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Here’s the second of four short little looks at Prima Taste’s new Ready Meals line. This one’s beef rendang. Rendang is an Indonesian dish of beef that’s cooked in coconut milk with lots of seasonings. There is wet and dry Rendang – the wet is what I’m guessing we have here. Here’s a little more info from Prima Taste –
Yep, you guessed it! This is yet another one left from the Nissin Hong Kong Meet The Manufacturer. Thanks again to Nissin HK for sending so many varieties! Sounds simple enough – it’s spicy, it’s beef. Let’s check it out!
Thanks go out yet again to Jen from Australia! Beef? Beef. Sounds simple enough – let’s check it out!
Here’s another one sent by Jen from Australia – thanks! Although not an Australian brand, the distributor’s sticker mentioed Australian distribution and so here we are. Sounds good – been reviewing quite a few beef ones lately it seems. Let’s check it out!
When it says these are broad noodles, its definitely not an understatement. I’ve had mixed feelings about the offerings from this brand in the past – let’s see how this one pans out!
Let’s start with the brand name of this one – Farmer’s Heart. I think many of you will be surprised that it’s a translation of a brand that’s very well known – Nongshim. Usually Nongshim’s flavors lean towards Korean flavors – logically. But this one’s definitely Vietnamese. I’m really curious about it also because not only are these rice noodles, but they can be made in the microwave. Let’s check it out!
Woke up at the Silks Place hotel and had some breakfast. Then we were off to the Tainan rail station. We said goodbye to Darren there and then goodbye to Perry who had to head back to Taipei as he was off to travel on business the next day. The rail stations were really fascinating; almost like a mall to themselves! Tons of people, but everything seems to work very logically. We took the train from Tainan to Taichung where three more noodle factories were to explore! Met Jason, Erickk and Paul and went out for lunch at a hot pot restaurant. Got to try plum drink – kind of tasted like American barbecue sauce to be honest, but went very well with the Taiwanese beef. Was an enjoyable meal for all and then we were off to visit three noodle factories. These factories are all part of a company called Hung Guang.
Here’s yet another one sent by a reader named Colin from back east – thanks again! It’s funny how we don’t have any of these Kang shi Fu variants out west – at least not at any of the stores I’m near to. Spicy beef sounds awesome – it’s a really cloudy and rainy day here in the Seattle area. Let’s check it out!
Here’s one my sister brought me back from Canada – thanks again! Ah, Walmart. They’re probably the biggest store around and there are lots of them. What’s funny is that these are made in the United States and sold in Canada – but you can’t find them at Walmart store in the United States. Let’s check out the elusive Walmart Great Value cup noodle!
Here’s yet another one kindly sent to me by a reader named Colin from back east – thanks! A lot of people think Germany when they think sauerkraut and that makes sense; it’s a German word for pickled cabbage. But pickled cabbage is exceedingly popular in Asia as well. Let’s check it out!
Here’s another one sent to me by Javier from Box From Japan. Box From Japan has subscriptions for all sorts of neat Japanese things. I regret to say that I was informed that they won’t be taking subscriptions for their ramen boxes for now – hopefully that will start again soon. He mentioned that you can purchase instant noodles from them here. Here’s what he had to say about this particular variety:
It’s been a while since I’ve done any re-reviews and there will be a couple in this Meet The Manufacturer. This is from a long time ago – last time I had this bowl was in review #304 which I posted February 20th, 2011. Yep – very old review and should be interesting to see how I like it now as opposed to back then. I know it’ll look nicer than back then – I used to drop two fried eggs in with EVERYTHING and a lot of the time it looked like a hideous trainwreck. Let’s revisit this one!
By looking at the front of this package, it looks to me like it’s definitely for the European marketplace – northern Euope in particular. Time to take some beef out and make some noodles!
Purple! Nothing like purple. Purple crayons, The Color Purple, Purple Rain… Actually, I’m not really a fan of any of those; but when I see the color of purple on an instant noodle package, especially from Taiwan, Hong Kong or China, it usually denotes something pickled. Indeed, here we have sour pickled cabbage. This isn’t quite like sauerkraut but kind of like it. Anyways, let’s crack into this one – another kindly send by colin. Thanks again!
