Here’s another one sent by a kind reader in Sweden! Thank you! Master Kong is really popular in China and what surprises me is that there are no places that I’ve seen that you can get their products here in the United States. Luckily, people send them to me from time to time, but it seems to me that I really need to figure out a way to contact them and do a Meet The Manufacturer with them. The Chinese consume billions of packages of instant noodles a year and I’ve never done a Chinese Meet The Manufacturer yet! It’s about time. Well, let’s check out these pork ribs Master Kong instant noodles!
Category: Pork
#1485: Nongshim Spicy Tonkotsu Noodle Soup
Here’s a new one and it’s made here in the United States. Yep – there’s a Nongshim plant here in the US! I was able to visit them a couple years ago and it’s really neat – if you get a chance, you should check out their plant tours! Tonkotsu is a very standard variety of Japanese ramen, however this one’s got a spicy twist to it. Usually tonkotsu broth is made with pork bones that are boiled for a long time and this one does in fact contain pork. Let’s have a look!
Meet The Manufacturer: #1477: MAMA Instant Noodles Moo Nam Tok Flavour
Moo Nam Tok – this sounds familiar… It looks like I reviewed a rice vermicelli version a while back. So, what’s Moo Nam Tok? Let’s consult Wikipedia:
#1462: Wei Lih Steam Instant Noodle Korean Salt & Rib Soup Flavor
Today I opened up my big hamper of noodles and this one popped into view. To be honest, I don’t know exactly when I got this one – Canada trip I think. Definitely has an interesting name – Korean Salt & Rib Soup. The closest thing I can think of that they might be referring to would be galbitang, which is a South Korean soup with short ribs and made with ox bone broth. Sounds interesting – let’s see what we have here.
#1419: Vifon Ngon-Ngon Mi Tom Yum Thịt Băm Tom Yum Minced Pork Noodle
Here’s one with an interesting name. ‘Ngon-ngon?’ What could that mean? So I plugged ‘ngon-ngon’ into Google translate and it came up with ‘delicious’. I thought it interesting that only one ‘ngon’ came up with ‘tasty.’ I thought then, well hey – what about a trifecta of ‘ngon?’ Well, ‘ngon ngon ngon’ comes up with ‘delicious delicious.’ Anyways, it sounds like these Vifon minced pork tom yum noodles should be delicious. I hope they are! Let’s have a look.
#1412: Chewy Non-Fried Ramen Noodles Taiwan Roast Pork Flavour
Here”s another one from a birthday trip to Canada. This one isn’t fried and really low fat. But will it be low on flavor? It seems that many companies are now offering options for those interested in low fat instant noodles. Let’s see how this one comes out.
The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodle Bowls Of All Time 2014 Edition
Bowls of noodles. They’re made all around the world and are a great option for those with access to boiling water and are ‘on the go.’ Some are basic and have very little imagination to them or perks, while others are really full meals that include meat and vegetables, seafood and other niceties. I’ve review 1,410 different noodle varieties and of those, many have been bowls. Here’s a list of the best, most memorable bowls I’ve come across is my adventure in tasting.
#1396: Oyatsu Baby Star Snack Noodle Yakisoba Flavour
Here’s another one of those snack style instant noodles! This one came from a birthday trip to Canada this year. Let’s have a look inside!
Meet The Manufacturer: #1380: Takamori Chanpon
I thought today I’d diverge from the yakisoba for something with a broth. Chanpon is great stuff in my experience so far. Pork and seafood – can’t beat that! Here’s what wikipedia has to say about chanpon –
#1364: Golden Wheat Korean Style Stew Pork Flavour Noodle Soup
Today we have a big bowl of noodles! These were found up in Canada for my birthday trip – last year. I must say that the shelf life of instant noodles is really quite amazing and helpful – especially when I review one every day. I’ve got quite a lot of instant noodles here, which should be no surprise! I remember in November of 2012 – I was in a bit of a panic. I did a bunch of re-reviews and had a real problem finding new varieties. Then boom – found tons and got a bunch sent to me. Anyways, let’s have a look at this big pork bowl!
