Author: Hans "The Ramen Rater" Lienesch

Meet The Manufacturer: #1353: Mamee Instant Noodles Vegetarian Flavour

Today we have a bright green package – vegetarian flavor. It seems most product lines have at least one variety that’s vegetarian. The approximations of what a general ‘vegetable’ tastes like however has differed from brand to brand, from the vile to the exalted tasty treat. This one’s made with the ‘Mi Tarik’ technology at Mamee’s factory. This is where they emulate the technique of hand-pulling noodles with their equipment. Hand pulling noodles is interesting; the chef starts with a long thick roll, doubles it up, flours it, then swings it around a bit. This is repeated, doubling the amount of strands every time until there are a couple hundred noodles. I’ll put a video at the end showing someone doing this. Anyways, let’s give these vegetarian noodles a try! ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #1351: Mamee Monster Chicken Flavour Snack Noodles

Mamee Monster is Mamee’s line of snack noodles. I’ve been really wanting to try these for a long time. Snack noodles are noodles that are seasoned and crushed and eaten without any cooking; kind of like potato chips or corn chips. I’ve seen these online quite a few times and always though hey – look it’s a blue monster and it’s instant noodles – rad!! So let’s have a look at this popular Malaysian snack. ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #1350: Mamee Chef Curry Laksa Flavour

The 2013 top ten list I did was highlighted by two flavors at the very top: laksa and curry. Here we find both together! This is one of Mamee’s new Mamee Chef line of premium instant noodles. They use a technology that emulates ‘la mian,’ or hand-pulled noodles. I went to the store yesterday to see if I could find some nice acompaniments for this special pack – let’s check out how laksa and curry play together! ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: Interview With Mamee Double Decker

Meet The Manufacturer: Product Samples From Mamee Double-Decker

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Pinky sent me a tracking number and I waited. Packages containing food products from overseas are often scrutinized by the Department of Agriculture, and more than once I’ve found they’ve not made it through. Happily, this big, awesome box of goodness came through! Let’s see what’s within! ...see full post

#1347: Paldo Bulnak Bokkummyun Spicy Fried Octopus Ramyun

Today I’m trying something really interesting. This is Paldo’s new spicy octopus ramyun! I thought I couldn’t make this stuff without adding some octopus, but I’d never cooked it before and was a little reserved and slightly nervous. Octopus? Hey, why not! I went to the Korean grocery and picked some up. It was a bit of a surprise how many different kinds of packaged octopus there are. I settled on frozen baby octopus. Let’s see how it turns out! ...see full post

#7431: Earth Instant Noodles Natural Flavor

I thought today I would try this interesting variety. A lot of people are very health conscious these days and are looking for something that is also ‘Earth friendly.’ Well, here’s an option. This is a new brand I’ve never heard of before. There’s really no information about them online and their packaging has no information about where it’s made, nor a website to check out their company. Hmmm… Well, let’s have a look at this one – I’m really curious! ...see full post

#1346: Oyatsu Baby Star Ramen Round Consomme Mini

Here’s a neat one I got at Fujiya up in Richmond, BC during this year’s birthday trip! This is a snack ramen – basically cooked and dried ramen that’s crunchy and tasty! I really like finding new ones to try as eventually I’m thinking a top ten list of snack ramen noodles will be produced. Anyways, let’s have a look! ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #1345: Lotus Foods Forbidden Rice Ramen

Today’s the last day of this awesome Meet The Manufacturer, and I wanted to save the one I found most curious for the end. I’ve NEVER seen anything like this before. These noodles are dark – almost black! They’re made from Lotus Foods’ Forbidden Rice – something I’ve enjoyed for a long time. Forbidden Rice was originally served to Chinese emperors – who resided in the Forbidden City. ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #1344: Lotus Foods Millet & Brown Rice Ramen

Here’s the second of three varieties of this new ‘Rice Ramen.’ This one is a bit different than the last as it boasts a red miso and uses millet and brown aspects for its noodle. What’s really great about these new products is that they’re Vegan friendly and gluten free – lots of people have asked me about gluten and vegetarian instants and I’m thinking these might be a nice one for those folks to try. Let’s check this one out! ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #1341: Cuisine Adventures Chicken Phở Soup

