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In 1971, Nissin Japan released the first Cup Noodle product. Cup Noodle in Japan has always been a lot different from the one here; lots of garnish. I mean a lot. This one is a version of the original cup you’ll find in Japan today with I’m guessing some slight tweaking. They recently released their Curry and Seafood Cup Noodle version here as well. Let’s check it out!
A lot of things have changed in the last year. I decided it would be a great time to come out with the Top Ten American instant noodles list; it’s November 2nd. Tomorrow is the last day to vote in a crucial election – whichever candidate you support, go exercise your right to vote! The video this year is very different. With the pandemic and my kids home from school doing about 25 Zoom meetings a week, my time has been critically limited. This way however, I’ll be able to bring you more top ten lists I think. This list is comprised of my favorite American varieties out of all the reviews up to #3,636, which count 446 varieties. Let’s check out The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten American Instant Noodles Of All Time 2021 Edition!
Last year, I decided I’d bow to some readers who thought maybe like cars, lists should have the following year in the title. This caused some confusion; but I really can’t just undo this. So, going forward, lists that come out in the latter half of the year, August and beyond, will have the next year’s name in the title. We’ll see how that goes. These are my favorite cup varieties of all reviews up to number 3,545. Now, let’s look at The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Cup Noodles Of All Time, 2021 Edition.
Found this over at India Supermarket in Bellevue, WA. One of many ‘four-in-one’ packs. India. Curry. Let’s do this!
Really enjoying giving these Indian varieties a try – I don’t get a lot of them so I’m happily going through everything I got recently. Chicken sounds like it should be a good bet. Let’s go!
Hooray! Let’s go to India! Actually, I went to India Supermarket in Bellevue, Washington last month! They have a really great selection of varieties from India. It’s pretty common that Indian varieties come in these wide 4 packs. They had a ton I’d not tried and you’ll be seeing them rolling on through shortly. I got some neat stuff to add in as well Let’s go!
This one is new around these parts but it’s from somewhere completely different. The giveaway here is the omission of the letter u. There’s more though. This one’s made for the United States. It’s not because it has a UPC code vs a 13 digit EAN, though.
I’ve been looking for this book for years. Why? Because I not only enjoy instant noodles, I enjoy the history and lore around it. It fascinates me. Some people like comic books, other sports. For me, instant noodles are where it’s at.
Bowls, cups, , trays, packs, and boxes. Well, I haven’t done a list of boxed or tray-style instant noodles – maybe that will come soon. But I think that separating these is important. The experience that a cup is meant for is different than a cup or bowl. Cups are more for a snack on the go, packs for when you’ve got a stove, and bowls are, well, for lunch. Although in the finished shots of these you’ll see them plated here, generally people will be looking at the bowl they came in, possibly using the plastic fork they came with, and tossing everything once they’re done. These are my favorites, current as of review #3545. Let’s have a look at The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodle Bowls Of All Time 2020 Edition.
This one came from Mr. Saturn – thanks again! I know galinha is a kind of young hen – a little oilier than standard chicken, but not exactly up on the whole caipira. I’m getting ‘bush cutter’ which seems a little odd. Maybe one of you will know. Not only that, this is review #3470 and I think 3470 was a standard of terminal emulation from back in the finer days of computer stuff. Let’s give it a try!
Last night, we had to do a Walmart Neighborhood Market run. It’s basically just a grocery store Walmart – kind of nice – wide aisles, lots of stuff… Anyways, I always look in the noodle aisle. There are two areas actually; domestic and ‘ethnic.’ Well, this was in the ethnic category. What is very interesting is that this is made in California. What’s kind of funny is how it says ‘#1 Ramen Noodle Soup In Hong Kong.’ This version is much different. The Hong Kong version includes fishcake with the little delivery guy’s face on it. Also, the bowls are more like the king cups – much taller.
I haven’t reviewed something for Hong Kong in a little while and this one was sent by a reader residing over there – thanks again! I remember getting about 56 varieties from Nissin HK when I did the Meet The Manufacturer series – that was pretty intense! Let’s check the temperature on this spicy tonkotsu!
This is one that wad sent to me by a reader named Breeze – thank you again! It’s a refill. So there are cups you can get that are specifically made for these – you just pop this thing into the cup and it fits like a foam cup but it’s reusable, so no need for more foam to be thrown away. Yep. So let’s check it out!
I’m getting grapefruit from a Google translation, but it might be yuzu. Got this up in Canada at a rad store called Smart’n’Save – it’s my personal Disneyland I think. They’ve got a lot of varieties I’ve not seen elsewhere – like a specialty shop for snacks, noodles, and treats from Hong Kong and China and Japan. Let’s give this one a try!
It’s like a parallel universe! Where am I?! WHO CAN EXPLAIN THIS??
Okay so what’s the problem? This is from Hong Kong. It says flavor not flavour. I don’t understand.
Here’s another one sent by Mr. Saturn – thank you! I translated calabresa and Google spat out linguica and kielbasa. So, looks like we have sausage juice broth with noodles? Let’s find out!
Here’s one that we found at my personal Canadian Disneyland, Smart’n’Save at the Lansdowne Centre Mall up in Richmond, BC. Man, I love that little store! Anyways, yeah this one looks pretty neat – shoyu’s on the menu today! Let’s hit it!
