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The instant noodles found in prisons and corrections facilities differ a little from what you find going to the local grocery store. Given the response to the ones I’ve tried, I figured I’d put them all into a single post. I know there are more – for example a regular chicken flavor variety. Also, I know that Maruchan isn’t the only brand that packages them this way. I’ll go into the specifics of what makes them a little different and why.
This one came by way of James from Lakeside, CA – thanks! This is a fancy one – with booze! Yup – there’s alcohol in one of the sachets. Let’s cook it up and see how it goes.
Well, I’ve finally gotten a slew of Korean varieties – some of which I knew of, some never knew existed, thanks to Noodle Journey – another instant noodle review YouTube channel! Thanks! Check out what they sent!
Here’s a variety that I found in one of MiauMall’s Nakama Noodles subscription boxes! Inside, they have 8-10 different varieties from Japan! If you’d like to get one, don’t forget to use the coupon code THERAMENRATER for a discount! Let’s see what they had to say about this one – “Next, we’re headed to Kyoto, a city full of tradition and amazing festivals… and tasty ramen! This ramen features a delicious shoyu and pork base full of flavor. The secret to this cup’s rich, deep flavor is the use of pork fat for added umami and collagen (great for skin)!”
Well this sounds right up my alley! A rice vermicelli laksa that actually comes with fishball! I’m all over this let’s give it a try!
Here’s a variety that I found in one of MiauMall’s Nakama Noodles subscription boxes! Inside, they have 8-10 different varieties from Japan! If you’d like to get one, don’t forget to use the coupon code THERAMENRATER for a discount! Let’s see what they had to say about this one – “Let’s hop on over to Nagasaki—well known for their Spirit Boats in summer and for their famous champon! This champon is soupless but features a delicious sauce that combines the rich taste of tonkotsu with the deep umami of seafood like Japan’s famous scallop!”
A bowl of beef pho from Snapdragon. Really not looking forward to this; far and few between are Snapdragon varieties that I’ve really liked. I suppose I will atempt to ‘slurp happy’ as they recommend on the packaging. Well, let’s make an attempt.
Found this at the local Grocery Outlet store – 50c. Cheap and I’m kind of poor right now so figured why not. As it turns out, this one is interesting. This is distributed by Albany Farms. Ring a bell? Albany Farms was the distributor for Panda Signature, archenemy of ravenous Maruchan fans who shop only at Walmart during the pandemic.. Well, I’ve had the chicken version of this and it was pretty abyssmal. Let’s see what the beef does.
The second of two varieties of egg white noodles. These are much thinner – really curious if they’ll do well when made dry with some Hae Bee Hiam sambal from MAlaysia? I suppose we will find out!
I don’t normally review noodles – I review noodles and seasoning. But when I caught wind of this, I thought maybe I should reach out to the company. Sure enough, they sent samples – so I’m going to give ’em a try. What’s fascinating is that these are egg white noodles. That’s pretty much it – egg whites and water. Let’s see what happens.
Well, this is interesting. Nissin USA sent me a pack of this stuff – thanks! What’s interesting is that I’ve had this before; sort of. Nissin Indonesia has a Geki range as well – here’s a link to their carbonara flavor. I think you might be putting it together pretty quick – fiery hot chicken, carbonara… Yup. Definitely popular flavors these days. Let’s give this a try – there’ll be a mukbang at the bottom.
Here’s a variety that I found in one of MiauMall’s Nakama Noodles subscription boxes! Inside, they have 8-10 different varieties from Japan! If you’d like to get one, don’t forget to use the coupon code THERAMENRATER for a discount! Let’s see what they had to say about this one – “Last up is this tasty yakisoba from the famous Maruchan! Yakisoba is a festival classic, so you can’t have a festival box with out it. This pack features tasty noodles and a flavorful yakisoba sauce with a tasty sea lettuce and red ginger topping for a full festival experience!”
Big thanks to James from Lakeside, CA for this one. Man, I wish I had a duck to cook up and put in here, or at least some scratch to go buy some duck, which would be infinitely easier. But alas, I don’t. When I visited MAMA in 2015 over in Thailand, I had duck a few times. Duck is great; I mean great. Anyways, let’s cook thisup and give it a try!
Here’s a variety that I found in one of MiauMall’s Nakama Noodles subscription boxes! Inside, they have 8-10 different varieties from Japan! If you’d like to get one, don’t forget to use the coupon code THERAMENRATER for a discount! Let’s see what they had to say about this one – “Time to head to Hakata for their interpretation of the Gion Festival and some tasty tonkotsu ramen! Hakata is famous for its creamy pork bone ramen, but this cup kicks it up a notch with pork fat for a deep, rich flavor and accents of onion, garlic and sesame!”
