By Maggie Hiufu Wong, CNN

(CNN) — What’s the first thing that comes to mind when your health-conscious partner leaves town for a business trip?

For me, it means cancelling dinner plans and “foraging” in the kitchen for a few key ingredients: American cheese, thick slices of Spam and a handful of frozen dumplings — all destined for the bowl of whichever instant noodle flavor I’ve chosen for the night.

These colorful packages of salty goodness have fuelled the protagonists of “KPop Demon Hunters,” filled the stomachs of tired off-shift chefs and even helped a former colleague of mine save up for an engagement ring. (She said “yes,” and his cholesterol levels haven’t been the same since.)

Few foods occupy a space as unique as instant noodles, simultaneously worshipped as a junk food treat and a reliable staple for millions of people around the world.

What began as a post-war remedy for hunger in Japan has since evolved to become a global guilty pleasure, providing quick, affordable and satisfying meals for the masses.

But it’s no secret that instant noodles aren’t healthy. Every so often, new studies emerge explaining how they increase the risk of dementia, heart disease and hormonal imbalances — surprising pretty much no one.

I even received a sincere and concerned rejection letter from a food scientist who declined to be interviewed for this story, fearing their expertise might play a part in encouraging the noodles’ popularity.

Which makes it all the more surprising that in a world that increasingly yearns for clean eating, as plant-based diets and wellness become the focus for many, the notorious instant noodle market is still projected to grow tremendously. According to various estimates, the global industry is expected to swell from $64.67 billion in 2025 to $98.46 billion by 2032.

Scientists have an easy explanation for their popularity: addiction.

Researchers studying ultra-processed foods say their high energy density (the number of calories in each gram of food) and hyperpalatability (delicious combinations of salt, sugar, fat, and carbs) ensure we will never want to stop eating them.

The manufacturers, however, offer another explanation.

“The reason instant noodles have been widely embraced around the world as a ‘comfort food’ lies in their ability to offer universal values that people seek in food — namely, delicious taste, convenience, preservability, affordability and safety,” says a representative of Nissin Foods Group, citing the five original core values established by the group’s founder, Momofuku Ando, who is considered the father of instant noodles.

It all began in Ando’s modest wooden shed in Osaka, Japan, in the 1950s.

Witnessing the severe food shortages plaguing the country in the post-war era, Ando became obsessed with creating a food that would meet those five criteria.

In 1958, after months of trial and error, he had a lightbulb moment while seeing his wife deep-fry tempura.

He realized that flash-frying noodles quickly removed their moisture, creating a food that could be instantly rejuvenated by being soaked in hot water.

He called his creation “Chikin Ramen” — and the world’s first instant noodles were born.

In 1971, the company introduced its first cup noodles – instant noodles that came in a disposable container, accompanied by a fork for those who hadn’t mastered chopsticks.

The ingenuity quickly spread across borders. In just two years, Nissin opened its first overseas factory in the US, in Pennsylvania.

Today, global demand for instant noodles has reached an all-time high of 123 billion servings per year.

According to the latest data, China is the largest consumer overall, devouring some 43,802 million packs per year — outslurping Indonesia (14,680 million servings) and India (8,320 million servings), the other two countries in the top three.

But in terms of per capita, Vietnam’s love for the dish is unrivaled, with each citizen eating an average of 81 servings per year.

South Koreans closely follow in second place at 79 servings, while Thailand rounds out the top three at 58 servings annually per person.

“In Vietnam, noodles have long been rooted in the country’s culinary culture, and as the economy continues to grow, demand for quick and convenient meal options is also increasing,” explains a representative from the World Instant Noodles Association (WINA).

But the market in Vietnam is no longer just about affordability. WINA is noticing “a clear transition toward mid- to high-priced products that emphasize value-added convenience.”

Meanwhile, in the US, the instant noodle market has continuously expanded year by year, hitting 5.15 billion servings in 2024 to become the sixth-largest market in the world, as demand for Asian-inspired and spicy flavors continues to grow.

“While classic chicken flavor remains a staple, the market has evolved to offer a broader range of options, including beef, shrimp and vegetable-based varieties,” says WINA in a statement to CNN Travel.

“Reflecting local eating habits, products with shorter noodles designed for easy consumption with a spoon or fork have also gained traction.”

‘The ultimate comfort food’

In Neighborhood, an understated restaurant tucked away in a Hong Kong alley, chef David Lai is patiently scoring, marinating and curing a fresh pomfret he’s just picked up at the market. In a few hours, it will be smoked and grilled over an open flame.

