Contrary to popular belief, options for instant noodles don’t end with beef, pork or chicken soup.

There are plenty of tasty choices, even forgoing the broth for something a little more quick and easy to eat, all at an economic price ideal for college students.

Here are a few uncommon options, tried, tested and tasted by yours truly.

Lucky Me Pancit Canton 
Original Flavor

Lucky Me Pancit Canton, instant noodles modeled after the Filipino take on chow mein for as little as 59 cents per package, is a cheap and tasty way to deal with hunger pangs.

The two-ounce package includes a packet of seasoning powder along with two liquid seasonings: oil and soy sauce.

The flavor of the Pancit Canton is a savory, slightly salty soy sauce with the barest hint of garlic and onion. There’s a pleasant greasiness and  nice texture to the noodles, which have a starchy-oily coating.

While a tasty snack on its own, the small size packaging combined with the one-note flavor means this brand isn’t sufficient as a meal without added toppings like steamed veggies or slices of chicken, beef or tofu.

Doubling up and eating two packages at once would be a rookie mistake, as the greasiness from the noodles can turn unpleasant afterward.

Full disclosure, this brand and flavor has a special place in my heart, since I grew up on it in the Philippines.

That being said, it’s a pretty middle-ground flavor good enough for a snack, even if it doesn’t make you nostalgic.

A-Sha Mandarin Noodle

When it comes to the noodles themselves, this is by far the best instant noodle product.

Upon opening the package, instead of a tightly wound noodle block, they’re wavy and flat inside.

Once cooked, the noodles are a revelation. Slurpable without being greasy, firm and chewy, they’re a cut above the normal instant fare.

The noodles are almost luxurious and given A-Sha Mandarin Noodles cost about $7 for a package of five, they’re priced like a minor luxury too.

Unfortunately, the actual flavoring fails to live up to the noodles themselves.

Unlike other soupless noodles, the flavoring comes in a single liquid-filled packet. It’s a mix of soy sauce and white sesame oil and while it sounds like it might be a tasty combo, it’s actually very bland.

The flavor packet is overly salty with a sharp tang that is not wholly welcome and the sesame flavor barely comes through at all despite being a main ingredient. While it doesn’t ruin the experience, the noodles deserve better.

The three-ounce package is like a small, bland meal but some toasted sesame seeds and chopped scallions could transform it into something a little more classy.

Myojo Ippei-Chan Yakisoba Japanese Style Noodles

Myojo Yakisoba is styled after the Japanese street fair of the same name, that goes hand-in-hand with Japanese festival culture.

Unlike most instant noodles, you don’t need a stove to make these. Preparation is more akin to cup noodles with it being done inside
the package.

Each package is almost five ounces and comes with four packets of sauce, spice, veggie and a mayo-mustard combo.

Boiling water goes into the package and after three minutes it’s drained and mixed with the liquid sauce. The whole thing is topped with the spices and mayo-mustard condiment.

Like most festival foods, these are quick and filling, but you get what you pay for like most instant foods unfortunately.

While it might be good enough to eat in a rush, it’s nothing to write home about otherwise the sauce is a
savory-sweet affair that pairs nicely with the mayo-mustard, though the latter has an off-putting chemical aftertaste.

The noodles are an average Nissin Cup Noodle in texture, ironically brittle to the bite but overly soft at the same time.

The veggie packet, mostly dried cabbage, reconstitutes to a vegetable mush that hardly complements the dish or spices.

A pleasant-tasting blend of seaweed and sesame seeds are mainly for decoration as their subtle flavors are underwhelming.

At around $2.50, you could do worse for a quick lunch.

Indomie Mi Goreng Instant Fried Noodles

These are hands down the best fried instant noodle product on the market, with a $10 flavor but for 55 cents.

Each of these packages contain a noodle block with two flavor packets. One consists of three separate liquid sauce components, seasoned oil, liquid chili and sweet soy sauce. The other includes a powder seasoning and fried onion topping, all totaling a
three-ounce package.

The preparation is simple: mix the liquids on a plate with the seasoning powder, which turns it into a paste while the noodles boil, strain the noodles and combine them with the paste, top with the crunchy onion and BAM, instant nirvana.

Just from the smell alone, the noodles are something special. It’s aromatic and pungent without being overpowering, has an almost unnoticeable tanginess and a scent more complex than the average
instant ramen.

The first bite is heavy and sweet, almost like molasses with a savory undertone and a pleasant warm note. The second bite blooms into a spicy but not painful sting.

The noodles alone get the job done, they’re chewy without being either soft or brittle and are slightly slick without being overly oily. It’s a solid delivery vehicle for the real star of the show: the seasoning.

The fried onions provide a nice textured contrast but sadly the package doesn’t
provide enough.

One of the few flaws Indomie Mi Goreng has other than not having more crunchies, is that three ounces is simply not enough and these noodles will leave you craving more.

For those on a budget, these instant noodles can make for a higher quality inexpensive meal.