Got this one on last year’s birthday trip to Canada. Since my trip is coming very soon this year, I figured it was time. So, what is maitake? Wikipedia had this to say:
Tag: japan
#1609: Mitoku Brown Rice Ramen
Just finishing up packing for our move. By the time this one’s posted though, it’ll all be done (I’ve been doing a couple reviews every day. One thing that’ll be vexing about the move is the fact that the Internet won’t be up until a few days after we’re there. Gonna be tough to get posts out but rest assured, I will! Today I’m reviewing this Mitoku variety from Japan. It looks to be packaged for sale here in the USA – you can really tell by the bar code being 12 as opposed to 13 digits, as well as the distributor. I don’t know much of anything about this one, so I guess we’ll see how brown rice noodles compare shortly. Let’s check out these Mitoku noodles!
#1607: Myojo Nyumen Desse Shoyu
This is one got last year on my birthday trip to Canada! Really excited that the next trip is coming up very quickly! My wife, son and sister will be coming this time, so it should be a lot of fun. Today’s review is on Myojo Desse Nyumen. So, what’s nyumen? Wikipedia had this to say:
#1604: Unzen Mushroom Honpo Shiitake Nutritious Noodle
So we’re moving. Seems like we just moved here a little while ago, but we’re moving again. I’m pretty glad too – new scenery is always nice and it’s closer to my wife’s work. I’ve been doing a lot of packing and throwing things away. During this I found this one that was under a couple of things. It was sent a while back by a reader – she was trying to find out how to get her hands on these as she really enjoyed them when in Japan. I figured it out and as a thank you, she sent me a pack! Translating this one has proven quite a task – I’m still not sure I’ve got it right in any way, shape or form. If I’m way off, let me know! Let’s look inside – I think it should be interesting.
#1594: Acecook Jan Jan Dashi Shoyu Yakisoba
Found this one at Uwajimaya, a Japanese grocery store chain up here in the Pacific Northwest. I’m always keen on trying a new yakisoba; I usually enjoy them with a little karashi mayo! So this variety is dashi shoyu flavor. Dashi is used to make broth for traditional Japanese ramen, and shoyu is soy sauce. Let’s have a look at this one from Japanese company Acecook.
#1570: Maruchan Big Cup Ramen Corn, Salt & Butter Flavor
Once in a while, I get something a little different – something that contains something I’ve not seen before. This is one of those times. So it was kind of difficult to translate this one – it’s basically salt Butter and Corn flavor, although the translation I ended up with didn’t mention the corn. I decided to go ahead and add corn in the title anyways. Also, I saw lots of translations mention the word circle, although I’m not sure if that was just Google translate being weird.Anyways, this is a big bowl of noodles and I’m very curious to try them. Without any further adieu, let’s open this thing up and look inside!
Friday Video: Japan Introduction – Instant Noodles
So today’s Friday Video. This is actually a pretty good one – a few interesting little tidbits of knowledge are gained, so enjoy. Happy Friday!
4th Annual Momofuku Ando Day: #1567: Nissin Emergency Cup Noodle
Having an emergency? Well then, hunker down in your shelter and boil some water! This is a fine dinner for two of Nissin Cup Noodle in a neat metal can, sealed for long life.
#1565: Oyatsu Baby Star Snack Noodle Chicken Flavour
Here’s one of the ones I got when we went up for my annual birthday trip to Canada! So snack noodles are very popular around the world – Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and Taiwan have quite a few companies making different varieties. They’re usually basically an uncooked instant with a seasoning to add or are pre-seasoned. Let’s check out this one from Japan – Oyatsu Baby Star!
#1551: Myojo Men Black Seafood Tonkotsu
Got this one down in California during our summer trip! JFC distributes a lot of different products here in the USA from Japan and elsewhere. I’m curious what the actual brand here is. Those characters at the top look extremely familiar…
#1539: New Touch Kimchi Noodle
Here’s one that has been at the bottom of the noodle hamper for a while . Kind of an interesting one; kimchi from Japan eh? Let’s delve into it and see how it tastes!
Friday Video: The Most Delicious Ramen ラーメン
Here’s a half hour documentary about Japanese ramen – enjoy and happy Friday!
#1521: Maruchan Gotsumori Sauce Yakisoba
Okay, I’m familiar with yakisoba, but what’s Gotsumori sauce all about? After some scouring of the Internet, I didn’t find a whole lot. I found on the manufacturer’s site that the sauce is spicy and also has a sachet of Kewpie karashimayonnaise (kind of a mayo-mustard thing). Anyways, yeah I’m definitely coming up short on this one! Let’s have a look.
#1516: Men-Sunaoshi Miso Ramen
Been quite a while since I’ve had some miso ramen, and this will be only my second Sunaoshi review. This one was in my hamper asking to be reviewed today and so I thought why not give it some attention. Ready? Set? Miso.