Lai’s restaurant sits at no.24 on the 2026 Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list. He received the Chefs’ Choice Award — a peer-voted prize — at the 2022 World’s 50 Best Restaurants event.

But his latest accolade is his favorite so far — this year he became an ambassador for Nongshim, the South Korean giant famous for its spicy, red-packaged noodles that are rapidly scooped off shelves in the US and beyond.

“I love instant noodles. They are the ultimate comfort food when we are hungry but short on time or feeling lazy,” says Lai.

“They are also very democratic — everyone could afford it — a cheap dopamine hit. Even the packaging is so attractive. In just five minutes, you have this range of possibilities.”

Now, he’s collaborating with Nongshim on a new signature flavor.

“It’ll be my proudest achievement,” Lai says, wearing a wide grin on his face.

Inside his bistro, the menu is filled with brilliantly executed dishes utilizing fresh, prime ingredients like that morning’s pomfret — seemingly a world away from factory-made stacks of instant noodle blocks.

But to Lai, instant ramen is a legitimate ingredient.

“An instant noodle is a unique ingredient in itself. You have dry pasta in the south of Italy, for example. I don’t think any ingredient is intrinsically superior to the others,” he says.

“There’s a time for McDonald’s. There’s a time for fine dining. And there’s a time for instant noodles. It serves a really important purpose beyond the convenience. It’s a matter of the right time at the right place.”

New possibilities for noodles

For regulars in the know, Lai offers an off-menu glimpse of what that philosophy looks like.

In a wide pan, he adds the noodle blocks along with butter and beef fat, frying the mixture until it’s richly caramelized.

Next, he adds tomato pulp and purees.

Then, he slowly ladles some tomato and beef broth into the pan, allowing the noodles to soak up the liquid.

Periodically, Lai scrapes up the slightly crusted noodles from the bottom of the pan, adds a touch more liquid and repeats the process.

Finally, he tops it with slices of beef, tomatoes and the actual spice powder packet that comes with the noodles.

“It’s like the process of cooking spaghetti all’assasina — the noodles become this crispy and chewy tangled mess. It isn’t instant — it takes about 30 minutes to cook because I want to show people the possibilities of the noodles,” he says.

Back in the birthplace of the instant noodle, Japanese corporate producers are exploring their own versions of these possibilities.

While chawamushi — using the broth to make steamed egg custard — and instant noodle fried rice are two popular experimental recipes they’ve shared recently, Nissin is looking for breakthroughs beyond just flavor profiles.

The company is investing heavily in food technology, specifically their Kanzen Meshi (Complete Nutrition) product line, which packs 33 essential nutrients into a standard noodle.

The goal is to shift public perception.

“We aim to expand new possibilities in food that achieve both great taste and health — not by asking what can be done despite being instant food, but precisely by embracing what can be done because it is instant food,” said the rep.

The comforting culinary safety net

Lai, however, is not concerned about instant noodles becoming healthy.

For him, they aren’t meant to become a staple in one’s daily diet. The beauty lies in moderation — taking a moment to appreciate their comforting properties.

“Mental health is important too,” he adds.

But despite their differing outlooks on the noodles’ future, the chef and the instant noodle-making community share a similar reverence for how the creation has remained true to its original meaning.

Nearly seven decades later, Nissin says the group’s business decisions are still heavily directed by Ando’s founding principles: “Peace will come to the world when there is enough food”; “Create foods to serve society”; “Eat wisely for beauty and health”; and “Food-related jobs are a sacred profession.”

As of May 2026, the global members of WINA have delivered about eight million instant noodles as part of disaster relief efforts on 53 occasions.

Aside from providing a reliable and quick food option to those in affected areas, the organization thinks that a warm and satisfying meal like soup noodles could offer “comfort and reassurance” to people in difficult circumstances.

For others like Lai and me, instant noodles serve an important emotional and physical safety net in modern daily life.

“It’s still about serving people who don’t have enough food at the right time,” says Lai.

“When everything else in the city is shut, but you have a packet of noodles at home, it means you can just get a satisfying meal quickly. I think it still fulfills that primary criterion.”

In an era filled with high-stress schedules and endless invisible choices, these promising and reliable five-minute meals — whether it’s masala-flavored instant noodles in India or churrasco (Brazilian-style barbecue) ramen in Brazil — are something to be thankful for.

Maybe that’s why processed noodles, notorious as they are, continue to thrive as a collective culinary culture globally.

Or, as Nissin puts it: “We believe that long-selling brands increasingly belong not to the company, but to the memories and experiences of our consumers.”

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