Here’s one A-Sha sent – thanks! It’s from one of their boxes you can get at Costco. Neat to see noodles where I know the sellers in a place like that. So these are super thick and chewy with a non-spicy sauce. Let’s give them a try!
Tag: 拉麺
#3755: MyKuali Penang White Curry Noodle (New Formulation) – Malaysia
Here’s another variety MyKuali has ‘tweaked’ the recipe for. This is a standard practice in Malaysia and Penang in particular. Recipes get changed an awful lot in hopes of making them the best they can possibly be. Let’s try out this Top Ten Lister of years past!
#3754: PLN Food Co. Ltd. Cold Udon Noodle – Taiwan
Alrighty so here’s another frozen one sent by the folks at PLN Food Co. Ltd. in Taiwan – thank you! This sounds to be akin to a hiyashi udon – I guess we shall see! Let’s cook it up!
#3753: PLN Food Co. Ltd. Crisp Shallot Noodle – Taiwan
Here’s another fresh frozen variety from PLN of Taiwan. So far, these have all yielded perfect scores. Their noodles are just excellent and the flavors are insanely good. This one comes with a crispy shallot topping and a special sauce – looking forward to this one! Let’s give it a try!
#3752: Nissin Demae Ramen Miso Tonkotsu Flavor – Hong Kong
I reviewed almost all the Demae Ramen – at least I thought. I used to get them on walks about ten years ago and then I did a Meet The Manufacturer with Nissin HK and they sent over 50 different varieties. Then this one comes in an Exotic Noods box (use coupon code RAMENRATER15) and there’s a new one to do. Let’s kick the tires!
MyKuali Sends Newly Formulated Product Samples
MyKuali of Malaysia has been on the Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All TIme lists plenty of times. One thing popular in Penang is to constant try to make better recipes. Wll, here’s a reformulated version of a couple of their mainstays – Penang White Curry and Red Tom Yum Goong noodles. Let’s take a look!
#3751: Liangshi Nara Japanese Noodles (Salted Egg Flavor) – China
Salted egg was something I didn’t really get at first, but these days it’s something I really enjoy. I had one of these ‘flower pot’ style noodles about 40 reviews back that was the same except it was salted egg and crab flavor – and it’s a no-brainer five stars. Let’s see if this one’s solo flavor does the trick.
#3750: Nongshim Soon Kimchi Noodle Soup – United States
I’ve long been a fan of the Soon line of products from Nongshim. If asked whether I’d want Shin Ramyun or Soon, I’d hit the Soon. Why? It just has a really nice smooth finish (it sounds like I’m describing a beer but really it does). This time they’ve got a trifecta of new versions – kimchi, a spicy tomato and a miso tofu. Today kimchi is on the menu – let’s check it out.
Meet The Manufacturer: #3749: LonoLife Chicken Bone Broth Noodle Soup – United States
Here’s the second review of the series. Again, we have 20 grams of protein in this one, coming from the inclusion of bone broth in with egg noodles. Let’s give it a try!
Meet The Manufacturer: #3748: LonoLife Beef Bone Broth Noodle Soup – United States
Here we go with this short Meet The Manufacturer series. This sounds interesting – 20 grams of protein in a cup noodle? That’s pretty good – calorie count isn’t too bad at all either. Let’s see how it tastes!
Meet The Manufacturer: Product Samples From LonoLife – United States
Jesse over at Lonolife sent some samples recently to try out of their new chicken and beef bone broth instant noodle cups! 20g of protein per cup is pretty impressive! Let’s check them out!
Meet The Manufacturer: Interview With LonoLife – United States
A while back I was contacted by Jesse Koltes, COO at LonoLife about a new high protein bone broth noodle cup he was developing. Well, it’s done and here’s an interview I did about the products he’s got! They’re all high protein for those looking to add more of that essential to their diet.
#3747: Mom’s Dry Noodle Spicy Oil Dan Dan Noodles – Taiwan
Something new from Taiwan just hit my mailbox recently – this is a dan dan variety from Mom’s Dry Noodle (their dan dan noodles have been on my top ten global list for a few years now). This one’s different though – lots of spicy oil and it’s Vegetarian friendly. Let’s crack it open and see what’s going on in here!
#3746: Vifon Asian Style Instant Noodles With Crab Paste – Vietnam
Here’s one that was sent in by reader James from Lakeside, CA! Thanks! He’s sent quite a few neat varieties over the past year and this follows suit. It contains a retort pouch, kind of the high bar when it comes to instants as it’s like a flexible can with fish or meat in there which makes everything better. This one’s got crab – let give it a try!
