Author: Hans "The Ramen Rater" Lienesch

#1204: Nissin Cup Noodles Sabor A Gallina

Here’s another one of the new varities available in Colombia. Gallina means hen
and from what I was told by Hector C. from Panama (who lives in Costa Rica) that
it is kind of like the veal of chicken ; young hen. I researched a bit online and
found a few recipes for soups from Colombia mentioning Gallina. Wikipedia had
this to say of the Colombian variety of ‘Sancocho:’ ...see full post

Recipe: Stir Budalk Bokkumyeon

I saw a recipe that sounded interesting a few weeks ago, and decided I wanted to try it. The issue: I only had one bowl of Samyang Foods’ Budalk Bokkumyeon, a fiery and spicy fest whose close relative the package version made the Top Ten Spiciest Instant Noodles Of All Time 2013 list. I emailed Samyang Foods about it and they kindly sent some as well as some other new varieties. ...see full post

#1200: Men-Sunaoshi Tonkotsu Ramen

Review #1200! Wow – only 800 to go to #2000! By the way if you’ve got a second, can you vote for The Ramen Rater in the Best of Western Washington contest? Trying to get first place in the food blog category! Here’s the link. So here’s an interesting one I picked up in Canada. Took a bit of figuring to tell what it was for sure – let’s check it out! ...see full post

#1194: Paldo Namja Ramyun King Cup (US Version)

Here it is! Now you can get a big cup of Namja here in the states! I reviewed the South Korean Namja King Cup before, and there are differences between the two. If you’re wondering, Namja means ‘men’s’ or ‘guy’s’ – still wondering if they will make a ramyun for the ladies. Let’s check this new one out. ...see full post

Book Review/Interview: The Noodle Narratives: The Global Rise Of An Industrial Food Into The Twenty First Century

A month or so ago I read an article mentioning a new book about instant noodles. Books regarding instant noodles generally fall into a couple categories: recipe books written and published by individuals and recipe books that are mass-produced and published by the millions. ...see full post

The Ramen Rater Tests The Rapid Ramen Cooker

Just wanted to congratulate Chris Johnson on his success with his Rapid Ramen Cooker – his invention that allows you to cook a standard pack of instant noodles in 3-4 minutes in the microwave with 1/2 the sodium. He was on Shark Tank last week and got himself a great deal! Here’s the interview I conducted with him last December and my rigorous test of The Rapid Ramen Cooker – see the video below! ...see full post

#1190: Sanrio Hello Kitty Hakata Shoyutonkotsu Ramen

Check this out! This is one I got from Mira at Record China news in Japan! Thank you! I’ve been desperately seeking noodles that have Hello Kitty on them. You might be thinking, ‘dude, really?’ Yeah – it’s true. My wife really likes Hello Kitty stuff (her nickname is Kitten after all). Let’s check out this Hello Kitty laden variety that comes with a reusable bowl! ...see full post

South Korean Samples From Samyang Foods!

Recently I heard about this recipe using Samyang Foods Budalk Bokkumyeon (Hot fried chicken flavor ramyun). I only have one of the bowls so I needed at least onhe more so I could do a regular review as well as try the recipe. I asked a friend at Samyang Foods if they could possibly send some more and I got a yes! Today this box arrived. ...see full post

#1189: Acecook Comet Mori Yukino Tan-tan Men

Here’s one sent from Japan by Ichiro Yamoto of Yakantei! Thank you! This one was a little tricky to translate – I want to thank Courtnay N. of Canada and Mari S. of Tennessee! Tan tan men is more widely known as dandanmian. It heralds from China and is named after a pole street vendors would use to carry their wares. It’s usually a spicy broth with oil and minced pork affair.  After some research, I figured out who the woman on the lid is. She’s part of AKB48 – here’s what Wikipedia says about them: ...see full post

#1186: Nissin Sabor A Carne Sopa Instantánea Con Fideos

I read an article recently about Nissin starting to sell instant noodle in Colombia, so I shot an email to my friend Scott over at Nissin Foods USA and asked if I could maybe get some samples. He sent some! Thanks, man! This is pretty much identical to beef Top Ramen, but packaged for the Colombian market. Speaking of Top Ramen, Nissin is having a neat contest (here’s a link). Neat prizes and it’s easy. Anyways, let’s check it out! ...see full post

The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Taiwanese Instant Noodles Of All Time 2013

Earlier this year, people from Taiwan voiced their displeasure with not being included in the 2013 Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time. They came in droves, shouting the praises of their beloved varieties. They were equally unhinged by having two varieties listed in my Bottom Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2013 list. Two were included there. After all of this outcry and seeing the pride and passion about their noodles, I thought it was a must to do a Top Ten Taiwanese Instant Noodles Of All Time 2013 list; these people are easily as interested in noodles as much as I am! This new list encompasses all of the Taiwanese varieties that I’ve reviewed thus far. So, without further ado, I hope you will enjoy The Ramen Rater’s top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2013 edition! ...see full post

#1184: Sapporo Ichiban Pokemon Shoyu Ramen

Here’s another one from the folks at Record China news in Japan – thank you! My son is a really big fan of Pokemon. He’s got every one’s name, what they evolve into and all Pokemon lore stuffed in that PokeDex brain of his! If any of you reading have kids that like Pokemon, you know of what I speak. Well, I’ve wanted to get some Pokemon noodles for him and this is the first! I know there are more out there and hopefully I’ll find them sooner or later! Let’s check it out! ...see full post