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!
Category: United States
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!
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.
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.
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!
Meet The Manufacturer: Product Samples From Sakura Noodle Inc
Walked to the apartment office today to pick up a package.
Wow – no wonder it was so heavy! That little box was chock full of udon and yakisoba! Can’t wait to dig in!
#1310: Thai Kitchen Rice Noodle Cart Thai Peanut
My wife got me this one for Christmas! Thanks, Kit! The last one of these I tried was pretty good – curious how this one will be – let’s check it out.
Product Samples From Nongshim USA!
Yesterday I saw the FedEx truck coming around the corner through the patio door window. They stopped. What’s nice is that the guy just parks and comes up to the window these days. Let’s see what inside!
#1284: Thai Kitchen Rice Noodle Cart Sweet Citrus Ginger
Here’s one my wife got for me for Christmas! Thanks, Kitten! There are a myriad of these noodle trays in the US market that I’ve not reviewed and this is one of them. Let’s have a look!
A Gift From Nongshim America!
The FedEx truck pulled up and the guy ran over and gave me this envelope – what’s inside?
#1253: Nissin Chow Mein Teriyaki Chicken Flavor Chow Mein Noodles
Here’s one I’ve had lurking in the bin for a while – I figured it was time to haul it out and give it a try. Let’s check it out!
#1246: Annie Chun’s Ramen House Chicken Vegetable Flavored Ramen
Here’s one of the new varieties from Annie Chun’s that they sent! It’s 22 degrees outside – very cold! This looks appropriate for such a cold day – let’s check it out!
#1242: Thai Pavilion Garlic Chili Instant Rice Noodles & Sauce
Here’s one my wife got for me at a drug store a while back. It’s made in Thailand but for sale in the USA. Let’s check it out!
#1225: Nissin Pan Asian Kitchen Sweet & Sour Chicken Flavor Ramen Noodles
Man I’m beat and my feet hurt. Maybe Birkenstock sailboat deck sandals aren’t the best choice for walking 2 miles. This sounds good though – I really like sweet and sour! This one’s made in the United States, too! Let’s give this one a peek.
Recipe: Murder League All Stars’ “Crazy Hunan Ramen Nuggets”
So my friend Adam B. over at Ladies’ Choice Productions clued me into an article in Hip Rock Magazine called “Reigning Ramens: Stellar artists introducing a new ramen noodle recipe.” Looks like this is a monthly column where they do a bio about a hip hop/metal band and get them to submit a recipe.
A Nice Gift From Nongshim America
Got a box from Nongshim America today. They were stoked on the story that came out about my ramyun burger recipe. Thank you very much! Let’s see what’s inside!
#1196: Nissin Bowl Noodles Chicken Flavor
Here’s another one from Scott A. over at Nissin Foods USA – thanks! This is a straight chicken flavor bowl – a new product. My son Andy really likes chicken noodles – I’ll steal a taste of it and let him demolish it! Let’s check it out.
The Ramen Rater Ramyun Burger Makes The Front Page!
I got a big envelope int he mail today…
The K Herald is a supplement that goes to certain zip codes in the Los Angeles Times. It came out last Friday! Click here to check out the full article. Thanks to Michelle Y. Cho at K-Herald!
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.
New Instant Samples From A-Sha
Got a box in the mail from the A-Sha guys in California today – wonder what’s inside…
New Product Samples And More From Nissin Foods USA
My friend Scott A. over at Nissin Foods USA asked me to verify my mailing address the other day – I thought ‘hmmm a package?’ Yesterday, the FedEx guy came to the back deck of our apartment and brought me this! What wonders are within? Let’s see!
#1178: Nongshim Shin Black Spicy Pot-au-feu Flavor Premium Noodle Soup
You might be thinking, ‘hey – didn’t he already review this?’ Nope – I reviewed the Shin Ramyun Black cup from South Korea. This is the one that is manufactured here in the United States in Rancho Cucamonga, California.So what is this ‘Pot-au-feu’ flavor? I consulted Wikipedia and found this:
#1172: Koyo Seaweed Ramen Made With Organic Noodles
#1165: Nissin Chow Mein With Shrimp Chow Mein Noodles
Really? I haven’t reviewed this? Nope! Wow – who’dathunkit? Well then, without further ado, let’s check out these chow mein noodles – with shrimp!
Recipe: The Ramen Rater’s Shin Ramyun Black Burger
Recently, I came up with the ramyun slider. I thought since I’ve got some Shin Black on hand, why not a full-fledged ramyun burger? This recipe came out great and really wasn’t that hard to do.
T-Shirt From A-Sha!
Woot woot!
Rad! I needed a new shirt! Here’s my son Andy holding it up. Thank to Young and Hann-wei over at A-Sha!
