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Here’s one of Nissin HK’s standard sized Cup Noodles, and in a flavor I’ve never heard of – pork chowder! My first thought when chowder is referenced is clam chowder; will it be like clam chowder but instead of clams just be pork? I think maybe not. I really don’t know! Let’s check this one out.
Today, we delve into a rice vermicelli cup. Mifun is just one name for rice noodles – here’s some more from wikipedia:
Well this looks interesting – Italian inspired pasta in a take out box style package. Reminds me of the Cup Noodles Pasta Style from Japan a reviewed before – at least in color scheme and design on the package. It looks like it stops there though! Let’s see what we’ve got here!
If you’ve followed my reviews for a while, two things you’ll probably have realized – I like curry and I like beef. I don’t think I’ve tried a curry instant from outside of South Korea before and this one looks pretty neat. This is the first cup version of the Demae Iccho line I’ve ever gotten my hands on! Let’s have a look inside!
Today I think we’ll take a look at this bigger Cup Noodles. Spicy seafood sounds tasty to me! What’s also interesting about this one is that it can be microwaved, although my microwave is 1100W so unsure how to try it at 800W. It has different power levels, 1-12 (which seems kind of illogical since I wuld think they’d number 1-11). Boiling water time! Let’s go!
So I’ve been chatting with the DHL guy lately – especially since he’s been coming by quite often. Today he brought a huge box from Nissin HK! I often give him extra noodles – I’ve got so many at this point it’s kind of overwhelming! This batch though is all ones I’ve never reviewed and only one of each! Let’s open it up!
Interview With Nissin Hong Kong * Product Samples From Nissin Hong Kong * Special Items From Nissin Hong Kong * More Special Items From Nissin Hong Kong * Nissin Demae Iccho Black Garlic Oil Tonkotsu Flavour * Nissin Cup Noodles Big Spicy Seafood Flavour * Nissin Demae Iccho Curry Beef Flavour Instant Noodle * Nissin Nupasta Carbonara Flavour Instant Noodle * Fuku Non-Fried Superior Soup Noodle * Nissin Cup Mifun Spicy Beef Flavour * Nissin Cup Noodles Pork Chowder Flavour * Nissin Taisho Fried Noodle Sesame Paste Flavour Instant Noodle * Nissin Demae Ramen Straight Noodle Kyushu Tonkotsu Flavour Instant Noodle * Fuku Superior Soup Instant Rice Vermicelli * Nissin Demae Ramen Sesame Oil Flavour Instant Noodle * Nissin Mie Goreng Indonesia Stir Noodle Original Flavour * Nissin Demae Iccho Beef Flavour Instant Noodle * Nissin Cup Noodles Big Seafood Curry Flavour * Nissin Nupasta Salmon In White Sauce Flavor Instant Noodle
Here’s another one sent to me by Colin from the eastern US – thanks again man! He went to Mexico and picked up a slew of different varieties to send my way. It still boggles my mind that with Mexico so close, it’s been so hard for me to get Mexican instant noodles. Let’s have a look!
Here’s another one from the big batch of cups that Jen from Australia sent – thank you again! Curries prawn eh? That sounds good – let’s have a look!
Here’s something new – found this at the Uwajimaya in Renton, Washington. It’s funny; we go a little out of our normal sphere of shopping and boom – all sorts of new things! Actually, found quite a few new Maruchan varieties – a Chipotle Instant Lunch as well as three new Bowl varieties – Miso, Sukiyaki and Tonkotsu! Those will be coming up for review soon. Until them, let’s check out this neat little cup.
Here’s the second of three cup versions of MyKuali’s line I got a while back – this time it’s the tom yum! Really excited to check it out – so without further ado, let’s get started!
Another one sent by Jen from Australia – thanks again! So a favorite destination of Australian tourists is Bali and Borneo – pretty nearby and full of tasty fare. One such common food you’ll find in these places is mi goreng, or fried noodles. Usually a cooked and drain noodle is stir fried and condiments such as sweet chilli sauce and sweet soy sauce are added as well and vegetables and meats. Let’s see how this cup variety of mi goreng tastes.
