One of the very last (indeed the next to last) varieties sent in by Pher Engi of Australia – thanks again! I’m not sure of how rendang on a stick differs from regular rendang insofar as an instant noodle flavor. I guess we’ll find out!
Author: Hans "The Ramen Rater" Lienesch
#4766: Ching’s Secret Hot Garlic Instant Noodles – India
While this post will publish long after today, I would like to congratulate the people of India on this day! Why? Well, India has landed a craft on the moon! Yeah! I’ve always been into both science fiction as well as science fact. This is very cool stuff – and it looks like there’s a new space race going on currently. Unfortunately, a Russian lander crashed on the moon which is an expensive setback – a couple days ago. Can’t wait to see what the future is like a hundred years from now (don’t worry – I’ll still be around reviewing instant noodles).
#4765: Vite Ramen x Onigiri Vegan Spicy Seiso v3.0 – United States
Okay so this is all new to me and required a bit of research to figure out a couple things. What’/who is Onigiri in this one?
#4764: Nissin no Assari Odashi ga Oishii Donbei Nikudashi Udon – Japan
Here’s one that came in a Zenpop box. Here’s what they had to say about it – ‘This line of noodles let you try regional variations from all over Japan, with its base being “W Dashi”: a deep flavored soup made with bonito. This noodle series is famous for udon and soba. This time we have one of the udon bowls, with donbei beef flavor.’
#4763: Indomie Mi Goreng Rasa Sambal Rica-Rica – Indonesia
Another exotic variety from Indonesia sent kindly by Pher Engi of Australia – thank you yet again! So what’s rica-rica? Wikipedia was nice enough to have some backstory –
#4762: Samyang Buldak Hot Chicken Rendang Curry – South Korea
Well, look at this! Thanks to The Fat Hipster for sending this over! It’s kind of funny – this is the first of three varieties sent and I’ve been kind of slow to get to them as they’re not instant noodles, they’re curry sauces. However, lately I’ve been making curries constantly lately. I’ve learned the way of black cardamom too. But here we have one by a company also known for their spicy instant noodle. I actually made butter chicken last night too. Let’s see how this one goes.
#4761: Vite Ramen Roasted Soy Sauce Chicken v3.0 – United States
Hey check out the new packaging on the Vite Ramen! This is version 3.0 – I tried the cup version which was pretty cool previously, and here is the new pack 3.0. They sent a slew of new stuff – let’s check it out!
#4760: Kracie Popin’ Cookin’ Tanoshii Ramen – Japan
This one was for a special occasion – the 2,000th episode of Instant Noodle Recipe Time. I thought hey – why not let my wife and daughter have some fun making this one. I figure I’m not going to be doing a great job on this one lol – gooey and gummy stuff sounds frustrating, so I figured I’d leave it to them. They’ve never done an episode together either, so I thought hey – why not? The episode is at the bottom. Let’s check it out!
#4759: Indomie Rasa Soto Lamongan – Indonesia
A big thank you to Pher Engi of Australia for sending this! So there are many varieties of soto, and they are regiolnally different. Herew’s a translation of some info I found on the Indonesian Wikipedia –
#4758: Samyang Buldak Chicken Vindaloo Curry – South Korea
Well, look at this! Thanks to The Fat Hipster for sending this over! It’s kind of funny – this is the first of three varieties sent and I’ve been kind of slow to get to them as they’re not instant noodles, they’re curry sauces. However, lately I’ve been making curries constantly lately. I’ve learned the way of black cardamom too. But here we have one by a company also known for their spicy instant noodle. I actually made butter chicken last night too. Let’s see how this one goes.
#4757: Mie Sedaap Instant Cup Mi Goreng – Indonesia
I’ve reviewed something like this before I’m pretty sure but this is new packaging so an update is in order. Couldn’t get that sticker off the side so unfortunately you can only imagine what’s underneath it, so put on your thinking caps… Imagine – hard! Yeah, not too exciting. Anyways, let’s make mi goreng!
#4756: Ramen Talk Taiwan Style Braised Beef Noodle Soup – China
Oh no – the last one… I really liked these – I sincerely hope the make even more varieties. Some of the best stuff I’ve had from China. Well, let’s give braised beef a try!
Indomie Mi Goreng Quesadilla Recipe
So, it was a Friday. Didn’t feel like doing reviews and hads a day of laundry and hanging with the kids. So, I thought I’d shoot a quick video and mess with AI.
#4755: Indomie Mi Goreng Rasa Cakalang – Indonesia
A big thank you to Pher Engi for sending these along! I’m getting really low on varieties to review at this point – I’ve been doing four reviews a day lately and have been trying to do so all the way up to my kids going back to school. Twenty days to go until they’re back! They’ve had a lot of fun this summer, but they miss their friends from school of course. So – what is cakalang? It’s skipjack tuna. Many years ago, you could easily find an Indomie variety here (among others you can’t anymore) which mentioned skipjack tuna flavor. Let’s give this one a try.
