11 Toppings to Make Your Instant Noodles Tastier and Healthier – Koka Noodles (2024)

This classic Italian sauce combines ingredients like garlic cloves, parmesan and basil, which gives it its signature green colour. Once exclusive to traditional pasta dishes, this delicious paste can bring a punch of fresh flavour to your instant noodles.

Not only is it tasty, but ingredients like olive oil and pine nuts contain unsaturated fats, whichmay help improve blood cholesterol.

Many of us struggle to add extra calcium to our diet. Adding cheese to a noodle dish can be a great way to improve your intake of this essential mineral, that safeguards our long-term health by reducing our chance of developing the bone disease osteoporosis.

When placed on noodles, something magic happens to cheese slices, creating a luxurious, luscious texture that is wonderful, particularly in combination with gochujang, Korean chilli paste. Plus, they have a very long use-by period, meaning that your topping may last as long in the fridge as your packet of noodles does in the cupboard!

Sesame seeds and linseeds are tiny seeds packed with oils that have been used for thousands of years in traditional medicine for their varying health benefits. They’re agreat source of fibre, have been known tolower cholesterol, and may help lower blood pressure.

Sprinkle them on top of your KOKA Purple Wheat Noodlesfor extra fibre and nutty flavour boost and for something a little fancier,add braised duck.

Much like sesame seeds, these little beans (commonly used in Japanese cuisine) are little bursts of flavour that are alsopacked full of protein. Adding them to your noodles will add a nice variety of textures and an earthy flavour, as well as a pop of colour for the aesthetics of the dish! Shell the beans before adding them to make sure they’re not too chewy.

Try our recipefor a nutritious lunch and top with the edamame.

Pumpkin is highly nutritious andrich in vitamin A (one of the vitamins that works to protect your eyesight). Pumpkin is easy to incorporate into your instant noodles for a sweet and satisfying texture hit – just bake and stir through, or leave the skin on and have it in chunks for extra fibre!

Try our recipeKOKA Purple Wheat Noodles with Pumpkin, Cheese, and Arugula.

We know these are actually two ingredients, but chilli and lime are a match made in heaven when it comes to adding to instant noodles! Chilli (much like sriracha) is known to speed up the metabolism and decrease congestion, and lime is packed with vitamin C to ward off coughs and colds.

Try our KOKA Chilli and Lime Purple Wheat Noodles with Salmon recipe.

For the carnivores out there, it is easy to default to popular proteins for noodles, like beef, chicken or duck. However, seafood can be a delicious addition to instant noodles, incorporating protein without being heavy enough to create that sluggish ‘food coma’ afterwards.

Why not start with ourKOKA Aglio Olio Purple Wheat Noodles with Shrimpor ourKOKA Spicy Black Pepper Noodle Medallion?

Turmeric is an Asian spice typically used in Indian cuisines and gives a nice bright yellow mustard colour to curries. Known for itsanti-inflammatory properties, try adding some turmeric powder to your next bowl of ramen noodle soup.

Impress your colleagues and even liven up your dish with some ginger and black pepper (which actually helps toaid absorptionof the key compound in turmeric “curcumin”). In just a few minutes you can add extra colour and nutrition to your lunch!

If you enjoy your noodles hot and spicy, then take things to an entirely new level of flavour with the addition of seaweed. Paired perfectly with kimchi or sriracha, the seaweed is a naturaltaste enhancer.

Seaweed is also rich in iron, calcium, magnesium, and protein, making itgood for weight loss.