A new one from Deshome! Not only is it new, but it’s curry! However, it’sd also chlorella. I put one variety on instant noodles on my bottom ten list that was a green tea and chlorella combo. I’m not sure if it was the green tea or the chlorella I dislikes, but I really disliked that one! So I guess we’ll see! As far as chlorella, Wikipedia has this to say:
Chlorella is a genus of single-cellgreen algae, belonging to the phylum Chlorophyta. It is spherical in shape, about 2 to 10 μm in diameter, and is without flagella. Chlorella contains the green photosynthetic pigments chlorophyll-a and -b in its chloroplast. Through photosynthesis, it multiplies rapidly, requiring only carbon dioxide, water, sunlight, and a small amount of minerals to reproduce.[1]
The name Chlorella is taken from the Greekchloros, meaning green, and the Latin diminutive suffix ella, meaning small. German biochemist and cell physiologist Otto Heinrich Warburg, awarded with the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1931 for his research on cell respiration, also studied photosynthesis in Chlorella. In 1961, Melvin Calvin of the University of California received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his research on the pathways of carbon dioxide assimilation in plants using Chlorella.
Many people believe Chlorella could serve as a potential source of food and energy because its photosynthetic efficiency can, in theory, reach 8%,[2] comparable with other highly efficient crops such as sugar cane.
It is an attractive potential food source because it is high in protein and other essential nutrients; when dried, it is about 45% protein, 20% fat, 20% carbohydrate, 5% fibre, and 10% minerals and vitamins. Mass-production methods are now being used to cultivate it in large artificial circular ponds. It is also abundant in calories, fat, and vitamins.[3]
When first harvested, Chlorella was suggested as an inexpensive protein supplement to the human diet. Advocates sometimes focus on other supposed health benefits of the algae, such as claims of weight control, cancer prevention, and immune system support.[3] According to the American Cancer Society, “available scientific studies do not support its effectiveness for preventing or treating cancer or any other disease in humans”.[4]
Under certain growing conditions, Chlorella yields oils that are high in polyunsaturated fats—Chlorella minutissima has yielded EPA at 39.9% of total lipids.[5]
One small (35 participant) study suggested Chlorella supplementation has a positive effect on the reduction of dioxin levels in breast milk and it may also have beneficial effects on nursing infants by increasing the IgA levels in breast milk.[6]
So there we are. Let’s give this a try!
The back of the package (click to enlarge). Looks to be meat free but check for yourself. To prepare, boil 400ml water. Put noodles in bowl and add water, cover for 3-4 minutes. Drain. Stir in curry sauce and it’s done.
Here’s one of the two noodle ‘fans.’
The curry sauce sachet.
This smells quite excellent.
Finished (click image to enlarge). Added fish ball with crab eggs, fish ball with shrimp eggs and green onion. The noodles are very green! They had an odd scent when steeping that was like tea. They have an absolutely wonderful chewiness and gauge. These are top notch folks – then we come to the curry sauce. It’s enough to coat everything nicely and has a wonderfully rich curry taste. There were lots of bits of mushroom and onion throughout and it had a very nice homemade feel. I am thoroughly impressed with this – quite possibly the best Taiwanese variety to date. 5.0 out of 5.0 stars. UPC bar code 4716873922252.
Here’s a news story (starts at 2m45s) on my Top Ten Taiwanese Instant Noodles list I came out with in 2013. Deshome was second place!