#1509: Nissin Donbei Kitsune Udon Mini
It’s kind of hard to tell the size of this little mini Kitsune Udon, so let’s have a look at this.
#1501: Acecook Ohmori Chukafu Yakisoba
What does one do after reviewing 1,500 varieties of instant noodles? All I could think of was review number 1,501. Chow mein sounded nice today and I do have an open container of Kewpie mayo in the fridge. I think after trying so many yakisoba varieties that have mayo with them, not including it when having it is kind of a tragedy. This was a strange one as far as translation goes. I looked around and found it called Super Big Cup and then found this one and thought this would be the right translation! If not, please let me know. Anyways, it’s onwards towards review 2,000. Let’s get to it!
#1493: Maruchan Magomi-an Kitsune Udon (Eastern Japanese Flavor)
Thanks to Yuji Hashimoto over at Takamori Kosan of Japan for helping me to translate this one! Today’s review is one that I think I found up in Canada. It looks to be similar to Maruchan’s regular Kitsune Udon bowl – the red one.Kitsune means ‘fox’ in Japanese. Here’s a little something about the ‘kitsune myth’ from wikipedia –
#1482: Maruchan ‘I Want To Eat Ramen’ Shoyu Flavor
I think this is the last of these I got when I went up to Canada last year. Shoyu translates to soy sauce, so these are soy sauce flavor ramen noodles. Shoyu is one of the standard flavors of ramen from Japan, such as miso and tonkotsu. Sounds pretty good to me – let’s have a look inside and give ’em a try!
#1446: Myojo Ippei-Chan Jumbo Night Market Style Yakisoba
To start off, thanks to Raissa T. and Andre L. for their help on translating! Today feels like a yakisoba day. I really like yakisoba! It’s a pretty versatile dish; you can add anything to it and it’s still good! Well, strawberry jelly probably isn’t the best add-in… Then again, with that mention perhaps someone will try it and make it the new craze? The latest weird add-in craze was adding those little pudding cups or flan into a Cup Noodle. Bizarre… Well, let’s see how this comes out – looks good on the package! Especially with the amazingly cool little recommendation to…
#1438: Maruchan Old Style Miso Ramen
Most of us in the United States are familiar with Maruchan’s ramen packs and ‘Instant Lunch’ cups. However, most of us aren’t familiar with Maruchan’s popular products overseas in Japan. Miso is a fermented soybean paste – it’s good stuff, with a kind of musty scent. Notice on the front of this one: it’s also saying that it’s lower calorie. Let’s have a look inside.
Japanese Ramen Bowls From Nishiyama Co. Ltd.
A few months back, a fellow named Tomonori contacted me asking for some help with a television program in Japan. He wanted to know if he could use some of my images and get some info. I said sure – if you could send me a real Japanese ramen bowl! He was more than happy to do so and so we exchanged some info. A little later, the television program came out.
#1428: Myojo Chukazanmai Beijing Style Salt Ramen
This is the first bowl of instant noodles I’m having since our California vacation last week and I must say it’s good to be back to reviewing! This is one I picked up while in Canada a while back. Let’s take a look!
#1420: Maruchan ‘I Want To Eat Ramen’ Shio Flavor
I like the title of this one, because to be honest, I do want to eat Shio ramen today! Shio translates to salt in Japanese, but it’s not like you get a block of noodles and a packet of table salt. There are four main variants of Japanese ramen, with Shio being one of them. Here’s what wikipedia has to say about Shio:
A Donation From A Reader
I got this colorful package a few weeks ago from a reader. She had asked if I could identify and find an instant noodle for her.
#1416: Myojo Chukazanmai Szechuan Style Miso
Here’s an interesting one. Myojo does this premium Chukazanmai line and there are quite a few different varieties! This one has me a little worried though. I haven’t really liked Szechuan style much of anything in the past. Hopefully this will turn the tide! Let’s check it out.
The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodle Bowls Of All Time 2014 Edition
Bowls of noodles. They’re made all around the world and are a great option for those with access to boiling water and are ‘on the go.’ Some are basic and have very little imagination to them or perks, while others are really full meals that include meat and vegetables, seafood and other niceties. I’ve review 1,410 different noodle varieties and of those, many have been bowls. Here’s a list of the best, most memorable bowls I’ve come across is my adventure in tasting.
#1401: Myojo Yomise No Yakisoba Shiodare Flavor With Black Pepper Mayonnaise
I’m pretty excited – we’re moving to a new apartment soon! I’ve been going through everything, boxing stuff up. Actually, I’m currently flanked by a stack of boxes that’s getting really high – and they’re pretty heavy, too. What’s going to be insane is that we will be moving to a place on the top floor – only one flight of stairs, but it’s a decent amount of stairs. Should be quite a workout! What’s nice is that it’ll be close to a nice big Asian grocery – an HMart – so there will be easy access to everything I need to add to my noodles. Anyways, yeah – pretty big thing. I thought I’d have one I found while packing – no idea how it got to where it was as I usually keep everything in a couple big totes. Let’s check out this yakisoba – with black pepper mayonnaise!
