The Definitive Source For Instant Noodle Reviews Since 2002
China: the birthplace of the noodle. Billions of serving of instant noodles are consumed there every year – more than any other country in the world! I thought today being Chinese New Year (more widely known as Lunar New Year), it would be an opportune time to release a list of my favorite instant noodles that are made in China. These are the most memorable and finest varieties I have enjoyed from China of the 1,290+ I’ve reviewed over the years.
A friend sent this a while back from Jakarta – thank you! This is one that says kuah on it. What’s kuah? Well as far as I can gather, kuah is gravy. So instead of a broth, this one should be a bit thicker. Guess we’ll see! Black pepper chicken )rasa ayam hitam) – let’s check it out!
Pickled mustard? Hmm… I’ve had varieties with mustard stem – wonder if it’ll be like that? Let’s find out!
Thought this might be a good day to take care of a mushroom flavored variety. FYI – these have 4 portions in a pack. Let’s check it out!
I got an email a few weeks back from a fellow named Hikaru T. from Courrier Japon magazin. He was interested in doing an article about my Top Ten list and asked if that’d be alright. I usually ask for a couple copies of the finished product and some cool instant noodle from the country where the magazine is. Well, he said okay and so here is the box that arrived today!
A box arrived today! It was sent by Chelsea of Malaysia who studies abroad in Massachusetts! She offered to bring back some instant noodles for me to review! Thank you very much! Let’s open it up!
Here’s another one sent by Charles – a serviceman stationed in Afghanistan – thanks! Let’s check it out!
Here’s another one sent by Annie T. of MyKuali! Thanks! This one sounds interesting, and I have something neat to go with it considering my recent fascination with fish balls – prawn flavored fish balls! These noodles are from Singapore, as are the fish balls! Let’s check it out!
Hey look! This is the last of the Nissin varieties made for Colombia. They’re made here in California by Nissin Foods USA, but only for sale in Colombia. This is identical to the beef flavor Cup Noodles we have available here. I reviewed that one way back – #334 in March of 2011 – seems like forever ago. Let’s see what I think about this one nowadays. Let’s check it out!
My son and I walked to the store the other day for some flowers and kamaboko. Of course, I can’t resist the noodle aisle and found 6 different styles of these little plastic noodle cups! Thought I’d try this one today. Let’s check it out!
I did an appearance on a show called Cam Fu & Friends which was recorded at Microsoft on January 7th, 2014. Cam the host and I met because of instant noodles a while back. He did instant noodle reviews on The Noodle Freak for a while and then went on hiatus from it, telling folks to come check out my site, a real honor. So we actually met in person the first time the other day. He really was hoping I’d do a review on the show, and so I had to come up with something to review. Well, this one fit the bill; easily prepared during the taping! Further below, you can watch the video! Let’s check this one out.
In March of 2012, I tried this new Garlic Teriyaki Udon by Nongshim – review #683. It was really great stuff – my wife Kit absolutely loved it (she doesn’t usually go crazy like I do for noodles, but this one was her fave). Well, a little while later, it was discontinued. Well, now it’s back and a little different. The first one had a whopping 3040mg of sodium per pack, but this new one has only 720mg for the whole thing. Let’s see how this one stacks up against the old version.
Here’s one I picked up a while back in Canada. JinMaiLiang makes all sorts of beefy ones – let’s check this one out.
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!
I thought why not have something a little different today. This cup’s been around the bottom of the hamper for a while… So, what does QQ mean? Pretty much really thin noodle. Let’s check it out!
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.
The contest had four submissions! Here are the rankings of the four as judged by my wife Kit. She didn’t see any of the pictures until a minute ago and had no idea who submitted them.
Momofuku Ando (安藤 百福) – (March 5, 1910 – January 5, 2007)
Today is January 19th, 2014 – and you know what that means? Momofuku Ando Day! In 1958, Momofuku Ando invented the very first instant noodles and started Nissin Foods. I do a special video every year to commemorate the occasion (see below). First, here’s what the Nissin Foods USA website has to say about the man:
Tomorrow is Momofuku Ando Day and I thought it would be fun to let my son Andreas do a video review. Just a reminder – today (January 18th, 2014) is the last day to enter the Momofuku Ando Day Photo Contest! The winner will be announced tomorrow. My Momofuku Ando Day video will be up tomorrow!
Here’s one from the UK! Thanks to Joe B. and Sarah B. of Notthingham for sending these my way! Well, let’s check ’em out!
