Over 5,000 Instant Ramen Noodle Reviews Since 2002
So this one confused me a little; I was sure I’d reviewed it before. In fact, here is review #1069. I’m noticing a couple of differences though. First, different bar code. Second, different water amount. Notice this one says 400ml for 5 minutes whereas the other says 430ml for 5 minutes. Curious. Let’s take a look and see what makes this big fancy bowl tick.
This is one of Nissin Japan’s ethnic series – this one being Thai in origin, they also have a Singaporean Laksa and an Indonesian Mi Goreng. This one looks a lot like the Nissin Cup Noodles that come from Thailand – usually there’s the guys from Manchester United on there as well. Let’s have a look inside and see what’s what.
What – you thought I’d quit at #2000? Surely you jest. The beat goes on and on and on and on, folks. What’s crazy is I’ve never reviewed the regular Nissin Seafood Cup Noodle – however one has come into my possesion recently thanks to a reader, so I will be very soon. This is a very new one from Nissin – let’s check it out!
Well folks, here we are. Review #2000! I recommend that you all start by reading the interview I conducted with Nissin Japan before proceeding.
Wow – the cusp of history with this review, folks. The next post will be #2000. That’s a LOT of reviews. It’s funny though; it’s such a regular part of my day that it doesn’t seem too insanely crazy to me anymore. But then again, yeah – most people think I’m pretty nutty, but hey it’s a fun hobby and it’s unique – I dig my niche. Anyways, one of my favorite flavors is curry. Since I was a kid and my mom would make curried chicken livers for dinner (she hasn’t made that in years; she questions the quality of chicken livers these days), I’ve enjoyed it a lot. Well, this is Japanese curry; usually not super spicy and leaning towards the sweet side which is always nice. Let’s have a look at this cup.
For those wondering, this looks to be a very premium looking bowl. Shoyu is one of the classic ramen varieties of Japan – it translates to soy sauce flavor. Let’s have a look inside and see what makes this bowl special.
This is a very yellow Cup Noodle! It’s a pork and cabbage tonkotsu andc I noticed that it mentions ‘1/3’ in a few spots. I believe this is denoting that this contains 1/3 of the daily intake of vegetables one should get. That’s great – I really like it when lots of vegetables are included in a variety! As for tonkotsy, tonkotsu is a pork bone milky broth ramen – one of my favorites. Let’s take a look!
This is the third one from this line that I’ve tried. I have had the vongole variety as well as the bolognese in the past – really liked that bolognese. This one is made with cod roe – basically cod eggs. It’s a very common addition over in Japan. Let’s give this a try.
This looks absolutely awesome. Chili cheese Cup Noodle? Not only that, it’s big – and it has the Mexican wrestler guy on it! I wonder how it would go with corn chips… Anyways, let’s crack it open and have a look!
When I pulled this bowl out of one of the boxes Nissin Japan sent, I was immediately curious. I mean, this looks really thick. This is a shrimp tantanmen. What is tantanmen you ask? Wikipedia, if you please…
Usually when I make tonkotsu, I add on some barbecue pork. This is what you’d usually find as an appetizer at a Chinese-American restaurant – the bright red edged tasty sliced pieces. Well, I was fortunate and on my birthday, my wife and two sons accompanied me to Uwajimaya, a Japanese supermarket in downtown Seattle. I wanted to find the real stuff – the chashu pork. After a lot of going from one end of the deli to the other, confusion with what I was looking for and finally almost giving up, a man brought me a nice package of freshly sliced chashu pork. I had him slice even more and now I have a nice stash of it in my freezer. This will be the first one I’ll be using this with – pretty excited! Now the bowl version of this product no doubt comes with a dehydrated slice of chashu pork which is very nice too! Let’s have a look at this one!
Hey think I’ve seen a movie with this name. But I know the dish ratatouille existed long, lobg before it. What’s ratatouille? Wikipedia, if you please:
Nissin Chikin Ramen’s mascot Hiyoko Chan is wearing earmuffs! Is this is cold noodle? Nope – this is a Winter noodle. This variety is sold during the Winter months to give you a warm, fuzzy feeling inside when it’s cold outside. Let’s have a look!
