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Laksa noodles paired with a curry broth – I can’t really think of anything so well matched. Although I usually think of Laksa a little further south of Thailand in places like Malaysia and Singapore, all the flavors from that area of Southeast Asia play very well together. Let’s give it a try!
I thought it a no-brainer to pick Hakata Ramen to try with the miso. The other I’ll try with it will be the Tokyo Ramen. Anyways: Hakata Ramen. What is it, Wikipedia?
Here we have one that’s changed their packaging a bit to include instructions in English as well as mention of its place on the 2016 top ten.
Here’s yet another one I found up in Canada in July of 2017! Found this at HMart after having a really great dim sum lunch with some new friends at Aberdeen Centre in Richmond, BC. Okay, so Jjajang is a black bean sauce noodle. But Pororo? Let’s look at Wikipedia –
Found this one in California! I’ve been curious about Indian grocery stores lately as each one has had a different variety or two I’ve not reviewed. Honestly, the more reviews I do, the closer I get to doing a top ten India list. A ways to go though! Here’s a little about Maggi instant noodles in India from Wikipedia –
This one was sent by Javier over at Box From Japan. Box From Japan is a subscription service and every month, you get 4 great new instant ramen bowls from Japan! Definitely worth a look! This one, of course, is from Japan and is kitsune udon! What’s that? Here’s a little from Wikipedia –
Here’s a spicy one from South Korea. Not just spicy but cold, bibimmyun is a favorite in South Korea during the summer months. Usually accompanied by a bright and spicy sauce, bibimmyun brings a strong taste to the table. This variety mentions yulmu. Yulmu (also known as Job’s Tears) is used in order to make yulmu-cha, a tea enjoyed in South Korea.
Found these up in Canada at the Osaka market in Yaohan Centre. So I’ve seen this on instagram a few times and been wondering what the big deal is. Moreover, what is Licca? Here’s something from Wikipedia –
Here’s another one sent by Colin from Massachusetts – thanks again! So this is a Hong Kong variety. Let’s see if I can find something on Wikipedia about Ho Fan –
Here’s one from a brand I’ve never tried before. I also must say that I really love exclamatory instant noodle names. Yippee! is probably about the happiest name I’ve come across. It seems that the closer to the end of the alphabet they get, the more interesting they are. Not only that, but someone on YouTube recommends I try them and there is one in my hamper, so I think hey – what better time to try? I got these at a local Indian supermarket in Bellevue, Washington. Let’s check ’em out!
This is the third of the rice vermicelli (bihun) varieties that MyKuali has come out with in cups. I was very surprised yesterday – happily so. They now have them at the 99 Ranch store near me – all of their pack range, the rice vermicelli bowls and the cup versions as well. Pretty surprised to see them actually – but it’s a good thing since it seems Malaysian flavors are really making a big punch into the outer world.
Here’s one sent by Javier over at Box From Japan. At Box From Japan, you can receive boxes of instant ramen from Japan as well as different subscription boxes like Japanese candy! Sounds interesting, doesn’t it? What’s more, in the two years I’ve been reviewing these, I’ve not ever received one that I’d reviewed before!
I’ve reviewed the pack version of this one and now it’s time for the bowl. A few months ago I did a series of seriously spicy reviews for my guide to this series. Let’s see if my palate still can handle the heat!
The second of two I found recently at Uwajimaya in Bellevue, Washington. The last one was good so I’m hoping this will as well. Here’s a littler about Tantanmen from Wikipedia –
This variety comes by way of Colin, a reader from Massachusetts – thank you! It was originally said by Oscar Wilde: ‘Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.’ I have often found this to be true for the most part. Indeed, why would someone want to imitate exactly what you do unless they want to attain something that you did prior? Well, sometimes it just seems like it takes a bit of a spiral from flattery to pure copying.
I’ve tried a lot of these instant noodle snacks from GGE (aka Everybody Loves Good Good Eat). They come in little cubes, loose noodle style, round little cylinders and these strips. Let’s bust open this bag of GGE ramen snack and see what’s going on inside!
Well, I found quite a few of these new packaged versions recently at an Indian market in Bellevue, Washington. Now, this is what they call ‘Desi Chinese’ food. What’s that? Let’s ask Wikipedia –
Today we have Song Song Kimchi Ramen. Kimchi varieties out of South Korea are among my favorites. I really like the tangy as well as bright, spicy flavors. Kimchi is interesting; it’s cabbage as well as many other ingredients that is allowed to ferment for an amount of time.
Here’s one that came by way of the guys over at Exotic Noods. Thanks! You can subscribe and get great boxes of different noodles every month – they also have The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Box! Definitely take a look. So today it’s udon from Japan. Kitsune udon comes with some fried tofu – which is really good stuff. Udon is a very thick noodle, but what is a nabeyaki? Here’s a little from Wikipedia –
Here’s one I picked up in Taiwan last November. I’d always seen these but never really thought they existed. I’ve seen the design on t-shirts and other things. Ripe and dry sounds like a fart, too! So this one is soy sauce flavor – which would be known as shoyu in Japan. Let’s look up shoyu ramen on Wikipedia –
Here’s one from KOKA left over from the KOKA Meet The Manufacturer series earlier this year. This one certainly looks like an export version. How can you tell? A big giveaway is a number of different languages on the packaging. Not a lot of German-speaking folk in Singapore. Let’s have a look at this one and give it a try!