Here’s a variety that I found in one of MiauMall’s Nakama Noodles subscription boxes! Inside, they have 8-10 different varieties from Japan! If you’d like to get one, don’t forget to use the coupon code THERAMENRATER for a discount! Let’s see what they had to say about this one – “Here’s another selection that will set your mouth aflame in a great way! This ramen features a tasty miso base with the addition of beef and gochujang to create a soup that is nutty, full of umami and deliciously spicy!”
In early December-ish, I found a neat post on Instagram about Nissin Deutschland’s Instant Noodle Advent Calendar. I thought it would be a great thing to show peopole for Christmastime! Well, I contacted them a little late, and so it literally arrived yesterday (Jan 2nd). Well, it’s way too cool not to show and if they do one again next year, I’ve set a reminder to find out at the beginning of November – I think it would be fun to do one every day until Christmas and do a video cooking it. Today, I’m going to open all of them one by one! Let’s give it a look! Big thanks to the folks at Nissin DE for sending this over!
A final big thank you to the person who sent me these – they work in a prison and didn’t want to be identified, so if you’re reading this, thank you very much! This is the last of the four prison varieties they sent. A little background – they’re clear so as to make it hard to smuggle in or hide contraband – stuff you mustn’t have in prison. This flavor is one you won’t find outside of prisons or correctional facilities; period. A special distributor deals with these for Maruchan. They definitely aren’t interested in hearing from you – I called them up once and they were very uninterested in selling or sending me samples and said try going to prison. So don’t bother them as you’d be wasting your time. Well, with that, let’s try this one.
Another variety that was sent by James of Lakeside, CA. The last of these Hoang Gia varieties I tried was really pretty good. Curious if this is just going to be the same thing with a little bit of heat. Time to find out!
A really neat one from James of Lakeside, CA – thanks again! So this is a snack noodle concoction. I don’t know exactly how to present it other than in a bowl at the end so that’s probably all I will do and the video will be short but hey – I’ll give it it’s day in the sun. Sounds really good – let’s check it out!
Here’s a variety that I found in one of MiauMall’s Nakama Noodles subscription boxes! Inside, they have 8-10 different varieties from Japan! If you’d like to get one, don’t forget to use the coupon code THERAMENRATER for a discount! Let’s see what they had to say about this one – “We love yakisoba, and while it can be found all over Japan, one of our noodle staff has fond memories of eating this by the ocean at summer festivals. This yakisoba features a traditional yakisoba sauce with tons of flavor and tasty chicken soup to enjoy on the side!”
This one took a little digging, but found what it was eventually. It’s a pan mee – a flat noodle. Curious what a Chinese pan mee will be like – guess we’ll find out!
Okay – so no, you can’t really get this outside of a rison. Why? It’s just the deal. The clear packs don’t allow contraband. Who makes these? Maruchan. Who distributes them? Folks who want nothing to do with you so don’t bother them. I got some from a person who works for a prison as an employee. No. He’s anonymous. Anyways, there’s a lot of interest in these varieties. So, I’ll review it. They’re pretty good and different.
Here’s a variety that I found in one of MiauMall’s Nakama Noodles subscription boxes! Inside, they have 8-10 different varieties from Japan! If you’d like to get one, don’t forget to use the coupon code THERAMENRATER for a discount! Let’s see what they had to say about this one – Let’s slow it down and take a break from the festival fun with some tasty shio ramen! This bowl combines the umami of chicken and pork with a tasty salt base that is light yet full of flavor. With accents of pepper”
Here’s a variety that I found in one of MiauMall’s Nakama Noodles subscription boxes! Inside, they have 8-10 different varieties from Japan! If you’d like to get one, don’t forget to use the coupon code THERAMENRATER for a discount! Let’s see what they had to say about this one – “Last on our list is the revamp of Raoh’s classic tonkotsu shoyu pack! This pack features the classic plump and chewy noodles Raoh is famous for as well as a special broth that incorporates Kagoshima black pork with shoyu and hints of garlic!”
Big thanks to James from Lakeside, CA for sending this along. I have to say, I don’t understand what jjajang has to do with Italian influence. Chapagetti, Chacharoni – and this guy. Jjajangmyeon (black bean sauce noodle) is a fusion of Chinese and South Korean cuisine. I will say the chef is kinda funny insofar that if his moustache was larger, he could be dastardly twisting it like a bad guy in an old cartoon. Nothing bad about topokki though – let’s give it a try!
