I put the powder in a bowl dry, and cook the noodles and drain the water and dump it in and toss it around. We call this “janitor style” because we learned it from a janitor at the high school years ago.

I also mix worchestershire sauce or soy sauce with the powder first to make a slurry, then put in the noodles. You can also put in a big scoop of peanut butter.

I advise buying the cheapest frozen chopped corn or broccoli and mixing a handful in when you cook the noodles. That is still cheap, keeps the meal under 30 cents, and it feels like a real meal.

I have done the egg drop thing, but when I invented the peanutbutter and soy slurry, I started frying the egg and putting it on top. I was trying to make something vaguely like a Thai dish I had at a restaurant once, it tastes ok but not the same. (Use chili powder and lime juice with the peanut slurry to make it more Thai-like).

Finally, I have discovered that you can get a giant bag of the cheapest wide egg noodles, and pretty much cook them just like the ramen noodles. It takes a tiny bit longer to cook. You have to do without the flavor packets, but sauce packets left over from fast food can substitute, as well as the packets that come with some pizzas.

Parmasan cheese or grated regular cheese is also good on it. I have also tried sour cream, which was surprisingly good. If it’s about to go bad in the fridge, I’ll mix it in.

i will try these out and post the results, if i am still alive.