#1307: Nissin Cup Noodle Cheese Curry
This one was sent to me by Abbie C. of Hong Kong – thank you again! Curry – and cheese? Been very curious about this one, that’s for sure. I like curry a lot – one of the flavors that’s always strong and varies so much from culture to culture. Let’s see how it pairs with cheese and noodles in this cup.
#1304: Nissin Demae Ramen Shoyu Tonkotsu Artificial Pork Flavor
#1287: Kimura Kumamoto Tonkotsu Ramen
Hey check this happy looking guy out! I’m thinking he’s happy because today’s my sister’s birthday! Happy Birthday Sue! This looks like one she’d probably like. Last year, I made her some birthday noodles – maybe I’ll see if she wants to have some again this year! The happy guy on the package’s name is Kumamon, a mascot that the government of Kumamoto, Japan invented. Let’s check these out.
#1281: Tokachimen Koubou Jet Black Sesame Oil Pork Tonkotsu
This one came by way of Courtnay N. of British Columbia, Canada – thanks! Got help translating from Scott A. – thank you! This looks like an interesting one – let’s check it out!
#1275: Wu-Mu Ramen With Stewed Pork Flavor
Our weekend of trying some of the bigger packaged noodles continues with the one Andy’s gonna try. I figured this shouldn’t be spicy and shouldn’t have any kind of flavor an 8 year old would find too offensive. Let’s check it out!
Christmas Review: #1263: Nissin Cup Noodle Curry X Gunpla RX-78-2 Gundam
I’ve been really wanting to review this one before now but I decided to do it for the Christmas review quite a while back. I don’t usually barge in with a different review during Meet The Manufacturer, but it’s Christmas so here it is. The ABC President Meet The Manufacturer will continue after Christmas. For now, let’s check out this cup. I’ve had cups that have come with little doo dads before; a ticket for a contest, a sticker, a little card… But this is something completely different. A little model kit! Let’s check it out!
#1251: MAMA Instant Noodles Tom Saab Flavour
Here’s something I’ve never heard of – ‘tom saab.’ Sounds like someone named after a car… But what is it? looked around online and found that it is a hot spicy soup popular is northern Thailand. Usually contains pork. Sounds interesting – let’s check it out!
#1247: Maruchan ‘I Want To Eat Ramen’ Pork Tonkotsu Flavor
Wow thank you to Scott A. and Mari S. for help in translating the name of this one! Making this one for the kid – he’s unsure about it, but hopefully he’ll want to eat it! Let’s check it out.
#1237: MAMA Instant Noodles Creamy Tom Yum Minced Pork Flavour
Hey something from Thailand! Sounds good to me! Lime, pork, spiciness… Let’s get to it!
#1235: Nissin Demae Ramen Miso Tonkotsu Artificial Pork Flavor Ramen Noodle
I was pretty surprised my son wanted to try this one; he asked if it was spicy or bitter. I told him I wouldn’t imagine so. Well, I guess we’ll find out!
#1229: Kumamoto Tonkotsu Ramen MEGA Dragon
Wow look at that! Huge, isn’t it? This is probably the largest noodle package I’ve ever seen! It was sent by the folks in Japan at God Of Patena. Let’s see what’s in this mega ramen package!
#1220: Nissin Ultraman Instant Noodle Pork Flavor
This was sent by Abbie C. of Hong Kong – thank you! She offered to find a Pokemon cup for my son but couldn’t find one, so this is an Ultraman cup! Awesome! It’s really small – smallest sized noodle cup I’ve tried yet! Let’s check it out!
#1208: Golden Wheat Korean Style Stew Pork Flavour Cooking Noodle
I’ve reviewed a bunch of these – got them up in Canada during my birthday. They’re really big! Let’s check it out.