Don’t see new Filipino varieties often these days, so was very pleased to come across this one. Wondering about the spelling? Well, it’s spelled many ways – mein, mien, mian… Basically, mien means noodles. Anyways, let’s check this one out!
Here we go with the 34th edition of The Ramen Rater Noodle News! I scour the Internet for articles about ramen and instant noodles and bring them to you! Here are some recent stories you might find interesting!
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!
It’s only a few days until Momofuku Ando Day, and what better time to introduce the very first Japanese Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time list? In 1958, Momofuku Ando initially brought these convenient products to the world. At first seen as an overpriced novelty, they’ve grown in popularity; 100 billion instant noodle products were enjoyed in 2012! Here are my favorites, manufactured in the instant noodle’s birthplace of Japan.
Seems like it’s been a while since I’ve reviewed something from Nongshim. Well, let’s check out this one – and it’s kimchi flavor!
Hey what’s this?
Ah ha now I understand! Roger S., a reader of The Ramen Rater contacted me. He’d gone through The Big List and found two he could locally source that I’d not reviewed yet! Interesting flavors too – shallot beef and the oddly fascinating tart beef! Thanks again!
The FedEx truck pulled up and the guy ran over and gave me this envelope – what’s inside?
The folks over at Prima Taste sent some nice gifts the other day! Let’s have a look!
A fancy wall or desk calendar!
A box of samples from Paldo – what are they?
My pal Moses over at Paldo America said it’s a new beef broth traditional soup – I’ve liked those in the past! Thanks – looking forward to trying this!
Wow what an interesting past few days! Two days ago I reviewed some Taiwanese noodles that were very green. Yesterday, some Japanese ramen with jet black broth. Today? Purple noodles! These noodles are made with purple wheat – which is rich in anthocyanins. Here’s a good article for more one purple wheat. As for Aglio Olio – what’s that? Well, it’s basically garlic (aglio) and oil (olio). Capiche? Alright, let’s check it out!
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!
A new one from Deshome! Not only is it new, but it’s curry! However, it’sd also chlorella. I put one variety on instant noodles on my bottom ten list that was a green tea and chlorella combo. I’m not sure if it was the green tea or the chlorella I dislikes, but I really disliked that one! So I guess we’ll see! As far as chlorella, Wikipedia has this to say:
Here’s one that’s been hiding in the noodle bin for a while! Thanks to Martin A. of Devon, UK for seonding! Let’s check it out!
I thought this one interesting; it says hot and sour chicken, but those are shrimp on there too. I decided I’d walk to the store and try something new. Fish balls! I’ve had them in hot pot before, but thought I’d get some golden fish balls with shrimp for this one. Let’s check it out!
Here’s something from a brand I’ve never tried before called Adabi. It was sent to me by Annie T. of MyKuali in Malaysia – thank you! This is a take on a traditional dish – let’s check it out!
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!
I’ve just got to face it; I’ve got noodles coming out of my ears here! There’s a big bag of these Wu-Mu noodles next to my bed that I’ve been almost tripping over as of late. They don’t fit anywhere else and each one is a 4 pack! I thought today my son and I would try a couple varieties. I figured I’d give this one a shot. I’m definitely not a huge fan of mushrooms, but the spinach noodles sounded nice. Let’s have a look!
Here’s another one from Joe B. of Nottingham, England – thanks! Sainsbury’s is a chain of supermarkets in the UK that were founded in 1869. They make two lines on instant noodles – the basics and a more premium version. Let’s check it out!
It’s no secret that I eat a lot of instant noodles. Last year alone, I did 320 new reviews! I’m often asked, “when you aren’t reviewing, what instant noodles do you like to eat?” South Korean ramyun is the answer. In 1963, instant noodles were first introduced to South Korea as ‘ramyun.’ People were a little confused at first; they thought it was a textile! They also weren’t super keen on it being chicken flavored; South Koreans prefer rich beef flavors as opposed to lighter poultry tastes. With a little tweaking, the spicy rich beef noodles synonymous with ramyun were born. The thick noodles, rich broth and spiciness keep me coming back for more. This list contains my favorites from the 1272 reviews I’ve done thus far. They are all made in South Korea, and many will be hard to find in the United States, if not impossible. With that, here’s my list.
Happy New Year to everyone! Thought after I did my 2.3 mile walk I’d come home and try some South Korean ramyun! This is one of Samyang Foods’ new baked noodle line. 2013 was the 50th anniversary of ramyun coming to South Korea. Let’s see what this new one is like!