Here’s another I reviewed as part of a collaboration with Apple Daily news. Nothing like a good beef instant noodle! I remember a couple years ago being told that Chinese sausage is popular to put in with beef instant noodles, so I think that’ll be what gets put in today – haven’t used it in a long time. Just to reassure you, nothing gets scored after I put any external ingredients in. That’s the way I always review; I think you’ll agree that’s the only fair way to do it. anyways, let’s get started!
Here’s another one sent by reader Colin – thanks again! Salted beef? This is new to me; it just makes me think of beef jerky, but I know that’s probably way off the mark. Let’s see how this one taste.
A big thanks to Colin for finding and sending me this one! Okay, so I have been trying to get this one for a while; anything by Roland honestly. I called them, emailed them, and always got the same reply – ‘we don’t send sample.’ I really love it when companies have such a rigid policy against basically what amounts to free advertising. This one is made in Singapore for Roland company here in the USA, and I have a feeling it’s a private label by Tat Hui/KOKA – all boils down to one aspect which is a giveaway. Let’s check this one out and I’ll show you what that is.
Today, we delve into a rice vermicelli cup. Mifun is just one name for rice noodles – here’s some more from wikipedia:
Here’s the first in the special series I did for Apple Daily of Hong Kong. I’ve reviewed varieties from Four Seas in the past – in fact, this looks kind of like a bowl version I’ve had before. Beef and radish, huh? Sounds interesting – let’s check it out!
Here’s another one sent by Colin, a reader from back east – thank you! He went to Mexico recently and sent me a ton of varieties that he found there. You’d think with Mexico being next door I’d be able to find more varieties, but actually it’s been really hard. This one’s made in South Korea for the Mexican market. Instant noodle are hugely popular in Mexico, and with spicy flavors coming out of South Korea, it’s a pretty good fit. Let’s have a look!
A couple of months ago, I experienced an instant noodle drought. I was looking in my hampers and there were maybe 10 varieties left! We hit 99 Ranch and I found about 10 or so varieties to review (later after putting a call out on the site, I ended up with people sending all sorts of varieties and now my hampers runneth over – my thanks!). Here’s one I found at 99 Ranch – let’s check it out.
This one was sent to me by Jen from Australia – thanks again! So this is interesting; it’s made in Singapore for the Australian market. It boasts the use of 100% Australian wheat. Wheat is a big export for so many countries throughout the world; and of course instant noodles are a big part of why that is. Let’s open this one up and see what’s inside.
After quite a few years, its looking more and more like Kang Shi Fu (Master Kong) is definitely getting their products distributed into the United States. This one was sent to me by a reader named Colin (thanks again!) and is definitely different from most of the Mang Shiu Fu stuff I’ve seen. First, there’s a lot of English on the package; something very new to me. Stewed beef sounds good – let’s have a look inside.
My sister got these for my birthday up in Canada – thank you! I’ve wanted to review some Walmart branded instant noodles for years; just seems fitting that Walmart would have instant noodles. These were bought in Canada, however they’re made in the United States. However, I’ve never seen instant noodles with the Great Value brand inside the United States… Anyways, let’s crack this open and see how this one fares.
Being low on instant noodles to review, I went to 99 Ranch to see if I could find anything I’d not reviewed yet. I ended up at the bottom end of the noodle aisle and found a ton of Kamfen stuff I haven’t gotten to yet. I always knew it was there, just didn’t get to the point of checking it out really. So being at that point, we’ll start trying these here and there. This one’s beef flavor wonton. Let’s give it a looksie.
Here’s one I thought would be a re-review. I was on the 99 Ranch Market noodle aisle and though ‘hey this would be an interesting one to check out to test my new camera setup.’ Well as it turns out, I’ve never reviewed this one – very strange! As for my new camera setup, it’s been a rough go. I’ve never used DSLR in the past – only point and shot. It’s a pretty steep learning curve and the first day I had this thing I was ready to chuck it out the window! But after some time I’m starting to get the hang of it. Lightbulbs, lenses, f-stops, ISO settings and shutter speeds. It’s a lot to juggle and I still don’t think I’ve found the sweet spot yet. But I’m still working on it! Anyways, let’s check out the interesting looking beef variety from Taiwan.