Ramen Forever: A New Book Of Ramen Art & Lore by Yarrow Slaps
A couple of years ago, I got a message from someone who was going to publish a book about ramen and asked for an interview. I almost never turn down an interview so I did one and forgot about it long ago. Well, I got an email saying the book had been published and was asked where a copy could be sent. Well, it arrived! Let’s open it up and check it out!
#3745: Newgate Express Instant Noodles Curry Flavour – Ireland
Here’s one sent by reader Cian from Dublin – thanks! This is the first Irish instant noodle I’ll be reviewing and although Cian told me these aren’t exactly great, I’m stoked since to me, they’re new. Let’s try the first curry noodles I’ve ever seen in sky blue packaging. Let’s do it.
#3744: Pamana Instant chicken Sotanghon – United States
Here’s another one for the Filipino market here in the states by Pamana. Sadly, this is the last Filipino variety I’ve got so I’m hoping someone who’s reading from the Philippines might be kind enough to send some new varieties I’ve not reviewed. Very hard to come by these days for me I’m afraid! Let’s check it out – but first, a little snippet from Wikipedia about Sotanghon – oh wait, I guess not. It appears it’s being confused with rice vermicelli – which this dish does use, but the translation in this instance would be to bihon instead so I don’t know what to do… A little research yielded use of mushrooms, however in my years reviewing, I’ve seen a lot of varieties including saltine crackers. We shall see.
The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Indonesian Instant Noodles Of All Time 2021 Edition
To start, I want to take a moment to recognize the passing of Nunuk Nuraini. Many of you haven’t heard of her and so I wanted to tell you a little about her. She was the spice mixer for Indomie and died earlier this year. The flavors she shared with the world are legendary I thought it fitting to honor her with a mention before we start this list. If you’d like to read and article about her life, there is one here.
#3743: PLN Food Co. Ltd. Miso Ramen – Taiwan
Here’s another one that arrived on ice from Taiwan. Trying to get a couple out at a time since they’ve invaded our freezer – I’ll add happily to that statement. They’ve been so good up to now and guessing they’ll all be good – at least I hope so.
#3742: PLN Food Co. Ltd. Sesame Paste Noodle – Taiwan
What a week – just so busy lately! My daughter just started preschool and so another part of the day is taken up by Zoom meetings – not a bad thing and really neat to see her start school! Yet it is a difficult transition for me; I’ve had everything so timed and set up for reviewing that change is difficult – but not impossible. Adjusting had been hard but it’s going well.
Umai Crate Ramen Noodle Subscription Box – March 2021
It’s pretty inadvisable to run to the mall and hang out with tons of people. Well, check out these subscription boxes – they come straight to your door and have some neat stuff inside! Check out www.japancrate.com and use the coupon code THERAMENRATER to score a sweet discount and get some neat noodles!
#3741: Acecook Maruyoshi Shrimp Tensoba – Japan
This one came out of a Zenpop subscription box. Zenpop has great boxes featuring different themes every month with 7 different instant ramen varieties from Japan. Use the coupon code RAMENRATER for a discount!
#3740: JML Instant Noodle Artificial Mushroom Chicken Flavour – China
This one arrived in an Exotic Noods subscription box – check ’em out and use coupon code RAMENRATER15 for 15% off your order!
#3739: Myojo Kakitama Udon – Japan
Here’s one that came in a Zenpop box. Zenpop is a subscription box service – check em out and use coupon code RAMENRATER for a discount!
#3738: O’Taste Habanero Tteokbokki With Noodles – South Korea
Oh boy, oh boy… I did a big sort of all the noodles I had in my hampers and one thing I found was a huge amount were expired – not just a little, but like expires in 2018 (it’s 2020). Now that my noodle hoard has dwindles (I think I tossed a good 50 packs/cups/bowls), I saw someone else touting this one as a new add to their stash. Well lo and behold, this one made the cut – it expires next week, so I’d better get on it. Not only that, this sounds like a mukbang if I’ve ever heard of one. Let’s do it.
#3737: Yamamoto Tanuki Oyaji Tonkotsu Ramen – Japan
A happy Valentine’s Day to you all! It’s been crazy here – we’ve been dumped on with a ton of snow in the last couple of days. It’s melting though and hopefully it will be all gone soon. It’s been a rough month – the site got hacked, so I started a GoFundMe campaign – which proved that humanity is kind and I have the best viewership/readership in the world – thank you for your kind donations! The site is happy, and a couple items on the wish list were also got – a couple camera for Instant Noodle Recipe Time were donated, and I was able to get a scanner that measure 11×17 (the one I have has condensation on the inside and the new one should be here tomorrow). Then, this morning I come out to the living room to find my data drive where I keep the bulk of my day-to-day assets like templates etc. was hosed. Wouldn’t spin up. Luckily, there were finds left over from the GoFundMe that covered a new hard drive. I though – hey maybe the old one might still be under warranty and fished it out of the trash bin. No dice on that, but gave it one last try and it fired up! It’s backing up data right this second and should be done shortly! The safe bet is to stay with the new one that is coming since who knows how long this one will work. Anyways, I hope every one is having a great Valentine’s Day – it’s been a rollercoaster over here!