Here’s another one sent by Jen from Australia – thanks again! So this one’s an Australian brand. I’ve seen these around for a long time but never before have been able to get any to try. Today, it’ll be Oriental flavor. Okay, so what is Oriental flavor? Of course I should know; I’ve tried over 2,000 varieties! I’m The Ramen Rater! Well, hate to break it to you folks, but I haven’t the slightest idea what Oriental flavor is. My best guess would be a flavor that’s good, but not really definable. Another guess is a vegetarian accessible variety that shouldn’t make meat eaters say ‘eww – that’s for the plant eaters.’ What odd about this flavor is that the term Oriental evokes racist tones that offend some people from Asia. So, either the companies don’t know this or don’t care. Anyways I’m not a fan of offending people – if I ever start a noodle company this flavor won’t be on the menu. Alright enough with the pleasantries – let’s crack this cup open and see what we’ve got here.
yKuali
First it was in packs. Then, rice vermicelli bowls and now cups! I’m really curious about a couple things in this one. How well will it translate to a ‘steeped cooking’ form? Also, what kind of noodles are in here? Easiest way to find out is to give it a try! Let’s tear this one open!
Here’s another one that was sent to me by Javier over at Box From Japan – thanks! Box From Japan is a subscription service – you can get a box sent to you every month with some great noodles within! Today, we have a nice little cup – pork tonkotsu! Let’s crack it open and see what is inside!
Another one my sister picked up for me in Canada – thanks again! Today, my boy Andy’s feeling a little under the weather, so I thought some Canadian chicken noodles would do him good. Well, I should say my sister sourced them in Canada; the package says they are a product of the United States. I really wonder who private labels these for Walmart. I’m sure someone will let me know! Anyways, let’s see what’s up with this cup.
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!
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 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!
Wow okay so I have been wanting to get my hands on noodles from Brazil for a while now – at least a couple of years. Luckily, my cousins Mike and Adriana frequently visit Brazil and brought me some back! Thank you so much! While these are Cup Noodles, they’ve got some interesting flavor. This one, calabresa (aka linguica) is sausage flavored! Here’s a little about linguica from wikipedia:
I’ve got to say – it’s been quite a while since I’ve had this one – #1167! Seems like it’s been forever since I’ve reviewed anything from the UK as well. Well, let’s kick this Meet The Manufacturer off with one of their first varieties, miso! Here’s something to note – over in the UK, these aren’t commonly referred to as ‘cup noodles’ – they refer to these containers as ‘pots.’
Yesterday, I reviewed a chilli chicken offering from Kabuto Noodles. Today, its just chicken ramen. I’m curious if it will just be a less spicy taste or something completely different (yesterday’s pot mentioned it having a lime element while this does not). Either way, sounds good to me. By the way – in the United Kingdom, they refer to noodle cups as noodle pots! Let’s go!
Chilli chicken, eh? This sounds interesting – not a flavor I think I’ve seen coming out of the UK before (and I’ve seen a lot of interesting ones). By the way – if you’re wondering what coriander is, it’s the same thing as cilantro. Okay – let’s have a look inside this neat ‘pot’ of noodles!
Wow – samples for the first UK Meet The Manufacturer!
Six cups (click to enlarge) – they call them ‘pots’ in the UK – and a card!
When I asked for people to send donations recently, Prima Taste offered to pool their resources around the world and help me out! Here’s some sent from Hong Kong- a second box of the same samples. Two of each helps with reviewing – makes things a lot easier – plus a better chance of making it through customs!
This is a special one sent to me by the kind folks at Thai President Foods – thanks again! In October, there is a special festival that takes place in Thailand and other places in Asia involving vegetarianism. Here’s a little info on it from wikipedia:
Ahh the last one of the new cup versions from Nissin Foods, USA. Thanks again to the folks over there for sending them along! We’re all familiar with the old style cups – they had a cardboard outer packaging with the foam cup underneath in plastic wrap. This is much different – a little bigger and free of all the extra cardboard and plastic wrap, making it a little more eco-friendly. I still haven’t spotted this one in the ‘wild’ yet – I hear that they’re only available to start with at the Super Walmarts – the ones with the regular big Walmart stuff and the grocery store as well. Anyways, chicken’s baking in the oven to add to this one, so let’s check it out.
