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This one came by way of James from Lakeside, California – thank you again, sir! So, this is a combination of gomtang, a creamy beef soup, and instead of being a soup, this is a dry version, so there’s your paghetti part of the name. It sounds good, and apparently milk can used instead of water which I intend to try. Let hit it up – I’m expecting good things.
Here’s one that came in a Zenpop.jp box – use coupon code THERAMENRATER for a groovy discount!
Well, I’ve got one more from this company after this one. They’ve been fun to try! Let’s give their tom yum a try.
Here’s one that came from James of Lakeside, California – thanks! This is one I’d never seen before. It looks to be a spicy vegetable – and looks interesting as well. Let’s give it a try!
This is an interesting one – made in Malaysia for export. It’s got abalone in there – I’ve tried this one in the past but this is for export. Anyways, let’s check it out!
Here’s another one in the Meet Mee range – I do enjoy fish cake and what I’ve tried from this company has been quite good. Let’s get cooking!
Here’s another one of the Nissin Singapore Cup Noodles sent recently by the company – thanks! I really like laksa – let’s give it a shot!
Here’s one that came in a Zenpop.jp box – use coupon code THERAMENRATER for a groovy discount!
I can’t figure in any universe that this won’t be something I dislike. I mean come on curry crab paste? That’s gotta be good! Let’s find out.
I’ve tried many of the Nissin Singapore range of Cup Noodles varieties, but not this one. Seems like this is a variety that would do well here in the states – definitely one popular in the UK… Let’s give it a try!
Here’s a variety which has been released for Nissin Cup Noodles’ 52nd anniversary – one that was a limited edition, but now a full part of the Nissin SG lineup. When I had it a while back, it was great – let’s give it another try – new and improved style!
Here’s another one from Pher Engi – thank you! This is one she sent a picture of and asked if I wanted to try it to which I said yes. I also got this when searching Batagor kuah on Google from a generated AI response – ‘Batagor kuah is a soup made from batagor, an Indonesian dish that’s a shortened form of “bakso tahu goreng” (fried meatball and tofu). The soup can be made by boiling chicken broth. Batagor is traditionally made from minced tenggiri (Spanish mackerel), although other types of seafood such as tuna, mackerel, and prawn may also be used. The fish paste is stuffed into wonton skins or filled into tofu, and then deep fried in palm oil. Batagor is a popular street food in the city of Bandung in West Java. It began appearing in various Indonesian cities throughout the country in the 1980s, and is believed to have been invented in 1968 in Bandung. According to legend, batagor was created as a way to salvage unsold bakso meatballs. ‘
Finishing up a week of reviewing today (it’s Friday for me) in early October, 2023. It’s pretty nutty – I’m now over 200 reviews ahead, and I’ve got a feeling this is coming out in late March of 2024, maybe April. While this isn’t ramen, it’s another thing you might find on the noodle aisle. It’s a Filipino porridge made in the United States. Let’s give it a try!
Every year I pick my favorites out of all the reviews I’ve done. In the past, I’ve had lists that have multiple companies with multiple entries. I decided this year that I would change that. Starting with this list, only one entry per company will be on the list. I’ll mention other noteworthy varieties in the text of each one which I think will give more opportunities for folks to try new things. This new way of doing things will be reflected in this list, the upcoming Bottom Ten, Top Ten Bowls, and Top Ten Cups lists.
A huge thank you to Pher Engi of Australia for sending me this – I’ve been wanting to try it for easily 5 years – probably more. An Indonesian take of white curry just sounds so interesting – let’s give it a try!
Another flower pot cup of noodles. Let’s see how this one treats us.
A distributor / import sticker (click to enlarge).
I was down to three varieties to review, then two boxes of noodles showed up, then after doing Chuck E. Cheese’s for Miles’ 8th birthday, turned out a few feet from there was an Indian grocery in Bellevue, WA called Apna Bazar. Found this and five other varieties I’d not reviewed – so that’s pretty good! This is a Maggi Masala with oats in the noodle. Let’s cook them up!
An emperor gets some new clothes! This has been a brand whose products have graced my top tens for a while now – and they’ve changed their packaging. It looks as though their recipe has changed as well. Malaysia is a place where flavors are changed and improved upon often, and I’m curious how this one will be. Well, let’s give it a try!
An interesting name for an instant noodle range. It could be construed in different ways; pertaining to it being in the now, or having to do with weather. It also says ‘yummy & mummy’ on there – never heard this phrase before – mummy? In the UK, a ‘yummy mummy’ means an attractive mother. Couldn’t find exactly what this meant in India except possibly a slang pertaining to children that are picky eaters and that mothers could give them this and they’d eat it? Fascinating. Let’s cook – I’m doing the fried directions on this one.
Golder beef sour? These are an interesting set of terms and I’m very curious. Everything these folks have sent thus far as been excellent. Let’s proceed!
Oh yes – another one from S*Mart in Bellevue, Washington – shop smart shop S*Mart! They had a ton of these varieties but I thought I’d go with tomato to start with. Let’s begin.