#1396: Oyatsu Baby Star Snack Noodle Yakisoba Flavour
Here’s another one of those snack style instant noodles! This one came from a birthday trip to Canada this year. Let’s have a look inside!
#1392: Miracle Noodle Miso Marvellous Soup
I’ve been asked about these low calorie noodles for a long time. Miracle Noodle is more widely known for it’s Shirataki Miracle Noodle. Those are made from yams. These are Kanten Miracle Noodles. So let’s see Wikipedia has to say about them:
Meet The Manufacturer: #1387: Takamori Red Pepper & Garlic Peperoncino
Well folks, this is it. The last one for this Meet The Manufacturer. I really have enjoyed reviewing all of these fresh noodle varieties quite a bit, and I think it’s finally gotten me to look at the possibility of a The Ramen Rater’s top Ten Fresh Noodles Of All Time list. They don’t exactly fit into the Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time lists as they’re usually on a different playing field; they’re not fried blocks, but fresh pouches. So that might be something coming up in the near future. I’d like to thank Yuji for the help in making these reviews happen – I’ve messaged him plenty of times with questions throughout as there’s no English on any of the packaging, let alone the title sometimes. Let’s have a look at this interesting variety from Takamori Kosan of Japan as we bid them a fond farewell for now. Yuji has mentioned that there will be new varieties coming, so it’s not goodbye, but til next time.
Meet The Manufacturer: #1386: Takamori Sukiyaki Style Noodle Stew
Well, we’re almost to the end of this Meet The Manufacturer. It’s been a really fun journey through all of these Japanese flavors. Today, I’m going to review a beefy sukiyaki udon stew! But what is sukiyaki? Let’s ask Wikipedia:
Meet The Manufacturer: #1385: Takamori Yaki-Udon Roast Soy Sauce
First things first: Happy Mother’s Day! Don’t forget to call your Mom today!
This one sounds good – yaki-udon is something really new to me and during this Meet The Manufacturer, the first time I’ve tried it. The one I had the other day was really tasty – curious how this one will be! Basically the different between yakisoba and yakiudon is that it’s a wider gauge noodle. Let’s see how this one with roast soy sauce flavor comes out!
Meet The Manufacturer: #1384: Takamori Hiyashi Udon Bonito Sauce
This is another cold noodle dish. Bonito is a fish that is used to flavor broths quite often in Japanese cuisine. The last Takamori cold noodle variety I had was one of the best I’ve ever had – let’s see how this one fares!
Meet The Manufacturer: #1383: Takamori Futomen Yakisoba
During this week, we’ve been reviewing different types of yakisoba – but what is Futomen yakisoba? Futomen is a variety with a slight wider gauge noodle than the regular soba noodle. Also I am told that the flavoring is a little spicier. Let’s check it out!
Meet The Manufacturer: #1382: Takamori Hiyashi Chuka Lemon Sauce
We;ve had some nice sunny days already this spring here in Washington. Had a day that got close to 80 degrees! Was really nice. The review today is on a noodle dish that is served cold. Cold noodles are enjoyed throughout Asia, but it’s really something that isn’t commonly seen in the United States. Let’s have a look at this unique variety.
Meet The Manufacturer: #1381: Takamori Curry Udon
Hey it’s curry time! Japanese curry is much different from other curries around the world. Often with a sweet and less spicy hit, it’s really excellent stuff to behold and taste. I’m really curious about this one – let’s dig in!
Meet The Manufacturer: #1380: Takamori Chanpon
I thought today I’d diverge from the yakisoba for something with a broth. Chanpon is great stuff in my experience so far. Pork and seafood – can’t beat that! Here’s what wikipedia has to say about chanpon –
Meet The Manufacturer: #1379: Takamori Shio Yakisoba
This was a welcome surprise – shio yakisoba! Shio is a popular variety of ramen, but I’ve never heard of it as a version of yakisoba before. Shio translates to salt in English, but that doesn’t mean that it”s just flavored with salt. Wikipedia has this to say about Shio ramen:
Meet The Manufacturer: #1378: Takamori Yakisoba
I’ve always liked yakisoba. It’s a brothless soba noodle that’s fried in a skillet with some meat, veggies, and a nice Worcestershire sauce flavor. It’s great stuff! I’ve always been curious though, how Worcestershire sauce made it into Japanese culinary culture. I dug around and found this on Wikipedia:
Meet The Manufacturer: #1377: Takamori Yaki-Udon Mild Spicy Sauce
On the menu today is something I’ve been very curious to try – yaki-udon! As you might surmise, the yaki prefix means fried. Yakisoba are fried soba noodles, and so yaki-udon are fried udon noodles; simple! Anyways, it sounds really interesting – let’s have a look at this one.