A Nice Gift From Nongshim America
Got a nice and hefty box in the mail!
Nongshim America sent three of my favorites (they all made the Top Ten USA list) as a thank you for recognizing their products worthy of being in the list! Thanks! Think I’ll attempt a Shin Black Ramyun Burger for Labor Day!
#1155: Komforte Chockolates Savory Ramen
A friend of mine told me about these chocolate bars with ramen noodles in them a while back and finally I made it to the store that has them locally. I know this isn’t my normal thing to review, but hey, thar be noodles in this sucka! Let’s have an up close and personal look at this unique bar.
A Nice Surprise From Nongshim America!
Was looking at my posts and found this on that I hadn’t posted for some reason – check it out – it’s from 2013
When we got home from the hospital yesterday, I called the apartment office to see if there were any packages – they said there was one. A mailer from Nongshim America – what’s inside?
The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodles Made In The USA Of All Time 2013 Edition
The instant noodle originated in 1958 in Japan, but since that time, they’ve expanded in popularity all over the world, including of course, the United States. Seeing this, instant noodle companies thought it wise to start building plants here in the 1970s. Since then, many brands operate factories here in the US, mostly in southern California. This is a list of my favorite varieties produced here, encompassing my over 1,100 reviews to date. With that, here’s your top ten, America!
#1130: Nissin Big Cup Noodles Habanero Lime Shrimp Flavor Ramen Noodle Soup
The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Spiciest Instant Noodles Of All time 2013 Edition
This year, we’ve got some new fiery additions to this list of spicy and burning hot varieties. If you can find them, you’ll be feeling quite the burn! If you think you’ve found anything hotter or noteworthy of being on this list, please comment below or send me an email. Without further adieu, here’s the 2013 picks for the spiciest instant noodles I’ve found after 1,128 reviews!
#1125: Myojo Japanese Style Noodles Shio Flavor
Here’s another I got up at T&T Supermarket in Canada! Shio is one of four main categories of ramen in Japan (Tonkotsu, Shoyu and Miso being the others). Here’s what Wikipedia has to say about Shio:
#1117: Thai Pavilion Spicy Pad Thai Instant Rice Noodles & Sauce
My wife mentioned she saw this brand at her work and I was curious, so she brought a couple varieties home! Thanks, Kit! I’ve never heard of this brand before. It’s an interesting one as it’s made in Thailand but set up for sale in the United States. Let’s check it out!
#1115: Nissin Pan Asian Kitchen Sukiyaki Beef Flavor Savory Soy Sauce Ramen Noodles
Here’s another one sent by Scott over at Nissin USA – thanks! Some may be wondering what sukiyaki is – here’s what Wikipedia had to say:
The Ramen Rater’s Bottom Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time
So after sampling so many varieties of instant noodles over the years, of course there have been some that I didn’t like. There also were some that are so memorable for how awful they were. After people asked what my least favorites were a few times, I thought I should just make a list of them. I should point out that these are on the list because I couldn’t stand them. I’m pretty sure they are all still in production, and the only reason they would be is that people somewhere find them enjoyable. So who knows – you might have a completely different opinion on these than me, but I found them to be absolutely the worst of the worst. With that, here’s The Bottom Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time, 2013 Edition.
The Ramen Rater Top Ten Noodle Bowls Of All Time 2013 Edition
After more than a year of pondering and reviewing since the last list, here’s the new top ten instant noodle bowls. This encompasses all instant noodle bowls reviewed up to today, June 15th, 2013. With no further adieu, the top ten instant noodle bowls of all time, 2013 edition.
Gol Bim Men Recipe – Paldo Bibim Men with Bai-Top Shell
Today, I’m trying a new recipe sent to me by the folks at Paldo! Summer is right around the corner and this cold noodle dish is great to enjoy during the warmer months of the year. It was first introduced on a South Korean TV show on the KBS network called ‘Happy Together’ (click here to see the video). It uses some ingredients I’ve never heard of before, but I’m sure the folks in South Korea are very familiar with them – Cho Gochujang and Bai-Top Shell. Cho Gochujang is a gochujang infused with vinegar. But what’s bai-top you ask? Sea snails! Never had snails from the sea or otherwise before. Thank you to Moses over at Paldo America for sending me everything to make this! Always excited to try something new.
Meet The Manufacturer: #1066: Tasty Bite 1 Step-1 Minute Asian Noodles Pad Thai
Today’s the last of the Tasty Bite Meet The Manufacturer. Pad Thai! Sounds good to me – let’s check it out.
Meet The Manufacturer: #1065: Tasty Bite 1 Step-1 Minute Asian Noodles Kung Pao
Winding down this Meet The Manufacturer. Tiday’s the next to last – been good stuff thus far! Let’s check out the Kung Pao!