It's community service day.  I'm serving soup.

I read somewhere that ramen is in for 2009, due to all the unemployment and financial hardships being spread around by dark forces I know little of, being too crazy and too poor to be intimately involved.  This might have referred to hand-made artisan ramen in a refined broth of pork belly and white asparagus,  but I'm going to assume it meant regular ramen -  my ramen, the "oriental flavor" block of mass-produced oil-fused not-very-good for you but incredibly cheap and convenient wheat noodles that come in a crinkly cellophane package.  Buy in bulk to save!

To rely on regular ramen for a meal does not mean you must feel deprived.   Like all poverty food, it requires the right treatment and the right condiments to deliver its full potential.  You must approach it with a good attitude.  Also, a bottle of toasted sesame oil.

Toasted sesame oil is one of those condiments all people should have in their pantries.  It is one of the most aromatic things on earth - caramelized, richly nutty, exotic.  One whiff can transport you to the open door of an Asian restaurant. It is expensive, but it goes a very long way.  It makes the crucial difference between a so-so bowl of ramen and a perfect one. 

The other thing you really need is a couple of scallions.  Three would be better, but one will do.   I say this because scallions are not cheap.  The whole idea of ramen as a truly cheap meal can be blown by an over-indulgence in scallions when they're over a dollar a bunch. But the scallions are as important as the toasted sesame oil, so use as many as you can.

Per the title, you also need an egg.  If you are feeling particularly puny, you want might two eggs.  And vinegar - preferably the ginger vinegar I mentioned in my chutney recipe.

 These instructions are for a microwave.  You could also do it in a pot on the stove, of course, if you have one.

First crush the noodles up inside the bag against a countertop with the palm of your hand. This step is important because if the noodles are too long, you are liable to drip soup on your shirt and create more laundry problems than you need.

You need a microwaveable bowl or mug that holds two cups.   Slice up the white parts of the scallions and put them in the bowl with the broken noodles. Take the bowl over to your condiment collection  (I lied.  You need more than sesame oil.)  Dollop in some worcestershire sauce, a little bit of soy sauce and/or fish sauce, and hot sauce to taste (tabasco, or habanero or green chili or whatever you happen to have and like). 

Yes, this is going to be a high-sodium meal.  This is not spa food. My peanut butter version is even worse.  Get out the sesame oil and vinegar, but don't add these yet. 

You will have put some water on to boil while you add the condiments.    Pour the boiling water over the noodles and fill the bowl not quite to the top.  Put it in the microwave for three minutes.  After one minute has elapsed, retrieve it, break an egg into the bowl and stir it around and put it back for the last two minutes.  Then add the seasoning packet that came with the noodles, the sliced green parts of the scallions, a drop or two of toasted sesame oil, and one to four teaspoons of vinegar (plain apple cider vinegar if you have not made any ginger).  I use three.  

If you have some lettuce, and in winter, by that I mean iceberg (see note below), it is nice to shred a handful and stuff it into the bowl at the very end, where it will  become a surprisingly pleasant limp "greens" addition to the soup.

You will have a bowl of delightfully fragrant  egg drop and noodle soup that you can pretend is Chinese take-out without the trouble and expense.  It will restore you  and make you feel life isn't so terrible after all. 

NOTE:  This is the winter version.  The summer version requires you to start thinking now about planting a patch of India giant mustard, and some leaf lettuce.  And scallions!  Because then you can use as many as you can stand to eat.