Today I’m posting the last of my series of travelogues covering my trip to visit the folks that manufacture MAMA noodles, Thai President Foods. Being a resolute fan of instant noodles from the world over, the ability to visit where they’re manufactured anywhere is really fascinating to me. This one in pack version was on my Top Ten Instant Noodle Of All Time 2014 Edition. I was lucky enough to be next to a convenience store where we stayed the bulk of our stay in Bangkok.
I got to visit 7-11! You might be wondering why that would be a big deal…
Now you understand? This is almost the whole aisle right across from the Slurpee machines. Just a huge selection of cup and bowl noodles. Of course, there’s a lot more to Thailand than 7-11, so have a look at my travelogue! Now, let’s learn a little about yentafo from Wikipedia:
Yong tau foo ( also spelled yong tao foo, yong tau fu, or yong tau hu yong tofu;yentafo in Thailand) is a Hakka Chinese food consisting primarily of tofu that has been filled with either a ground meat mixture or fish paste (surimi). Variation of this food include vegetables and mushrooms stuff with ground meat or surimi. Yong tau foo is eaten in numerous ways, either dry with a sauce or served as asoup dish.
It is commonly found in China, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand, and in cities where there are large Teochew and Hokkien populations.
South East Asia
In South East Asia, the term “yong tau foo” is used to described a dish instead of the stuffed tofu item exclusively. The dish can contain a varied selection of food items, including young tau foo, fish balls, crab sticks, bitter melons, cuttlefish,lettuce, ladies fingers, as well as chilis, and various forms of fresh produce, seafood and meats common in Chinese cuisine. Vegetables such as bitter melon and chilis are usually filled with surimi. The foods are then sliced into bite-size pieces, cooked briefly in boiling broth and then served either in the broth as soup or with the broth in a separate bowl. The dish is eaten with chopsticks and a soup spoon and can be eaten by itself or served with a bowl of steamed rice, noodles, or Rice vermicelli . Another variation of this dish would be to serve it with laksagravy or curry sauce. Essential accompaniments are a spicy, vinegary chili sauce, originally made with red fermented bean curd and distantly similar in taste to Sriracha sauce, and a distinctive brown sweet bean sauce or hoisin sauce for dipping.
Alright! Let’s check out this yentafo mohfai flavor cup from MAMA!
Detail of the side panels (click image to enlarge). Not sure if it contains meat. To prepare, empty sachets into cup and fill to line with boiling water. Cover for 3 minutes. Stir and enjoy!
Detail of the lid (click image to enlarge).
An included fork!
The noodle block.
The dry soup base sachet.
A granular mixture.
A seasoned oil sachet.
Has a spicy scent.
A solid ingredients sachet.
Has a fish scent.
Finished (click image to enlarge). Added kamaboko, shrimp, imitation crab, sliced squid, fish ball, tofu puff, red bell pepper, white onion, coriander and mint. The noodles have the standard wonderful gauge and chew of the MAMA wheat noodles that are in their cups. They have a nice texture and flavor to them. The broth is great – a nice color, spiciness and flavor that is a little sweet and very unique. Translates perfectly to a cup – perfect! 5.0 out of 5.0 stars.EAN bar code 8850987142710.
MAMA Instant Cup Noodles Yentafo Tom Yum Mohfal Flavour
This is a ‘making of’ video for the new TV commercials for MAMA noodles – here’s a link to the commercials themselves.
