Thought you left your mi goreng habit behind in your last share house? Think again. The global cost-of-living crisis has shoppers stockpiling the pantry staple as an affordable meal option. Meanwhile, TikTok is driving a huge surge in pot noodle sales, with thousands of trending videos that share how to zhuzh up your cup with a few staple ingredients seeing sales of instant noodle products soar by up to 50 percent year-on-year in the UK alone.

According to the World Instant Noodles Association – which is a thing – 2022 saw record consumption of 121.2 billion servings of instant noodles worldwide, a seventh consecutive year of growth thanks to rising food costs.

Local demand for instant noodles has increased steadily, from 420 million servings sold in 2019 to 500 million in 2023. This equates to around 19 servings per capita annually, indicating a significant growth trend in the Australian market.

So, now that we’ve well and truly entered a late-stage capitalistic dystopia, how can we take these noodz to the next level?

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Some of Australia’s top chefs reckon they’ve cracked the code – adding toppings like spicy chicken larb, or whipping them into kimchi-hotdog jaffles.

delicious. contributor Warren Mendes is a whizz with the instant noodles, creating everything from a speedy carbonara to a cheat’s dan dan noodles and even a two-minute noodle and miso lasagne.

If you’re after a light and speedy lunch, you can easily throw instant noodles into any of these vibrant noodle salads.

Stir-fry more your speed? A few affordable staples like pork mince and wilted greens can make a wonderful and budget-friendly family meal out of the humble packet noodles.

For pot-loads of noodley inspiration, check out our full instant noodle gallery.

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