This yeah has just been rough – for everyone I know. After the hardest part of it for me – the passing of my mother – I took a week off from walking after doing 1,000,000 steps on my Fitbit in June and dove in to working on top ten lists. I did four of them, all current as of review 3545. This list hasn’t been updated since 2017. I’ll be rolling out lists here and there for the next couple of months and maybe do this again a little ways down the road. Here’s The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Rice Noodles Of All Time 2020 Edition.
Tag: koka
#3544: KOKA Baked Multi Grain Noodles Pepper Crab Flavour – Singapore
Here we have the last of the trifecta of the KOKA Baked Noodle series. I thought I’d give this a try today as it’s a Monday and I’m hoping to get through ten reviews this week. It’s been an uphill climb lately though…
#3499: KOKA Baked Multi Grain Noodles Five Spiced Duck Flavour – Singapore
KOKA released 3 varieties in this range and this is the second of the three I’m reviewing today. Duck is a bit of a mystery to me. I love duck and I feel that it is the most neglected meat in Western cuisine. In Asia I’ve had duck on every visit – it’s everywhere and it’s such wonderful, tasty meat.
#3482: KOKA Baked Multi Grain Noodles Hot Mala Tofu Flavour – Singapore
I saw these on KOKA’s Instagram feed and thought they looked interesting! I sent them a message and in a couple weeks they arrived. These feature a non-fried noodle with different grains and purple corn! Let’s give them a try!
KOKA Baked Multigrain Noodle Cups From Singapore!
I contacted KOKA in Singapore after I saw they had something new on Instagram! Let’s take a look!
The Ramen Rater’s Healthy Options 2020 Edition
People have been asking me for a list of healthy varieties for a long time. I decided to give it a try, and had mixed results. I’ve found things ramen/instant noodles, and things that aren’t and listed them here. There aren’t ten things, but over the next year I’m guessing more will present themselves. It appears this is an ever-evolving market as a couple that were going to be included went off the market while I was editing this list! Not everything presented is for everyone, but I’m really hoping there’s something that will work and interest everyone. If you have any ideas for things that should be on next year’s list, please email me. With that, here (in no particular order) is The Ramen Rater’s Healthy Options 2020 Edition.
#2714: KOKA Signature Chicken Flavor Instant Noodles
Yep – another KOKA! I think there might be one more left but maybe not – we shall see! I made a chicken breast in the oven yesterday and figured I’d better do a chicken review! So let’s get to it!
#2709: KOKA Signature Black Pepper Fried Noodles
Well, I thought I was out of KOKA varieties to review and only had a couple duplicates but nope – nada – still got more! See, there are KOKA Signature and KOKA Delight which both look about the same and often have the same flavors. What’s the difference? Well, KOKA Delight is baked noodles – not fried. So I’ve still got a few varieties left. This one is a black pepper flavor noodle – without broth. Black pepper is an interesting thing – very historic as well. Let’s see if I can find something from Wikipedia –
#2701: KOKA The Original Chicken Flavor Oriental Instant Noodles
I thought I was out of KOKA varieties to review, but definitely not yet. They sent every single SKU they produce for their Meet The Manufacturer. Thanks again – that was really awesome! I have a limit of 15 reviews for a Meet The Manufacturer series, so the extras go into the regular rotation.
#2692: KOKA Creamy Soup With Crushed Noodles Mushroom Flavor
I could be wrong but I think I might be done with all of the KOKA varieties they sent – wow! So these ones have been a joy to review – a thick soup with bits of noodle – less of a noodle soup, more of a soup with noodles. Let’s have a look!
#2688: KOKA Silk Laksa Singapura Instant Rice Fettuccine
Yet another leftover from the KOKA Meet The Manufacturer series. I’ve still got a bunch more! Wow! So this one should be really great – I love KOKA’s Laksa Singapura every time I try a different version. They make it in quite a few – rice, wheat, fried, non-fried. Let’s crack into this bowl and see what’s within.
#2684: KOKA Instant Noodles Mushroom Flavour
Here is another one of the KOKA varieties I have left over from their Meet The Manufacturer of earlier this year. So as I said yesterday – not a particular fan of mushroom. But also as I said today, I’m hoping today will be a day of mushroom goodness. Let’s have a look!
#2674: KOKA Oriental Instant Noodles The Original Chicken Flavour
It is truly amazing I still have quite a few KOKA varieties to review! Can’t complain, that is for sure – having my hampers stocked well is a good thing and lets me be at ease about not running out of varieties to try. Today its chicken and I got up at 4 am and cooked some chicken in the oven to go into this one. Let’s have a look.
#2669: KOKA Silk Instant Rice Fettucine Chicken Pho Flavor
Here’s another left from the Tat Hui Meet The Manufacturer from earlier this year. I’ve had a lot of pho instant varieties over the years and to be honest, I’ve liked only a couple of them, so I’m really hoping this is one I’ll like.