Pho is a great noodle soup enjoyed world wide. I’ve had varieties in packs and bowls before, but really nothing like this; it’s truly something completely different from what I’ve had in the past. It’s in a bowl, frozen, and water is added. Very different in respect to design and cooking for sure. Also, never tried any frozen pho varieties either. Let’s give this a try! ...see full post

#1340: Indomie Taste Of Asia Mi Goreng Rasa Bulgogi Ala Korea

Here’s an interesting new one – bulgogi is probably one of my most favorite foods! Bulgogi, for those of you who haven’t experienced it, is Korean barbecued beef. What they do is marinate the beef in a nice sweet sauce and then barbecue it in thin strips. What are great are Korean barbecue restaurants. You are seated at a table with a little brazier in the center. ...see full post

#1339: Kin-Dee Instant Rice Noodle Pad Thai

Here’s a brand I’ve never tried before. Got it up in Canada last year in July. I’m pretty excited – Friday’s my birthday and we’re headed up to Canada on Saturday to do some noodle hunting! I’ve had quite a few Pad Thai ‘make at home’ dishes before – some that were pretty good and some that tasted absolutely nothing like Pad Thai. Curious how this one will pan out – let’s have a look! ...see full post

#1338: Batchelors Super Noodles Peppered Steak Flavour

Here’s one that Joe B. and Sarah B. sent me from Nottingham, UK – thanks! I’m getting towards the end of the noodles that they sent – been a lot of fun trying all sorts of British varieties! I usually get some cues on what I’ll ad at the end from a picture on the front of a package, but this one doesn’t have any ‘suggested serving’ or anything like that, so I have to go with my gut. I looked around on Google for ‘peppered steak British’ and found quite a few leads. The peppered steak there looks to be basically steak with a decent amount of black pepper. Sound simple enough. Of course, things like a dash of brandy aren’t readily available, so I think pepper is going to be my friend for this one. Anyways, let’s see what’s within. ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #1337: Sakura Noodle Chikara Brand Udon Beef Flavor

Well, today is the last day of the Meet The Manufacturer for Sakura Noodle Inc. It’s been interesting – I don’t think I’ve had udon so many days in a row – I was surprised how much I enjoyed it! One thing that was nice was that there’s only one gram of fat in these, which is a far cry from the amounts I usually have. Anyways, let’s have a look at this one – beef! ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #1336: Shirakiku Fresh Chow Mein Noodles With Seasoning

I’m sure you’re gonna say it – this looks familiar. Well, it’s part of a really neat coincidence that happened recently. I reviewed this one by Takamori Kosan of Japan the other day. Well, it was actually made by Sakura Noodle in Los angeles, California for the US market under their name! This one here is also made by Sakura Noodle but under the Shirakiku name. Are they different? Yep! If you look at the ingredients and nutrition facts on eacvh, there are some subtle differences. What’s interesting is that I contacted Takamori Kosan about doing a Meet The Manufacturer with them and they seem quite receptive, so keep an eye out for it coming soon! A day or so later, I was contacted by Sakura Noodle. I looked at their website and noticed this chow mein and asked if perhaps Takamori Kosan had contacted them, but they hadn’t – neat coincidence! ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #1335: Sakura Noodle Chikara Brand Udon Hot & Spicy Flavor

Today is a good day for spicy noodles. I just did my big walk of the day – something I’ve not been able to do for a week or so – it’s been raining alot here just north of Seattle. A lot. In fact, there was a weather alert for landslides due to so much rain… Sheesh. Walk was good and now I’ve got the pre-season baseball audio going – Giants vs Royals today. I’m a Giants fan – my wife converted me from being a Mariners fan when we got together as she used to play softball and got quite a few trophies. The first year I started following the Giants was 2010, and lo and behold, they won the world Series! Then again in 2012. I think as long as we win the even years, we’re good to go. Anyways, spicy udon sounds really good today and I think I know just what to add to it – Fresno chilli peppers! They’re playing the game today in Scottsdale, AZ, and a lot of their minor league players get a chance to get a chance to be in the roster. Many of them are from the Fresno, CA AAA team. Let’s check these noodles out! ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: Re-Review: Sakura Noodle Chikara Brand Udon Shrimp Flavor