#4754: Mom’s Dry Noodle Oyster Flavor Vermicelli With Scallop – Taiwan
Here’s something not seen before – a bowl from the folks at Mom’s Dry Noodle! Not only that, it’s got a pop-top – you’ll see that below. Let’s give this soup with scallop a try!
#4753: Samyang Buldak Butter Chicken Curry – South Korea
Well, look at this! Thanks to The Fat Hipster for sending this over! It’s kind of funny – this is the first of three varieties sent and I’ve been kind of slow to get to them as they’re not instant noodles, they’re curry sauces. However, lately I’ve been making curries constantly lately. I’ve learned the way of black cardamom too. But here we have one by a company also known for their spicy instant noodle. I actually made butter chicken last night too. Let’s see how this one goes.
#4752: Indomie Rasa Soto Spesial – Indonesia
Big thanks to Pher Engi of Australia for sending this along! Just spent a couple minutes researching koya gurih. It seems like it is a fried cracker which is pulzerized and then added to soups. I’ve run across this before – years back. Let’s give it a go!
#4751: Yamadai Miso Ramen Japanese Style Noodles – United States
I tried the shoyu variety recently and it was pretty good. Both are definitely packaged for sale in the United States. Let’s try the miso today!
#4750: NoodleMix Konjac Instant Cup – Taiwan
Here’s the last of the varieties sent by NoodleMix – and it’s been a really interesting range I’ve enjoyed. This one was a little difficult to figure out how to cook (well, since Idon’t read Chinese text) but they were quick to assist. Let’s give it a go!
Update #4: The Ramen Rater Humbly Asks For Your Help
UPDATE 2/19/2024 – Well, this is hopefully the last update. I want to thank everyone who has been so kind. Asking one last time hopefully, barring an apocalypse. Thanks again!
#4749: Knorr Shrimp Broth Quick Serve Macaroni – Hong Kong
But that’s not ramen! The throng of people screamed in unison! They wept openly. Well, that was silly – this one could be found on the instant ramen aisle . This is popular stuff in Hong Kong and I found it locally and figure hey why not. Macaroni only seems to enjoy the company of cheese here, but not elsewhere. Let’s cook.
#4748: NoodleMix 3 Flavors In 1 Noodle – Dry Noodle – Taiwan
This one seems a little different. So, it says 3 flavors in 1 noodle. There are three types of noodles and 1 flavor – I think that was the deal. It looks like I didn’t get the feedback for this review when I did it awhile back.
#4737: FF (Fashion Food) Oriental Flavoured Instant Noodles – Thailand
A big thank you again to Pher Engi for sending these all the way from Australia – much appreciated!!! To be honest, I’m curious what this will taste like. Soy sauce flavor? Not a clue. I guess only one way to find out!
#4736: Ramen Talk Japanese Volcano Bolognese Ramen – China
I tried four varieties of these a little while back and was thoroughly impressed. Now I’ve got three more to try that sound really good! Let’s give em’ a try!
#4735: Nissin Cup Noodles Veggie Miso Japanese Style Soup – Germany
See, I have a problem. I love vegetarian friendly products – however, I tend to add meat to them. The thing I like about these products is that they usually have a smoother flavor. I’m curious about this one. I also just cut 81 slices of chashu this morning, a ton of narutomaki, and I have marinated soft boiled eggs in the refrigerator. Let’s use the resources!
#4734: Nissin Cup Noodle Chili Tomato – Japan
Here’s one that came in a Zenpop.jp box – use coupon code THERAMENRATER for a groovy discount!
#4733: Nissin The Ramen Masters Hakata Tonkotsu Ramen – Germany
Here’s a cup that came by way of the folks at Nissin Foods in Germany! This is a special collab cup with a German ramen shop. Sounds good! Let’s cook it up.
#4732: Nissin no Edosoba – Japan
Here’s one that came in a Zenpop.jp box – use coupon code THERAMENRATER for a groovy discount!
#4731: Vedan Jhen Mian Tang Garlic Pesto Noodle – United States
This is great – I saw this at S*Mart and couldn’t resist. I generally resist purchasing multipacks as I usually just need one, maybe two package to do a review. I was thinking though perhaps my daughter might like this one so there will be extras. Definitely made in Taiwan, packaged for US sale. One thing too – you might think this is pronounced Vey-dan – it is not. The ve is pronounced ‘way’. So now you know – let’s cook!