The last of the Mi Sedaap varieties I got quite a while ago at Asian Food Center down on Aurora and 130th. Let’s crack this one open – so few Indonesian varieties cross my desk these days!
Every January 19th for the past 5 years, I’ve done a special post in homage of Momofuku Ando. Who was he? Just the guy who invented instant noodles in 1958. If it weren’t for him, my world would be a whole lot different – and many other people’s as well. Actually, I should thank Mr. Ando’s wife as well – the story is that he was attempting to make an easily prepared, shelf stable instant noodle, but couldn’t figure out how. He tried many different techniques, but it was when he saw his wife making tempura in the kitchen one night that it dawned on him – fry the cooked noodles. This leaves holes in the noodles and extrudes the water. Not only that, the oil keeps the noodles shelf stable for a long time. His vision of a way to create and easy way to feed the masses has been a huge success and considered one of the great innovations of the 20th century. I think he deserves a day in his honor, and that day is today, January 19th.
Here’s another one Casey P. sent me from Hong Kong – thanks again! There are lots of different kinds of curry in the work – British, Indian, Malaysian, Korean, Japanese – I’m sure there are more as well. Well, Japanese curry is what we have here. It tends to be on the sweeter, mild side, usually leaving the spicy elements behind. Let’s give this one a peek.
Here’s another one I received after the trip to Thailand I took in May. Thanks again! This one hails from Myanmar! Let’s look within!
Here’s another one that was sent to me by James B. from The Netherlands – thanks! First off, this one is groene curry, which translates to green curry. These are from The Netherlands and made by Unilever. Let’s check ’em out!
Got an email a couple months ago from Casey P. in Hong Kong. He’s been following the blog for years and wanted to send some things for me to review and this is one of them – thanks again! Today, we have a pasta style Cup Noodle. There are a lot of instant in Japan that have a kind of Italian skew to them – tarako spaghetti, napolitan and peppercino are popular variants. Let’s check out this pasta style Cup Noodle!
I reviewed the original version of this a long time ago and really liked it. This is a new version for export – has gotten quite a facelift since review #725! This was sent to me by Michael C. of Eastland Foods! Thank you! Let’s check it out!
I’ve seen this one online a few times recently, but never in the store – until a couple of weeks ago, that is! I really liked the pack version of this one – made the 2014 Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time list – the first vegetarian one to do so. The pack was made in South Korea – but this cup is made here in the United States at Nongshim America down in sunny Rancho Cucamonga, California. I went and visited Nongshim America in 2012 – was really neat – big factory and nice people! Let’s check out this cup and see how it compares to the pack version.
This is one I saw posted on facebook by one of the nice folks I met at MAMA in May. I was very curious about it and so I asked if I could get some samples – thank you! This one and the vegetarian tom yum are made specifically for October. Why? Well, there’s a special Vegetarian Festival in Thailand during October! Here’s a little about it:
Here’s one I found at the 7-11 next to our hotel when we visit Thai President Foods in Bangkok back in May! I think the first time I tried a tom yum flavored instant, I didn’t like it. Through the years, I’ve gained a serious love for the flavor – the chilli, the shrimp, the lemongrass. It all comes together so well and the place where I had some of the best of course was in Thailand. Really hope to return someday with my sons and have them try all the amazing foods there! Anyways, let’s check out this cup!
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!
Here’s another cup I got during last year’s trip to Penang. As I’ve been mentioning, I’m trying to get everything reviewed before they expire! Not often do I get to go abroad and bring home noodles, so it’d be a horrible waste to lose any. Anyways, this is an interesting one – a kimchi flavor cup noodle from Malaysia. I don’t think I’ve seen many of those. Let’s check it out!
Another one from last year’s Malaysia trip. Turns out I still have a few more I haven’t gotten to so it’s time to run through them before they expire. Curry. Malaysia. Super. Let’s check it out.