#1205: MAMA Instant Noodles Pork Flavour With Black Pepper
Here’s one that was sent from Germany by a fellow named Samonporn – thank you! I am really happy to be trying these since it’s been a few days since I had any pork on hand to pair anything with. Let’s check it out!
#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!
#1197: Nissin Cup Noodle Chili Tomato
Robert F. of Hoboken, NJ was kind enough to send one of these – thanks! Very curious how it will be… Only one way to find out!
#1192: Wu-Mu Ramen With Simmered Pork Flavor
Here’s another one I got at T&T Supermarket up in Canada. I find it interesting; I got three pork varieties there – stewed pork, steamed pork and simmered pork! I asked my wife which one I should have as I couldn’t decide. She told me to simmer down and so here we are. Let’s check it out!
#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!
#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:
#1188: Chencun Noodles Braised Pork Ribs
Here’s another from the trip to Canada my wife took me on for my birthday – thank you, Kit! Pork. Ribs. Let’s do this.
#1168: Nissin Donbei Curry Udon (West Japan Style)
First I want to thank Ken P. from twitter and Mari S. on facebook for help withe translation! Donbei is a kind of personalized donburi. The east is usually more of a salty flavor than the west as well. Many little difference! Pretty neat! Let’s have a look.
#1162: Nissin Chanpon Ramen
Here’s another I got at T&T Supermarket up in Canada recently. This one’s frozen! Chanpon is a special thing; seafood and pork are sauteed and special ramen noodles and a little broth is added. Sounds awesome – let’s check it out.
#1152: Sapporo Ichiban Tomato & Basil Shio Ramen
Check this big sucker out! This one was sent by a guy who runs a store in Japan called Yanaktei (www.yakantei.com). Kind of looks pizza minded eh? Let’s check it out!
#1122: Nagao Noodle Ramen Kamen Thasos Galle Pork Bone
This one was sent by Mr. Yamato of Yakantei in Japan! Thank you! First off – if someone has a better translation of what this particular instant noodle is called, please let me know? The original text is 長尾製麺 ラーメン仮面・タソガレトンコツ. This is quite unique in that the outer packaging is paper. Yes – paper! Let’s have a look at this artsy ramen!
#1106: Nissin Raoh Rich Soy Sauce with Roast Pork (2 Slices)
Here’s another one from Scott over at Nissin! Thank again, man! This one has two – count ’em two – slices of pork! Let’s check it out!
Meet The Manufacturer: #1092: Amianda Noodle Tachia Dried Noodles – Rou Zhao Meat Sauce
Today, we have the Tachia noodles again but with rouzao. What is rouzao? Wikipedia mentioned that it involves minced pork (Amianda mentioned this one includes it in the sauce) and minced pork rice is the common rouzao:
#1070: HoMyeonDang Premium Noodle House Pork & Seafood Flavor
Here’s one of the leftovers that didn’t get reviewed during the Samyang Foods Meet The Manufacturer. I review up to 15 varieties max in an MTM and they sent over 20 kinds! Awesome! Let’s check it out – I think there’s something neat inside…
#1069: Nissin Raoh Rich Miso Flavor
Here’s another one sent by Scott over at Nissin – thanks! Turns out the expiration dates on these are short so thought I’d better hit it up! Rich miso flavor… Pretty fancy bowl – let’s give it a try!
#1067: Nissin Cup Noodle Red Shock
Whoa check this one out! Scott over at Nissin sent me this one that he got on a recent trip to Japan – thank you! Bazinga! Let’s see what is in this trippy cup!
#1050: Knorr Japanese Pork Bone Flavour Quick Serve Macaroni
I’ve had other macaroni quick serve products before by a different brand. I always thought these were interesting. Usually the only thing you’d find in the United States coupled with macaroni would be cheese, but elsewhere, the options are much different. Let’s check it out.