I thought I should start things off with the original Nissin Cup Noodle. It’s funny; I’ve never reviewed one of these before (except the Emergency Nissin Cup Noodle from Momofuku Ando Day #4, which is a bit different). The story goes that Momofuku Ando noticed businessmen on flights would ask for cups of hot water instead of coffee. They would put pieces of Nissin chikin Ramen in these cups and eat it that way. He thought hey – why not ma.e instant ramen in a cup form. He did, and now it is a ubiquitous item throughout the world. As you’ll see during this Meet The Manufacturer, there are many, many different varieties of Cup Noodle made by Nissin – from the logical to the surprising and unique. Cup Noodle has it’s own museum as well! In Yokohama, Japan! Find out more about it here. Let’s crack open this one – the original Nissin Cup Noodle.
Today I got a second box from Mr. Okabayashi at Nissin Japan! Let’s see what’s inside!
Wow! A box from Nissin Japan! What’s inside I wonder?
Well packed and ready to delve into!
Interview with Nissin Japan * Product Samples From Nissin Japan (1) * Product Samples From Nissin Japan (2) * Nissin Cup Noodle * Nissin Cup Noodle Milk Chikin Ramen * Nissin Cup Noodle Light Ratatouille * Nissin Raoh Tonkotsu * Nissin Gyoretsu-no-Dekiru-Mise-no- Ramen (Shrimp Tantanmen) * Nissin Cup Noodle Big Cheese Mexican Chili * Nissin Cup Noodle Pasta Style Tarako Spaghetti * Nissin Cup Noodle Vegeta Buta-kyabetsu Tonkotsu * Nissin Men Shokunin Shoyu * Nissin Curry Udon * Nissin Chikin Ramen Donburi * Nissin BIG Cup Noodle Seafood Clam Chowder * Nissin Cup Noodles Tom Yum Goong * Nissin Raoh Rich Miso Flavor * Nissin Donbei Dashi Shoyu Yakiudon
Here’s the last of the three new ‘Authentic Taste’ varieties from MyKuali that they sent a little while back. I was told that they’ve changed the way they cook the paste and that it will have enhanced shrimp flavor and aroma from the spices. Sounds good to me! Let’s check it out!
A couple years ago, I had the opportunity to check out a course taught by Dr. Gary Hou at the Wheat Marketing Center in Portland, OR. It was a short course on making instant noodles and really fascinating. It’s coming up again and as a thank you for letting everyone know about it, Dr. Hou sent me something!
For a while now, Javier over at BoxFromJapan.com has been sending me sample boxes and they’ve been really out of this world. Box From Japan is a subscription service – you can get a new box every month to your door – it’s reasonably priced I think since you can’t find any of these in the USA, plus I’ve NEVER gotten a single instant ramen from him that I’ve ever reviewed before – and that’s definitely saying something. Not only that, he also has a candy box – all sorts of neat treats from Japan as well! Let’s look inside!
One of the last ones I have from MAMA Myanmar! Been a lot of fun trying these. Looks like the only Myanmar, Cambodian and Bangladeshi varieties I’ve ever reviewed have been by MAMA. Let’s see how this chicken soup fares!
I WAS SURPRISED TO HEAR HOW MANY OF YOU I FOOLED! HAPPY APRIL FOOL’S DAY – I’LL BE REVIEWING INSTANT NOODLES FOR A LONG TIME COMING!
Here’s another interesting bowl sent by Javier over at www.BoxFromJapan.com, a great subscription service! You get 4 bowls a month from Japan – they also do candy! Definitely check ’em out! This one says it’s a tonkotsu with chicken fat? Interesting. Let’s give it a go!
Here’s another one I got from A-Sha’s US distributor recently – thanks! I saw this variety on the A-Sha Taiwan website and was very curious; who is the gentleman on the packaging? Well, I asked and this is what they had to say:
Today, I am really stoked to be reviewing something brand new – Prawn Soup. It’s been a couple years since Prima Taste has rolled out a new Singapore La Mian and this is it! Prawn Soup! . I do like prawns alot! Let’s check this one out!