I got some really good sized shrimp the other day at the store thinking they’d go really well with this. I like shrimp – they’re tasty! The ones I’ve been getting are frozen and have a thin layer of ice all around them so they don’t stick together. Pretty brilliant – quite enjoyable. Anyways, today it’s shrimp. Let’s shrimp it up! ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #1334: Sakura Noodle Chikara Brand Udon Mushroom Flavor

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m not a huge fan of mushrooms. I’ve liked them a little more and more over time, but they’re really not something I seek out and enjoy thoroughly. On the other hand, my wife absolutely loves mushroom.s and savors them. She also really likes udon, so I thought I’d make these for her. Let’s open this bag up and see what’s inside. ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #1333: Sakura Noodle Chikara Brand Udon Oriental Flavor

I asked my wife to pick today’s variety and she picked this one. I was thinking – what is Oriental flavor? Well, the French version tells us. I tried Google’s auto translate and it thought it was Spanish for ‘nice.’ In French, bonito means bonito. So, what does bonito mean? Simple. ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #1332: Sakura Noodle Chikara Brand Udon Chicken Flavor

Here’s the first of the Sakura Noodle Inc. Meet The Manufacturer! I thought I’d start off with chicken. I haven’t been using a lot of chicken lately and it sounded like a nice little departure from the norm lately. Usually I save the chicken varieties for my son to eat when he’s here – chicken noodles are his favorite. Let’s give this one a try! ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: Interview With Sakura Noodle Inc.

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Interview With Sakura Noodle Inc * Product Samples From Sakura Noodle Inc * Sakura Noodle Inc Chikara Brand Udon Chicken Flavor * Sakura Noodle Inc Chikara Brand Udon Oriental Flavor * Sakura Noodle Inc Chikara Brand Udon Mushroom Flavor * Sakura Noodle Inc Chikara Brand Udon Shrimp Flavor * Sakura Noodle Inc Chikara Brand Udon Hot & Spicy Flavor *
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#1331: Indomie Taste Of Asia Mi Kuah Rasa Tom Yum Ala Thailand

I’ve been asked about this special series from Indomie for a long time and finally got my hands on some! Indomie’s Taste Of Asia line has three components: Laksa representing Singapore, Bulgogi representing South Korea, and finally Tom Yum to represent Thailand. I thought since I embark on a new Meet The Manufacturer tomorrow, I’d try something a little different. So Tom Yum is a Thai soup, usually with very strong spiciness and citrus flavors. I’m very curious as to how they’ll do this one. Let’s check it out! ...see full post

#1330: Sapporo Ichiban Otafuku Okonomi Sauce Yakisoba

Here’s some more noodles I picked up last July in Canada. It’s been a while now, so I’ll tell you the story of the July trip. I saw a blog post from a guy up in Vancouver, BC who was talking about my top ten list. He had a really neat little graphic icon that looked cool, so I tried to figure out where it was from. Finally, he was the one who let me in on it. It was a graphic someone had made of my top ten list! I was curious to find out where it had come from… ...see full post

#1328: A-Sha Hello Kitty La Wei (Spicy Flavor)

This one was sent by the folks at A-Sha – thank you very much! I’m always on the lookout for Hello Kitty instant noodles. Why? Well, my wife really likes Hello Kitty. They wanted me to be sure to let people klnow that these cannot be found for sale in the United States – sorry folks – gotta pack your bags and fly to Taiwan! This one’s spicy – which seems a little funny to me. I would think anything Hello Kitty would be very light in flavor and tame for the kids. I think the kids over in Taiwan can handle their spicy stuff! That’s rad! Let’s check it out! ...see full post

#1327: Unif-100 Instant Noodles Artificial Tart Beef Flavor

Here’s one sent to me by Roger S. – thanks! I haven’t had one of these Unif-100’s in a while. I had the Cayenne Beef a little while back, but this is one of the ones that are distributed here in the US quite widely. Chances are if you have an Asian grocery local to you, they’ll have some of the Unif line of instants. Now, while beef is a very common flavor where instant noodles are concerned, tart beef is something I’ve not encountered before. Let’s see what’s inside and how it tastes. ...see full post