#2643: KOKA Creamy Soup With Crushed Noodles Vegetable Flavour
Today, it’s yet another of the KOKA varieties leftover from the Meet The Manufacturer from earlier this year! I must say that the fact that instant noodle products have long shelf lives is really a nice thing!
#2618: KOKA Delight Curry Flavor Instant Non-Fried Noodles
Another one from the recent KOKA Meet The Manufacturer. A curry from Singapore – can’t say I’ve met one of those I didn’t like. Let’s have a look.
#2602: KOKA Signature Pepper Crab Flavor Instant Noodles
Still have some different varieties from KOKA left over from their Meet The Manufacturer! This one is pepper crab – here’s a little about it from Wikipedia –
#2571: KOKA The Original Spicy Stir-Fried Noodles
Here’s one from KOKA left over from the KOKA Meet The Manufacturer series earlier this year. This one certainly looks like an export version. How can you tell? A big giveaway is a number of different languages on the packaging. Not a lot of German-speaking folk in Singapore. Let’s have a look at this one and give it a try!
#2565: KOKA Mushroom Flavour Instant Noodles
I’ll be the first to admit – I’m not particularly keen on mushrooms. I mean sure – they’re alright sometimes in with other things, but I’m just not a big fan of fungus. I always try to give them a good chance as with any kind of food -= and the same with instant noodles that are mushroom flavored. Let’s see how this one is.
#2558: KOKA Creamy Soup With Crushed Noodles Hot & Sour Fish Flavor
Here’s another left over from the Tat Hui/KOKA Meet The Manufacturer series. Indeed, I’ve been really enjoying their Creamy Soup line. Actually, it’s not just an enjoyment, but a fascination – is it a soup with noodles or a noodles with soup? It’s kind of more the former rather than the latter as it comes with a pack of crushed noodles.
#2551: KOKA Signature Tom Yum Flavor Instant Noodles
I recently did a Meet The Manufacturer series with KOKA (actually the company that makes KOKA is called Tat Hui) – they sent pretty much every SKU they make! Thanks again! So during a Meet The Manufacturer, I only review up to 15 varieties. So, there are some leftovers which are always nice. Let’s see what Wikipedia has to say about tom yum –
#2545: KOKA Instant Noodles Laksa Singapura Flavour
Here’s another one left from the KOKA Meet The Manufacturer series. They sent so many different varieties – it’s great! Thanks!
#2543: KOKA Curry Flavour Instant Noodles
Here’s another left over from the KOKA Meet The Manufacturer – thanks again for participating For almost a whole year I was reviewing two varieties per day – this is how I got so far ahead in my reviews. Now I’m only doing one at this point and I think I probably will for a while. You see, having a 5 month old baby girl and a very inquisitive 21 month old boy in the house can be a little crazy. He’s really interested in grabbing things and flinging them on the floor. He’s also a big fan of stealing remote controls (we got him a couple just for him, but he still steals ours). He loves the mouse and keyboard too, so I have to put those up when he’s running around.
The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Singaporean Instant Noodles Of All Time 2017 Edition
So for the past few years I’ve been thinking about putting out a top ten list for Singapore. It took me a while though; I wanted to have a TON of Singaporean varieties that I’d tried before doing so. Well, I’ve tried a TON of them now and I felt it would be nice to put out a new list. I’m posting this on Singapore’s National Day – thought it would be fitting. If you’re not familiar with the half lion half fish image in the picture above, that’s a Merlion. It’s the national symbol of Singapore. Here’s a little more about it here. Well, it’s time. These are my favorite varieties that come from Singapore from the over 2,500 reviews I’ve done to date. All these Singaporean varieties are most definitely shiok – so grab your favorite beer (mine’s Tiger) and check it out!
#2506: KOKA Delight Chicken Flavor Instant Non-Fried Noodles
Here’s another leftover from the KOKA Meet The Manufacturer series I did a little while back. Chicken flavor sounds pretty safe – I mean, who doesn’t like chicken except vegetarians? Let’s give this chicken flavor variety a try!
#2499: KOKA Creamy Soup With Crushed Noodles Chicken Flavor
Here’s one left over from the KOKA Meet The Manufacturer. These soups are interesting; instead of noodles with soup it’s more like soup with noodles! Let’s have a look at this creamy soup!
The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Rice Noodles Of All Time 2017 Edition
Now for the third year, I’m coming out with the latest Top Ten Instant Rice Noodles list. Rice noodles have some benefits as opposed to their fried wheat counterparts. First, they’re virtually fat-free. Also, they’re not fried. Rice noodles are gluten-free by nature, although the ingredients in the sachets that come with these varieties might not be. People ask me for a gluten-free list often, but that would be rather difficult as I’d have to pore over every ingredient list on every review to do this. Well, let’s have a look at these great rice noodle varieties – the best instant rice noodles varieties of the almost 2,500 reviews to date!
