The seasoning packet is fine. But building your own soup base around it takes 10 extra minutes and produces something genuinely restaurant-quality.
Ingredients (2 servings)
2 packs Hungry Korean Thick Ramen Noodles (use the noodles, set aside the packets), 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth, 1 tbsp gochujang, 1 tbsp Hungry Korean Gochugaru Chili Flakes, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp sesame oil, 4 cloves garlic (minced), 1 tbsp ginger (grated), 1 tsp sugar.
Method
In a medium pot, fry garlic and ginger in a little oil for 1-2 minutes. Add gochujang and gochugaru, stir for 30 seconds. Add broth, soy sauce, and sugar, and bring to a simmer for 5 minutes. Add the noodles and cook for 2-3 minutes. Finish with sesame oil.
Why Bother?
Building the aromatics first — garlic, ginger, the bloomed spices — creates layers of flavour that the packet alone can’t replicate. The broth becomes something you’d be happy to drink on its own. That’s the standard worth cooking to.