So the last one of these broad noodles I tried I made incorrectly (yeah, it happens once in a blue moon) and I’ll re-review it soon. See, the first one was a broth free variant and I just assumed that the rest would be. Well, it looks like the one I tired first was the exception to the rule. Anyways, let’s have a look at this beef flavored variety from Sichuan Baijia.
Okay so you might be wondering – beef tongue shio mayo ramen – that couldn’t possibly mean… Yes. Where did I get it though?
Here’s a neat one. During my trip to Thai President Foods’ Agent Meeting in Bangkok last month, I went to a seminar for a large group of European distributors. There were a couple guys who were there that I met from the Thai President Foods Hungary factory, and I was able to obtain samples of many of the products that are manufactured there, this being one of them. I noticed that on the label, an Austrian company is distributing this one. Let’s have a look!
NOTE: I assumed that all of the Sichuan Baijia Broad Noodle series were supposed to be drained. This was apparently was NOT supposed to be drained, hence the review score of 0 stars. It will be re-reviewed soon! Thanks to Bundi R. for bringing this to my attention.
I made some instant noodle the other day with beef balls in them and Kit really thought they were good, so I thought I’d make this one with some beef balls in it for her today! This one was sent to me after my trip to the Thai President Foods European Agent Meeting in May! It was really great – while I’m not a distributor for TF, they were super kind to invited me to come and check out Thailand and their factories. I did a travelogue you can check out here. I found out they don’t only make products in Thailand but have factories throughout the world. This one comes from Cambodia – let’s have a look!
In the last few years, I’ve seen a large amount of articles with titles like ‘Best Ramen Hacks,’ ‘Pimp Your Ramen’ and so on. These titles fall under the category of clickbait – using hipster terminology and such to entice one to click on them. Usually, they’re all things people know about already; vegetables, oils and such. This is a list of my favorite add-ons and garnishes. While some may be familiar to you, others may not be. It’s also geared to help you navigate the Asian Grocery, a place many find to be alien to them but I have found to be one of the most vibrant and wonderful places I visit very regularly. Finally, I also included some tips of storage and how long these products last for those on a tight budget. In no particular order, here’s this new list!
My wife and I were at the grocery store the other day and she saw this series by Myojo. ‘Have you tried these yet?’ she asked. It’s funny – she finds lots of varieties for me that I never even notice – it’s pretty awesome! Since she’s a fan of udon, I thought I would make her some today. Let’s check ’em out!
This one came by way of Michael over at EastLand Foods – thanks! I haven’t reviewed a Vietnamese instant noodle in ages it seems like – let’s see what we have here!
Hey check it out – Nissin Cup Noodles got a big facelift.
Here’s how they used to look – cardboard outer packaging is now gone. Less packaging and different materials have been used to make them more environmentally friendly. Also, they’re now microwavable! Yes, I’m sure many of you microwaved them before, but you weren’t supposed to. The new cups also have a little extra room so you can add veggies and meats or whatever you want to oomph up your noodles! Let’s check this new cup out!
Thanks to my sister Sue for bringing me these back from a recent trip to Victoria, BC! I’ve never been a big fan of Canadian instant noodles, but I always hold out hope for a brand to have a variety that’s really good. Let’s see what this store brand hasd inside.
This is a very red package! The woman is jubilant with her golden ladle! Her name is Dee Hsu – a popular entertainer from Taiwan. Spicy sounds good – let’s check it out!
So to start things off, I thought this looked like an interesting cup. I had one that had a smiliar design quite a while back – and it ended up on the Top Ten Spicy list for 2015! So, I’m wondering how this one’s going to be – spicy? I’m going to bet it’s spicy. Let’s open the lid and look within!
Was extremely happy to get a knock at the door and a nice big box today!
Ooh! New things to try from China! What’s within I wonder?
Here’s another one that was sent to me by James B. from The Netherlands – thanks! So this one is made in Thailand but definitely for the Dutch market. It’s an interesting one for sure – seen them online for a few years but never been able to get my hands on any – until now! I like how it says ‘decent noodles’ next to where it says iMee – as opposed to indecent noodles! Let’s check ’em out!