#2469: KOKA Signature Curry Flavor Instant Noodles
Here’s one of the packs left over from the Tat Hui Meet The Manufacturer. They sent around 36 kinds and I only do a max of 15 varieties for a Meet The Manufacturer series. I looked at Wikipedia for some words on curry in Singapore, however got this about Malaysia – they’re neighbors so hope that’s alright –
Meet The Manufacturer: #2457: KOKA Instant Noodles Chicken Satay Flavour
I don’t think I’ve had a satay flavor variety in a long time so this should be interesting. Indeed, we should see what Wikipedia has to say about satay –
Meet The Manufacturer: #2456: KOKA Signature Spicy Singapore Fried Noodles Instant Noodles
Today we have something I find interesting. I’ve heard before about the popularity of ‘Singapore Noodles’ in Britain, and that they’re not actually from Singapore. Here’s a little about that from Wikipedia –
Meet The Manufacturer: #2455: KOKA Creamy Soup With Crushed Noodles Sweet Corn Flavor
I often remember my experience with corn in Southeast Asia in the past, however it wasn’t involving a creamy soup. First off, you don’t see corn very often – definitely nowhere near as much as you see it here in the United States. What I did see what in the Penang International Airport, they had a little snack stand. I think they had ice cream, beefburgers (they call them that because ham is not taken by so many people over there and just calling it a beefburger makes sure there’s no confusion), and corn in a cup. Here, we have corn on the cob. However over there I saw this corn in a cup – I asked our host what this was all about. Basically, it’s not popcorn, but yellow corn in a cup with butter and seasonings.
Meet The Manufacturer: #2454: KOKA Silk Beef Pho Flavor Instant Rice Fettuccine
Today we have a rice noodle variety. Pho is a noodle soup that hails originally from Vietnam – here’s a little about it from Wikipedia –
Meet The Manufacturer: #2453: KOKA Delight Spicy Sesame Instant Non-Fried Noodles
I’ve always found that sesame seeds get stuck in my teeth. Yeah, they do. However, I still like them. I think I like pretty much anything sesame – especially sesame oil. I also like spicy things. Sounds like a slam dunk here but I suppose we will have to see.
Meet The Manufacturer: #2452: KOKA Signature Laksa Singapura Flavor Instant Noodles
Previously, I reviewed the package version of Laksa Singapura – the Delight version. The Signature and Delight ranges have a couple of key difference in that the Delight is non-fried whereas the Signature are fried.
Meet The Manufacturer: #2451: KOKA Delight Spicy Black Pepper Flavor Instant Non-Fried Noodles
Black pepper flavor is popular in Singapore. Indeed, black pepper crab is one of those signature dishes over there. Moreover, it makes sense with it’s location – here’s some on the history of the spice from Wikipedia –
Meet The Manufacturer: #2450: KOKA Purple Wheat Noodles Chili & Lime Flavor
Purple – the color of royalty. It’s also the color of eggplants, grape candy and Barney the dinosaur. But these are purple noodles. So how do they get this hue? These noodles have Anthocyanins in them. Indeed, I needed to turn to Wikipedia to learn more –
Meet The Manufacturer: #2449: KOKA Delight Tomato Flavor Instant Non-Fried Noodles
Today we have one I have had the export version of in the past. This however, is the local Singapore version. One thing to note for the Vegetarian crowd is that these have that little box with the green circle inside. There’s two kinds – the green circle or the red circle. Green means suitable for Vegetarians and red means not suitable. Also, they’re steamed and not fried, and to top it off, there’s no added MSG, something people are always interested in. Well, let’s get started with this tomato variety from KOKA!
Meet The Manufacturer: #2448: KOKA Seafood Flavor Instant Noodles
Most people don’t know, but I’ve been to Singapore. It was in 2014 – and it was a very short visit.
Meet The Manufacturer: #2447: KOKA Signature Stir-Fry Original Flavor Instant Noodles
Today we have stir-fry noodles. Curious about what these are going to be like – sweet? Spicy? Salty? I do like stir-fry, however it’s like a sandwich. You can put all kinds of things in a sandwich. But a grilled cheese is a long way from a Monte Cristo. Singaporean stir-fry noodles sound good though – let’s have a look!
Meet The Manufacturer: #2446: KOKA Creamy Soup With Crushed Noodles Curry Flavor
Here we have something new. So I usually only review instant noodles, not soups. However, this is a soup with instant noodles. Wait, what?! Yeah that’s what I thought too! I’ve never heard of such a thing – but it doesn’t sound bad. As I have always said, I love seeing innovation and something new. It definitely is a nice surprise when something unique and new crosses my desk and this certainty is that on both accounts. Let’s check out this cup of soup – with crushed noodles!