Zenpop.jp Ramen Unboxing – February 2024 + Coupon Code
It’s time to unbox a Zenpop.jp box – you get seven varieties of instant noodles to try! I would say that almost every time I’ve gotten one of these, I’ve never tried any of them before which is really awesome. Great as a gift or to hoard for yourself! Use coupon code THERAMENRATER for a groovy discount! Let’s check it out!
#4730: Pink Rocket Original Rapokki – United States
Well, here we are. The standard stuff. This was found at GMart in Lynnwood, Washington. So, what is it? It’s a combination of ramyun and tteokbokki – which are tubes of rice flour that are chewy and truly wondrous. Anyways, these really have been hit and miss on preparation – either dry or exploding in the microwave. Let’s give it another try.
Ramen Bae Sends Amazing Ramen Toppings
A reader asked if I’d tried Ramen Bae recently and I hadn’t, so I reached out to the company. I got a reply from founder Jonathan Tan and a nice note mentioning he’d send some samples, and here we are. Since this unboxing, I’ve tried both and they’re really quite wonderful – if you’re looking for something like this, this is great stuff. I should also mention he sent another box with the Spicy Garlic version which I’ll share soon! Let’s check this one out.
#4729: Current Instant Noodles Spicy Chicken – India
Found this at a local Indian grocery yesterday and very pleased that I did. I’ve seen these around online but never in a store and they had single packs which makes things much easier! Let’s crack it open and give it a try!
#4728: Bulramen Artificial Spicy Chicken Flavor – South Korea
This is the third one of these. They’ve all been kind of Buldak copycats but definitely not the same heat level by any means – the extra spicy was spicy indeed, but not as spicy as 2x, yada yada yada. I really dislike comparing any individual variety to another, however this is such an obvious copy of a well known product that I’m going slightly rogue. I’m curious though – since this looke to be about the same style as the original Buldak, will it be as hot? Will it taste good? Well, let’s find out.
#4727: Maggi 2-Minute Noodles Masala – United States
Yet another packaging design – it should also be noted that this one doesn’t say spicy masala and just masala. I found this at Indian Sweets & Spices in Shoreline, Washington yesterday. Yesterday was a day of finding particular things. I’ve been doing a lot of curry lately and I got some nice basmati, some noodles, some black cardamom and mango pickle there. I also went and got a half pork belly at Double DD Meats, a great butcher shop and holy grail for hot sauces and all things spicy. I must note that while this is made in India, it’s certainly an export version specifically for sale in the United States. Anyways, time to cook.
UPDATE #3: The Ramen Rater Humbly Asks For Your Help
UPDATE 2/8/2024 – It’s pretty daunting. The end is in sight though. Currently, just paid for the security package for the blog – $200. It’s a lot but after being hacked a couple years ago, that’s one thing that can’t go unpaid or delayed. $2 to my name. They just started charging for my wife’s meds out of the blue – sounds like a new year thing. So we’re both in the crapper as it were. Tax return should be alright but about a month til we’ll see that we reckon. Want to thank everyone who has helped so much – without your kindness, we’d be is an even worse spot than we are, although pretty grim currently. Hopefully the next update will be much better, but for now if you can send something it would be appreciated. Been broke since October. Tough thing to get used to.
Meet ‘The Ramen Conqueror!’
A friend of mine shared a link with a great article today about a guy who I haven’t heard from in a while. Ramen Conqueror Piki! He saw what I was doing and decided he needed to do the same over in South Korea! Below is an interview I did with him in 2017 – he was kind enough to include pictures of me and my family in the book . This is from six years ago. Hope he’s doing well!
#4726: Chewy Seafood Flavour Quick Serve Macaroni – Hong Kong
Another one found at S*Mart. I know, it’s not ramen or instant noodles per se, however it’s something you might find on the instant noodle aisle as I did. Usually these aren’t bad – definitely not a thick broth or anything, but a nice flavor and thin walled macaroni. First found this kind of thing years back in Canada with some Nissin varieties. Anyways, let’s proceed.
#4725: Acecook Light Tonkotsu Ramen – South Korea
This one is definitely a trip – so it’s made in Vietnam for the South Korean market. Found it of course at the famed S*Mart – that’s right kids – shop SMart – shop S*Mart! I really don’t think any people in that Korean store have seen Army Of Darkness, but honestly I think they’d get a kick out of it. Anyways, let’s commence.
The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten South Korean Instant Noodles Of All Time 2024 Edition
This one usually comes out in January, but a little late this year on edits. However, this one’s ready to go! This is my list of favorite South Korean varieties from my reviews up to number 4,650. Definitely want to try more South Korean varieties – especially those only found in South Korea – not export versions if at all possible. Anyways, let’s boil some water and check out The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten South Korean Instant Noodles Of All Time 2024 Edition!