A lot of people have come to my site from the United States, knowing only a couple varieties, those usually being chicken or beef, pack or cup. If that’s you, this is kind of a beginner’s guide to exploring the different brands and varieties that are pretty easily sourced here in the States. You can find many of these in your local grocery store, although some might require a trip to the Asian grocery, or to Amazon. But all of them can be found here, unlike many I review that only are sold in their local countries. Many of these have even been on my top ten lists, past and present – so get ready to have some of my favorite and most memorable varieties that you can easily find here in the United States!
Domestics
All of these are made in the United States and will be the easiest to find.
Nongshim Shin Bowl Noodle Soup
This microwavable version of the popular Shin Ramyun was absolutely wonderful. Very tasty noodles and a broth that has heat and excellent flavor to it. Not only that, it cooks up very quickly in the microwave and there’s nothing to clean up afterwards. I think my favorite add-ons for this one are cheese and kimchi. Original Review / Amazon
Maruchan Creamy Chicken Flavor Ramen Noodle Soup
They say that chicken soup is good for what ails you, and whenever I am feeling under the weather of want some nice comfort food on a cold day, this is my definite go-to. What’s great is that the broth is indeed creamy – almost like a hint of cream of chicken soup is in there. This is great stuff – I rarely add anything to it, but I would recommend maybe some corn. Original review / Amazon
Nissin Cup Noodles Ramen Noodle Soup With Shrimp
Recently, Nissin Foods down in Gardena, California decided to change things up a bit. The Cup Noodle has been a ubiquitous and easy go-to staple since 1971, but the cup itself has been the same since then. No more. They decided to change it up a little by making it microwavable, contains materials resulting in 20% less carbon emissions, and making it ‘customizable.’ How so? Well, there’s extra room in the cup now – you can add a little bit of vegetable and meat in the cup, add the water, microwave, and there you are – an instant cup noodle with your own spin on things. Note – these are only available at Super Walmart to start with but will be available everywhere as time goes on. Original review / Amazon
Sapporo Ichiban Chow Mein
This has been a favorite of mine for years because of its supreme versatility. The noodles are broth-free but have a great chow mein/yakisoba flavor – which is a salty Worcestershire kind of affair. Original review / Amazon
Imports
Many of these will be easily found in bog box grocery stores, some might require an Asian grocery or Amazon.
MAMA Shrimp Creamy Tom Yum Flavor Oriental Style Instant Noodles – Thailand
To those who enjoy Thai food, this will be a very nice treat. The noodles are just a tad thinner than your standard domestic instant noodles. What’s fascinating about them too is that they don’t continue to gorge themselves on the broth the longer they sit; which is kind of nice if you want to make some of these and bring them with you somewhere. The broth has a brilliant color to start with, and a milky kind of look to it. The flavor is that of shrimp, lemongrass and spicy chillis. I would recommend pairing it with some nice shrimp, coriander (aka cilantro), your favorite pepper and a slice of lime. Original review / Amazon
Indomie Mi Instan Mi Goreng – Indonesia
Not only is this one versatile, it’s very unique in that it comes with so many sachets! The noodles are your standard gauge instant, but that’s where the ‘standard’ stops. The sachets contain a myriad of extras which are just awesome. Sweet soy sauce which is a thick, syrupy sweet soy sauce, a sweet chilli sauce that’s spicy, a seasoned oil, a dry base with chilli powder and finally a crunchy fried onion garnish to put on top. This goes really great with a fried egg on top for breakfast. Original review / Amazon
Prima Taste Singapore Laksa La Mian – Singapore
Third time on my top ten instant noodles list. The noodles are thick and have a great chewiness to them – definitely on the premium end of the stick and very impressive. The broth is a deep and flavorful one, with a richness to it that’s really quite amazing. When you open the package, you’re greeted by a huge noodle block and a couple big seasoning sachets – one full of coconut powder, the other with laksa paste. The broth is thick from the coconut powder which gives it a sort of milkiness. The paste had all sorts of things going on – has a great homemade ‘stewed for hours’ kind of feel. It’s a little spicy and a little sweet. Original review / Amazon
Nongshim Soon Veggie Ramen – South Korea
The South Korean ramyun noodles are thick and chewier than your standard gauge instant noodles – plus there’s a lot of them here. The broth is very much like Nongshim’s popular Shin Ramyun, but a tad less spicy. Get yourself some tofu puffs at the Asian market as well as some nice vegetables to fill this one out. Certified Vegan, too! Original review / Amazon
Paldo Cheese Noodle – South Korea
To start off, the noodles are thick. The broth is made with a sachet with a sachet of spicy red powder and one with cheese powder. They go together like chocolate and peanut butter. A nice addition to this one is even more cheese! Like the package shows, put in some Swiss cheese – it gets all gooey and really beefs things up. By the way – beef goes really well in this too! Original review / Amazon
Koka Instant Non-Fried Noodles Laksa Singapura Flavor – Singapore
This one’s here for the folks looking for a lower calorie, lower fat option. These noodles are baked and so all of the oil used to fry instant noodles aren’t anywhere to be found, resulting is about a third of the fat. The noodles are extremely good too – a slightly nicer than normal instant with a very familiar gauge to them. The flavor is that of a spicy and sour seafood. The broth is nice and flavorful and lends itself well to fish balls, shrimp, tofu and veggies of all kinds. Original review / Amazon
I like so many of these and a lot of them are pretty easy to find, I can get Indomie MiGoreng at my grocery store as well as a few Nongshim varieties, such as Shin Ramyun. Sadly, my local Asian markets dont have the Soon Veggie Noodle and the Paldo Cheese Ramyun which I really want to try :(/ Wish I could find the Koka noodles too, never seen them anywhere around me.