby cabbage and even shrimp tempura.

What amazes me, though, about ramen is that it can range from the highest-end restaurants to being sold in super-cheap Asian grocery locations and even your local seven-eleven. So, it's a dorm favorite favorite for me since you can make it in minutes. These pre-packaged bowls usually include sauce, powders, and some dried vegetable or meat condiments.

Packaged ramen is amazing but there are so many brands and so many recipes out there to confuse you. So here are three of my favorite brands and toppings to make when I need that warm, midnight -- or evening -- or lunch -- or breakfast bite!

1. Indomie Ramen with Fried Egg & Chili Crisp

Image Credit: Takeaway from Wikimedia

Steps:

• First, follow the steps from the packaging. Boil the noodles in hot water or put them in the microwave for 3 minutes with enough water to fully submerge the noodles. Make sure the finished noodles are soft but bouncy and al dente.
• When the noodles are being cooked, make a sunny-side-up fried egg in a separate pan. Make sure that the oil is hot before you crack in the egg since you want crispy edges! Once the edges start to crisp up, turn the stove down a notch. If you want a runny yolk, don't flip the egg; if you want it all cooked through, flip it!
• Then, in a separate plate or bowl, add all of the powders and sauces except the one that contains fried onion crisps.
• Once the noodles are done, add them into the bowl with the powder and sauces. Mix well! Make sure that the light brown color is even throughout all of the noodles.
• Finally, add some chili crisp (I recommend Lao Gan Ma from Weee), the pre-packaged onion crisp, and the fried egg on top. And voila! Enjoy!

2. Kang Shi Fu Ramen with Thinly-Sliced Beef Rolls

via Tenor

Steps:

• First, follow the steps from the packaging. Add the noodles, sauce, powder, and dried vegetable condiments all into one bowl. Either add boiling water, boil everything in a small pot, or use the microwave and water method mentioned for the Indomie Ramen.
• Pro tip: If you want richer broth, add less water to the noodles but still make sure that they're cooked to a soft texture.
• When the noodles are being cooked, either boil or pan-fry some thinly sliced beef rolls (you can get it from Weee or any Asian grocery) that people use for hotpots. Add any condiments like soy sauce, sesame oil, or oyster sauce.
• If you want some vegetables, consider also boiling some baby cabbage, spinach, or bak choy.
• Once the noodles are done, add the beef rolls and vegetables into the noodle bowl.
• Finally, garnish with some Lao Gan Ma chili crisp, sesame oil, and spring onions. Voila! Start slurping!

3. Buldak Ramen with Egg, Spam & Cheese

Image Credit: Jūnenas0 from Wikimedia

• First, follow the steps from the packaging. Boil the noodles in hot water or put them in the microwave for 3 minutes with enough water to fully submerge the noodles. Make sure the finished noodles are soft but bouncy and pretty al dente.
• When the noodles are being cooked, make a sunny-side-up fried egg in a separate pan. Make sure that the oil is hot before you crack in the egg since you want crispy edges! Once the edges start to crisp up, turn the stove down a notch. If you want a runny yolk, don't flip the egg; if you want it all cooked through, flip it!
• In the same pan, cut up some spam pieces and sautee them with condiments of your choice (like soy sauce, oyster sauce, or sesame oil.)
• Once the noodles are done, drain most of the water but keep a few tablespoons. Add the sauce and the powders to the leftover water and stir fry for a few minutes.
• Then, add some cheese (any type is good but I use mozzarella) and let it melt on top of the noodles. Assemble the fried egg and the spam pieces too.
• Finally, garnish with some Lao Gan Ma chili crisp and spring onions. Enjoy!

So there you have it! Here are 3 delicious recipes that I always love to make in my dorm. Also, keep in mind that any of the fresh ingredients can be swapped out with other ones of your choosing!

Feel free to switch it around. Most of them can also be found on Weee (cheap, online Asian grocery delivery service).

Give these recipes a try and happy slurping!