You ready for a historic roadshow in a cup? This variety has gone by a few names and packaging wordings, but I’d say this is my favorite.. For example, here is review #695 – savory vegetable flavor. But wait – here’s good old review #1030 – this one is ’60 ingredients’ flavor! Back in 2011, I reviews the 60 Ingredients cup – review #553! Well, now this one’s called Vegetasty. They’ve dropped the whole looks how many ingredients and given it a very interesting name. I think this one is a troublemaker. The reason I say this is because they want to market it – and indeed it’s been pretty good – but as far as export, it’s a tough one to come up with a good name for perhaps. Vegetasty is kind of catchy, but for a Western audience, it might be a little tricky to pull off. It does bear the Vegan logo on there which is a good thing. Vegetasty sounds very monolithic; like it’s from a sprawling corporate empire. I would say completely revamp. Show farm imagery – crops being cared for or rolling fields in the sun as a background, then in the foreground a basket being held containing lots of different vegetables. Maybe a rustic theme. Then a better name – something like Nature’s Delight or Back To Nature Vegetable Noodle Soup – granted those aren’t taken already. Either way, vegetable and in particular Vegan varieties are very popular. I;ve been asked many times by companies my thoughts on how to name something for Western markets – a real honor I have to say. Anyways, yeah – let’s cook it – maybe I’m ruminate on the episode on Instant Noodle Recipe Time that appears at the bottom of this post – the finest show in the universe – and you all want to like and subscribe to. Yeah.
Here’s one that came in a Zenpop.jp box -here’s what they had to say about it – ‘This is a delicious cup of chilled Mazesoba.🍜 The noodles have a chewy texture, combined with a flavorful chicken sauce infused with sesame oil and green onions🍗✨ It’s a refreshing and savory dish, perfect for summer.🏖️🍉 冷やし中華 (Hiyashi Chuka) is a popular Japanese summer dish.🌞 It features chilled noodles topped with ingredients like cucumber, ham, and eggs, drizzled with a tangy soy-based sauce. This Toridare Hiyashi takes inspiration from this dish, offering a unique twist with its chicken sauce and sesame oil😊🍽️ Enjoy this delightful, cool meal to beat the heat!👊🌞 ‘
Hey check this out! It was sent by Nissin SG (thanks again!) as part of their Cup Noodles 52nd Anniversary promo.
Gomtangmyeon is probably not what you immediately expect when you’re thinking about Korean ramyun noodles. That’s because it’s kind of a creamy beef noodle soup instead of a spicy one. Gomtang is nice and savory – let’s cook some up!
Here’s one made in South Korea for the US market. GS25 is a convenience store chain in South Korea – and I believe all their instant noodles they have as a house brand are made by Paldo. Let’s give this one a try.
Here’s one that came in a Zenpop.jp box. This one came from their ‘triple box’ which didn’t come with any literature. Basically, it’s a bowl of ramen with wantan in there. Usually pretty good – let’s check it out!
Here’s one I found in an Umai Crate from Japan Crate! They have boxes full of neat Japanese varieties! Check out www.japancrate.com and use the coupon code THERAMENRATER to score a sweet discount and get some neat noodles!
This is one I tried when it debuted way back. There were a couple of versions as well. This one is made in South Korea and packaged for sale in the US market. Jjambbong is like a spicy seafood stew. This on the other hand is the same but with a more milky broth. This is a really great one when I’ve had it in the past – let’s visit it again!
Back in October of 2021, I penned a review of the wheat noodle version of this one. It was brought to me locally by a fellow named Andres who found it in Canada and he met me at the local grocery store. I ended up not only reviewing it, but doing a ‘How I Review’ style video which details the nuts and bolts of how I do a review, from photography to image editing, cooking, making the Instant Noodle Recipe Time show, and more. It was published in January of 2022 and you can see it here.
Got this one at HMart recently. This one’s made in Vietnam but packaged for the US market. I’ve not tried a lot of Vietnamese varieties that blow me away, but I have high hopes for this dry noodle variant. Let give it a go!
I was doing a lot of curies for dinner recently and butter masala was a neat thing I enjoyed for a little while.
Here’s the last of the Vite Ramen varieties, and this one sounds like a departure from the other. Bun Rieu is a Vietnamese soup – this is made in California and boasts crab flavor. We shall see how it goes!
Sure looks like a basic packaging design, doesn’t it? My friends, what lies within this package is history. This is the pack version of a beloved classic in Taiwan. This isn’t a noodle soup, a soup, or a dry noodle. This is a noodle AND a soup! Read the direction below and you’ll understand.
Found another one of these! This time, not at S*Mart but at the Lynnwood, WA HMart – along with quite a few other things. Usually don’t find a lot there but it was a good haul the other day. I also found a pair of ‘chopsticks for kids that my daughter went crazy for and since she accompanied me in the store, I figured why not. Tonkotsu is one she likes as well, so maybe she’ll get this. Let’s give it a try.
Found this neat one at Boo Han Market on Highway 99 in Edmonds, WA. Rapokki is a combination of noodle and rice cake – a great combo of textures and usually really quite good. Hopefully it works out well – seen a few microwavable varieties not go so well – hopefully this is one that gets a good score as rapokki is a favorite.
“What’s this? What’s this?’ A famous line from the juggernaut critically acclaimed film Max Max: Beyond Thunderdome, uttered inspiringly by Tina Turner. Well, Auntie Entity, I’ll tell you. There are shelf stable fresh noodle from China. Found them at 99 Ranch Market and figured this would be a good one to start with as there are a few different varieties. I have a good feeling about them – let’s cook.
Here’s one that came in a Zenpop.jp box. Here’s what they had to say about it – ‘Nissin’s popular UFO series gets its name from the shape of the bowl. The UFO line are all Yakisoba, or fried noodles. These are eaten without soup, but with amazing topping, spices and sauce. This month’s ZenPop UFO is a summer limited edition BBQ cup, only accessible in Japan and will be sold out once summer is over.’
Protein and vitamins and fiber and low sodium and pretty low calories for the size of the serving. Let’s begin.
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.