This is one I found a few weeks ago looking at an Indian grocery in Bellevue, Washington. I’ve never seen nor heard of this one before and thought it looked kind of interesting. I rarely find much if anything new locally and so this was a score. Let’s check it out!
I contacted Yamachan a couple of weeks ago and they had new varieties for me to review! I did a Meet The Manufacturer with them a long time ago and their stuff is really great. Let’s see what Wikipedia has to say about miso –
Okay for a couple years now, the old pack version of Ching’s Secret Hot Garlic has been on The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Spiciest Instant Noodles Of All Time list. I heard through the grapevine though that Hot Garlic didn’t seem that hot to another review site, Ramen Regret Rater. So, I thought I’d hunt it down to give it another try.
Today we have Song Song Kimchi Ramen. Kimchi varieties out of South Korea are among my favorites. I really like the tangy as well as bright, spicy flavors. Kimchi is interesting; it’s cabbage as well as many other ingredients that is allowed to ferment for an amount of time.
Here’s another fresh variety from Yamachan. Yamachan’s in Southern California. So this is a fresh noodle (must be refrigerated) and is a shoyu variety. Shoyu translated to soy sauce, but it’s definitely not just a soy sauce flavor. Here’s a little from Wikipedia on Shoyu style ramen:
Here’s one that Kamran from Ramen Regret Rater sent over from Australia – thanks again! He got this one on a recent trip to Bali. It’s crazy – everything is so far away from here but all sorts of awesome places are just a quick hop from Australia.
I reviewed this, however in a different package many moons ago. Back then the packaging said Ramyonsari. Recently, I did one called Sari Ramen. Basically, this is a plain instant noodle block in a plastic pillow pack.
I’ve tried Sichuan Guangyou noodles once before. Today, it’s a spicy and hot variety with a lot of 9’s. Found this one at Asian Food Center on Aurora in Seattle, WA a few months ago. It’s one of a whole slew of Chongqing noodle varieties that kind of leaped into the Chinese export market and headed to the west. Here’s some info about Chongqing from Wikipedia –
Here’s another left over from the KOKA Meet The Manufacturer – thanks again for participating For almost a whole year I was reviewing two varieties per day – this is how I got so far ahead in my reviews. Now I’m only doing one at this point and I think I probably will for a while. You see, having a 5 month old baby girl and a very inquisitive 21 month old boy in the house can be a little crazy. He’s really interested in grabbing things and flinging them on the floor. He’s also a big fan of stealing remote controls (we got him a couple just for him, but he still steals ours). He loves the mouse and keyboard too, so I have to put those up when he’s running around.
If you look at the header on the site, you’ll see the Noodle Shop is gone. It used to be there but it’s not anymore. Why? Well, Amazon decided to get rid of their aStore thing, so I guess that’s that for the little store thing. However, that freed up a spot so I decided to put my YouTube Channel up there instead! I have been doing a lot of videos lately – especially ones having to do with hot and spicy things. Anyways, yesterday I posted a video of me attempting to eat a bowl of this really spicy Japanese variety – but there’s a catch. I have the flu. I don’t know if it was violent as it seemed or I am just weakened by the flu. Anyways, I definitely failed the attempt (don’t fret – I’ll be doing it again soon) and thought hey – let’s do something else spicy.
Here’s yet another opone of the GGE noodle snack varieties – Mexican Spicy. There are so many of these varieties its kind of mind boggling./ Actually, when you go to Taiwan and go down the noodle aisle, these aren’t there. Indeed, there’s an aisle with chips on one side and noodle snacks on the other. Why do we have so few of them here? I can’t think of any USA branded noodle snacks really at all. It’s like they came out with a few varieties of ways to offer up instant noodles here in the US and then they just stuck with those and kind of quit innovating. I mean, what about a beef stew instant noodle bowl with beef? A A spicy cheese? A pizzas flavor? Closest we get is a cheap cheese cup. I think the instant noodle world in the USA should really go and just kick some major butt and try some new things. I mean hey – no risk, no reward, right? Anyways, let’s check out this snack noodle!
Seems like a little while since I did a pack instant ramen from Japan. This is one I found during my trip to Taiwan last November at the Carrefour in Taipei by the Miramar Entertainment Park. I tell you – they had quite an impressive instant noodle aisle – like 4 aisles really. So this one is a shoyu instant ramen. Here’s a little from Wikipedia about shoyu ramen –
What have we today? This is a popular South Korean snack noodle – Ppushu Ppushu – and an interesting new flavor. Ppushu Ppushu means… I don’t know what it means, but it’s pretty neat stuff. Let’s check it out – right now!
Thought it would be logical to try these Tokyo Ramen noodles with the Miso Ramen Broth – I mean, it makes sense. These noodles and broth are Vegan, however, I’m going to lay it on thick with some toppings that will not be so Vegan. Let’s give it a go!
I thought it a no-brainer to pick Hakata Ramen to try with the miso. The other I’ll try with it will be the Tokyo Ramen. Anyways: Hakata Ramen. What is it, Wikipedia?
Here’s another one I found recently at Uwajimaya in Bellevue, Washington. Can’t pass up curry udon – I mean some on – sounds good – here’s a little about udon from Wikipedia –
So here we have one that’s on the 2017 Top Ten list – under two names. It was originally Straits Kitchen and they re-branded it as Straits Reborn. Literally no different in recipe – just the name. However I thought it would be good for me to do a review just so you could see. Here’s some info about laksa from Wikipedia –