Here’s one that the folks from Prima Taste in Hong Kong sent – thanks you! So Tan Tan – what is it? Wikipedia, if you please:
Here’s another one from Wesley of Japan – thank you again! This one sounds interesting – in his note he says ‘stylized instant ramen of Tokushima Ramen (the real dish) which ras a sweet soy sauce base, shaved pork and raw egg.’ Sounds interesting! Looks like some narutomaki on the package as welol – think I have some in the freezer. Let’s give this one a try!
Here’s one sent by Colin from Massachusetts – thanks! I used to work with a lady who couldn’t say Massachusetts. It seemed a little ridiculous to me, but she would stumble over the word repeatedly and it would sound like massive two shits. Anyways, this one seems interesting – why assorted pork bone? Are they from different kinds of pigs? Well, let’s give this one a try!
Here’sd another of MyKuali’s new recipe ‘Authentic Taste’ range. I’m told this has more of the lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves, as well as mushroom and chicken broth. Most of ytou should know it was #1 on the 2015 Top Ten list. Let’s see how these changes affect the taste!
I was fortunate to be able to check out Dr. Gary Hou’s instant noodle course at the Wheat Marketing Center in Portland, Oregon a couple years ago – turns out he’s doing it again and if you’re interested, you should give it a look!
Here’s the first review of the donations sent by Jen of Australia – thanks again! So this is a new brand to me – was hard not to type Sumin but it’s Suimin… Made in Australia! Also, it’s prawn and chicken flavored – something I’ve never come across before. Let’s give it a look!
I could be wrong, but I believe this is the last one of the donations sent by Casey P. of Hong Kong – huge thanks to you! So this one looks interesting – it’s definitely much bigger than the standard Cup Noodle, that’s for sure. After a little research, it looks as though ajillo is a Mexican/Spanish dish which features shrimp, vegetables and sliced garlic. That definitely sounds good – let’s have a look.
Reader Colin from Arlington, MA sent me yet another box of noodles – thanks man! He told me he was going to Mexico and offered to get some for me. Let’s have a look inside!
My sister took a trip to Canada and asked if there was anything I wanted while she was up there. Well, I asked for Great Value instant noodles from Canadian Walmart. What’s crazy is you can’t buy them individually – you have to buy a big box of them. She got me every flavor of the packs and cups!
A week or two ago, my friend Paul S. brought over a couple packs of instant noodles (click to enlarge) he got on vacation. He went down to Mexico and picked these up for me! Always been hard to source stuff from Mexico. Why? No clue; it just is. Anyways, thanks Paul, you rock!
The other day I got some samples from CarJEN – this one piqued my interest. First off, the ‘Improved Taste’ sticker – it actually if from the outside of a 4 pack but I figure since I always just do pics of the individual packs, I’d just unstick it and restick it. It was #4 on last year’s big The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2015 Edition. Wonder what’s changed? Let’s have a look!
Last Monday, I posted the new variety of curry from MyOri, the only one with non-fried wheat noodles (the only one with my face on the back as well). Today, I wanted to show off the new green curry vermicelli package with me on it. I tried this almost a year ago and loved it immediately. I’ve kind of had a love/hate relationship with rice noodles/vermicelli over the years. Some don’t hydrate well, some seem like mush. Let’s explore this one again – the winner of the inaugural The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Rice Noodles Of All Time 2015 Edition. By the way, these are for sale in the United States; as soon as they tell me where I’ll let you know.
Another one send to me by Casey K. from Hong Kong – thanks again! I wonder – does that character towards the bottom of the pack looks familiar? Well, it’s the same as what you see on Nongshim’s Shin Ramyun products – spicy! Let’s check out this Japanese variety and see just how spicy it is!
The very last one from James B. of the Netherlands – thanks again, buddy! Kind of interesting to note that this review is the same number as the year I was born. I remember when I hit review #500 and #1000 – seems so long ago! Let’s check out some yakisoba from Germany!
Here’s another of the many varieties sent recently by Colin from Michigan – thanks! Cheese curry? That sounds really good – you can get cheese curry at Indian restaurants – I’m wondering what a South Korean cheese curry might be like. Let’s find out!