It’s been awhile since my last roundup of Chinese varieties and I thought a new one would be good. There’s been a flood of great Chinese varieties that I’ve found here in the US lately. I do know that there’s a lot I’ve not had the chance to try and would very much like to. If you’re a manufacturer or distributor of instant noodles from China, I’d love to hear from you and sample your products. With that, let’s take a look at The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Chinese Instant Noodles Of All Time 2025 Edition.
Here’s another one you can only find… In prison. Yup – clear packaging is a giveaway. You can’t get these elsewhere – you will never see them in a grocery store. They are distributed by a company called Keefe Group – don’t call Keefe Group. They don’t want to talk to you – trust me I found out by calling them. This and three other varieties were sent by an anonymous donor – thanks again! Let’s give this a try.
This one came out of a Zenpop box a while back. I didn’t get any explanation of what we have here, but the research I did via bar code came up with the title. Sounds good to me – let’s check it out!
Thanks to James from Lakeside, CA for this one. This pack had a particular problem which could’ve been far worse and made it unusable. The problem? Sometimes when packs are sealed, sachets get in there as well. This one has that particular issue. You’ll see it below. Anyways, there’s a few scenarios. Maybe they just had one that did this. Maybe a hundred or a thousand. Maybe they didn’t know when this started happening in a production run. Maybe they didn’t care. Anyways, it was a dry sachet so thats okay, but still. Let’s give it a try.
Big thanks to Yee Lee for sending some new varieties! These they sent are for the Singapore market. The flavors of these noodles sound spot on so ready to give them a try! Check em’ out!
I look at Instagram and often see new varieties and things I’ve not tried. That was the case with this new range so I went ahead and contacted Nissin Singapore and they sent a gigantic box! Let’s crack it open and see what’s inside!
Thanks go to Pher Engi for sending this one – much appreciated! This one’s got quite a long name. I think this is a spicy beef variety. Let’s find out.
First, I’d like to send big thanks to a person who works at a prison who doesn’t want to be identified. This is something some of you might know, but many will not. This is prison ramen. Notice the package has a lot of clear space? That’s to make it hard to conceal contraband people might like to bring in. Maybe not bring in per se, maybe things that were brough in and wanted to be hidden? I know a lot of you will ask where you can get this. Prison. Jail. Grocery store? No. Will the distributor sell it to me? No. They’re very clear on that – I’ve contacted them in the past and it’s definitely not going to happen. Yeah. So if you want some of these noodles, you’ll have to do something to end up in a corrections facility, or luck out and be contacted by someone that works at one and offers you some. I will say if you are really wanting this stuff check on eBay as you might be able to find it there from time to time. Anyways, let’s cook it up.
I really wanted to demo this stuff with something like, oh I dunno – Buldak Kimchi – which would’ve been fun. Unfortunately, they have so curtailed their individual pack options at HMart that there were literally only two Korean varieties. Yep. I ended up getting a pack of Meoguri at the local grocery store – pretty sad. I went with Neoguri though because it’s quite nice stuff, and I believe I saw a video of this kimchi mix being used with Neoguri – seems an apt pairing. Well, let’s give it a shot!
Today, I’m unboxing MiauMall’s Nakama Noodles box. I’d say this is a great gift for someone who loves ramen – it won’t get to them for the holidays, however you can let them know they’ll be getting some really awesome Japanese ramen in the new year! You can get their monthly selection of 8-10 varieties – and this box they sent was full of varieties I’ve never reviewed before, plus they include PACKS!!! I’ll be doing unboxings for them and have a coupon code you can use – THERAMENRATER (of course)! Watch the video below – you’ll see why I’m excited.
Here’s a variety that I found in one of MiauMall’s Nakama Noodles subscription boxes! Inside, they have 8-10 different varieties from Japan! If you’d like to get one, don’t forget to use the coupon code THERAMENRATER for a discount! Let’s see what they had to say about this one – “Miso ramen is famous in Hokkaido, but this pack changes things up by taking it to coastal prefecture of Kagoshima. This tasty pack combines rich miso with a Kagoshima pork dashi (Japanese soup stock) to create an extra savory bowl of ramen!”
Here’s another neat one by way of James from Lakeside, CA. This is another one where I dunno who they think they’re foolin’ but it sure looks like a different brand. Regardless, it’s time to cook, so lets.
So I did this review the morning that my daughter Miriam was born eight years ago today. Happy Birthday, Miriam! I’ve been reposting it every year with a little update. So, here it is!
Another one sent by James of Lakeside, CA – thanks again! Nope – no noodles here, but definitely something you’ll find on shelves next to instant ramyun bowls, that’s for sure. tteokbokki are tubes of rice cake which are soft and chewy – and in this one they’re in a spicy, sweet sauce. Let’s check it out and give it a try!