#3736: Tasty.ly Quick Pasta Cheezy – Malaysia
I’ve been reviewing a lot of these Kay’s and Tasty.ly products recently – it’s pretty neat! I mean, Malaysia isn’t the first place you think of when you think of macaroni and cheese, is it? I really liked the Creamy variety so guessing this is going to be good too. Let’s find out!
#3735: Single Grain Hot & Sour Lava Noodles – China
Here’s another one of the ‘flower pot’ form factor large cups from China. These are generally really quite good so I’ve got high hopes for this one. Plus, it’s dry. I know it has to be. I think. I should say I screwed one of these up recently but I did redo it. Dry varieties when broth is introduced isn’t so wonderful. Let’s give this one a try.
#3734: Maruchan Black Pork Curry Udon – Japan
Here’s one that came from a Zenpop.jp subscription box. Use the coupon code RAMENRATER at checkout for a discount!
#3733: Pamana Instant La Paz Batchoy – United States
The first thing I noticed about this one was toward the top where it mentioned it has real beef and real pork. I so seldom come across varieties from the Philippines that this was a real score. I think I found it up in Canada but I’m not sure. Let’s see what Wikipedia has to say about La Paz Batchoy real quick –
The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Boxed Instant Noodles Of All Time 2021 Edition
I’ll admit, this is a really different list. I’ve done cup and bowl form factor specific lists, but never ones that come in boxes before. I thought maybe this would be a good idea since most things that come in boxes in the noodle world tend to be on a more premium side of things. This is a selection of my favorites that came in boxes current as of review #3,702. Let’s have a look at The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Boxed Instant Noodles Of All Time 2021 Edition!
#3732: Chillies Brand Hae Bee Hiam – Singapore
When I heard about this, I was immediately interested. Dried shrimp are a big part of this and I’m curious how ‘shrimpy’ the flavor will be. Let’s find out as I review the first variety from Chillies Brand I’ve tried!
Red Chef Malaysia Send Some Samples!
I recently was contacted by the folks at Red Chef who asked if I’d like to try out their varieties again as well as try something new. A total of three of their varieties have held spots on the annual big top ten global list, so I figure yes, of course I want to! Here is what they sent!
#3731: Cheetos Mac’N Cheese Flamin’ Hot Flavor – United States
Here’s the other spicy variety from the Cheetos Mac’N Cheese series. I should note that we tried the non-spicy regular cheese flavor today. Wasn’t bad; wasn’t amazing. Anyways, I also want to point out something – this isn’t macaroni; it’s rotini. Macaroni is pasta shapen in tubes. Rotini isn’t. Just saying. Alright – let’s give this spicy one a try.
#3730: Sapporo Ichiban Hakata Mentaiko Tonkotsu Ramen – Japan
Here’s a fancy one from Japan found in a Zenpop box – check out zenpop.jp and use the coupon code RAMENRATER for a discount! Tonkotsu is a pork bone based creamy wonderful thing. This one has the added bonus of cod roe. Let’s give it a try.
#3729: Yamamoto Tanuki Oyaji Pirikara Ramen – Japan
I reviewed the Tanuki Oyaji tonkotsu a couple days ago – this one’s the spicy version of that. Thanks again to Daniel from Exotic Noods for shooting these over – use coupon code RAMENRATER15 over there for a discount! Let’s give it a go!
Prima Taste Send My All Time Favorite Noodles
Every year or so, Prima Taste sneds over some samples. This is nice – especially since they’re so good. These have been at the top of my top ten for years now – it’s because they’re freaking wonderful noodles. Check it out!
#3727: Cheetos Mac’N Cheese Cheesy Jalapeno – United States
This. This created quite a stir (no pun intended) in the Instant Noodles – The Ramen Rater Facebook group. The spicy crowd was fascinated, and the ramen crowd espoused disdain. Cries of ‘that’s not ramen’ rose up in protest. Obviously not; it is pasta – rotini to be exact.
Instant Noodle Bread Comes To The Table
Yes, bread. This is one of many loaves I’ve tried, crafter by the esteemed author Matthew Bellah. Check it out.
#3726: Yamamoto Tanuki Oyaji Tonkotsu Ramen – Japan
Here’s another one from Daniel over at Exotic Noods – use coupon code RAMENRATER15 for a discount – thank you!