Revealing the Secret to Enhancing Cup Noodles! 6 Crazy Japanese Cup Noodle Combos

Cup noodles are something that absolutely everyone who visits Japan should try. While you should, of course, try out any limited-edition flavors you can get your hands on, we also recommend trying out standard cup noodle flavors with crazy toppings. If you've ever wondered what these combinations could possibly taste like, keep reading!

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Standard Cup Noodles

For this experiment, we will be using standard cup noodle flavors that are popular and available year-round: the basic Soy Sauce Flavor, the rich and thick Curry flavor, and the smooth and cloudy Seafood Flavor. You can find these at supermarkets and convenience stores all over Japan. In addition to their regular sizes, they also come in "mini", "big", and "king" sizes.

Find and save on instant noodles and more at the major discount store Don Quijote with this coupon!

Toppings

All of the toppings we will be trying out can be puchased from a local convenience store.

•   Mayonnaise

•   Natto (fermented soybeans)

•   Tomato juice

•   Kimchi

•   Pudding

•   Vanilla ice cream

1. Seafood Flavor × Mayonnaise

After pouring hot water up to the line and letting the cup noodles sit for 3 minutes, add some mayonnaise. Mix well and take a bite - you'll notice that the mayonnaise has made these cup noodles taste and feel even more smooth! This combination is definitely recommended for lovers of mayonnaise.

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2. Curry Flavor × Natto

Natto is known for being superbly delicious and healthy, hence why many Japanese people eat it every day. For this combination, add the whole package of natto into the cup noodles after they are done cooking. The slimy texture of the natto is a surprisingly great match with the Curry Flavor cup noodles!

 

Do you know the proper way to open natto? If not, check out this article!
You'll Get Addicted in One Bite?! The Correct Way to Eat Natto

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3. Curry Flavor × Tomato Juice

For this combination, prepare the cup noodles with only two thirds of the recommended water, let them sit for 3 minutes, and then fill the cup up the rest of the way with warmed-up tomato juice. The acidity of the tomato juice pairs perfetly with the spiciness of the curry! This flavor combination is especially recomended for the hot and humid summertime, as it is sure to increase your appetite. You can also adjust the amount of tomato juice to your liking. For example, adding equal amounts of hot water and tomato juice is quite delicious as well!

4. Soy Sauce Flavor × Kimchi

We recommend adding crisp and spicy kimchi to the standard Soy Sauce Flavor of cup noodle. Don't throw away the kimchi liquid at the bottom of the container either, as it's delicous when added into the soup!

5. Soy Sauce Flavor × Pudding

Yes, cup noodles with pudding! After adding the hot water and letting the noodles sit for 3 minutes, just plop an entire pudding right on top and then mix well. Truthfully, the combination of the caramel in the pudding with the soy sauce flavor of the cup noodles is a bit strange. However, we still recommend trying out this flavor combo to those who really want to know what it tastes like!

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6. Soy Sauce Flavor × Vanilla Ice Cream

This is another try at mixing cup noodles with a dessert. At first, we were a bit anxious about this combination, but once we added the vanilla ice cream to the cup noodles, the soup became quite rich. It was so tasty that we actually couldn't stop eating it! We also recommend trying this combination with seafood flavor cup noodles.

 

What do you think about these 6 flavor combos? Please tell us if you know of some other delicious but wacky toppings for cup noodles!

Want to try these combos for yourself? Find and save on instant noodles and more at the major discount store Don Quijote with this coupon!

The information in this article is accurate at the time of publication.

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Dawn
Dawn Cheng
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