These Cremoso varieties have been a blast! This one’s meat with chili – let’s give it a try!
This is the third and final variety of the new Top Ramen bowls – Soy Sauce. Originally called oriental flavor, Nissin decided to change it over to soy sauce flavor. It’s kind of interesting; I’ve been to Asia a handful of times and seen the term oriental all over the place, however here in the states I’ve heard of some discontent with the term, possibly the impetus for this change. Anyways, let’s give this one a try!
A huge shout out and thank you to Breeze K – a regular reader and commenter – for sending these along! She got them from a friend who visited the Cup Noodle museum in Japan! Man, I want to check that place out someday – what a humbling experience that would be… All those Cup Noodles… Anyways, the guy on here’s name is Anpanman. He’s a comic/cartoon hero of sorts from Japan you may have seen before. This cup is very small – only calls for 170ml boiling water to cook it. Shall we give it a try? Let’s!
Here’s one that was in a box from Zenpop. Their monthly boxes feature a slew of varieties from Japan – use coupon code RAMENRATER for a discount! Here’s what they have to say about this one – “Why not bring this ramen for your lunch at work? Whole wheat flour is added to the non-fried noodle so it is a healthier but delicious choice! The authentic noodles and appetizing savory soup match very well. Plus we really like the package of this cup too. It has Japanese modern and beautiful designs so that’s another reason for you to bring it to work.”
Here we have the third and final review of the new range from Nissin Foods USA – Sweet Chili flavor. These have so far been pretty good. This one’s vegetarian as well. Let’s give it a go!
Here’s another Brazilian variety from a reader – thanks again!! This one’s roast chicken with a touch of lemon – sounds good to me – let’s give it a go!
Alas, we come to the end of the road on the samples from the last box from Nissin MExico. They were all fascinating and different, but this I’m hoping is a case of saving the best for last. Their Intensos Cup Noodles Alitas Hot was sensational, and hoping that same flavor carries over to this one. Let’s find out! By the way – Alitas Hot means ‘hot wings.’
Continuing the reviews of this new range from Nissin USA, we have the Teriyaki Beef variety of the Stir Fry range. Sounds good to me; Nissin’s take on teriyaki beef has been enjoyable in the past. I saw a comment a day or two ago from someone hoping that they’d be good (specifically this one). So, I figured if someone wants to get my take on it, I’ll expedite it, and here we are. Let’s give ‘er a go!
I was initially very confused by this one but it seems to have fallen in place with a little translation from Google. Chicken stroganoff flavor! What a unique one here! Never have I seen a stroganoff instant before. Let’s give it a go!
Hey awesome! New domestic product!!! It’s not every day that a new product that’s instant noodle related comes out here in the United States, and when it does I’m always very keen to give them a try. I’m very curious about this one, which is part of a range of three new varieties under the Cup Noodles hood.
I’m so curious how this is going to go. Most of the Nissin Mexico varieties tend to have a local spin as far as flavor goes. Will this one? I don’t know.
Here’s the second of three new Top Ramen bowls from here in the United States. At first I though ‘okay, it’s just Top Ramen in a bowl.’ But the extras in these are very interesting. Definitely excited to try ’em. Let’s do it!
I really like it when readers send me a ton of varieties from somewhere I’ve never been able to get them before. This is one of those! I know there’s lots of cups and other brands out of Brazil to try as well. Brazilian varieties have very savory flavors, centering mostly on meat. This one’s barbecued ribs flavor! Let’s check it out.
Brazil certainly has a myriad of flavors and instant noodles reflect those very nicely. This one, garlic chicken, sounds really good! I’d better get some chicken defrosting. Let’s check out these noodles sent by a reader!
Here’s another one of the Nissin Mexico varieties I received recently – thanks again! Spicy? Let’s find out! It mentions that it’s got kick from habanero which is most definitely spicy.
This one came in a special ‘First Taste Club’ box from Nissin Foods USA – pretty snazzy. So, what’s the big deal? Well, it’s Top Ramen, in a bowl. It also comes with vegetables. It also comes with… teriyaki sauce? I’m very curious about this one – let’s cook it up and ruminate on this…
I just have to say – what an ominous name for an instant noodle! I really dig that! When I saw this, I had to contact Nissin Mexico and see if I could get some. Well, they sent it! They also sent three U.F.O. Yakisoba varieties as well which you’ll see on upcoming reviews.
I was told a while back that Brazilians don’t go all in for ultra spicy and that this range does have varieties that are spicier than others, but not super duper spicy. Either way, this sounded like a good one for today, so here we go.
Today we have a Zenpop.JP variety – so what’s Zenpop? They’re a subscription service for all things Japanese! Definitely, check them out. By the way, use coupon code RAMENRATER to get $2 off! Here’s what they had to say about this one – ‘This is called geikikara’ (extremely hot); however, it’s not as hot as it thinks it is. We bet you will like this even if you are not a big fan of spiciness. The rich tonkotsu soup contains delicious ma-yu (burnt sesame oil and garlic), and it creates an irresistable smell for your appetite. The unique octagonal form of the box is to let it stand out from other noodles.’
Here’s another one from a reader in Brazil – thank you very much! So from translation, it sounds like this is a cheese sauce noodle. It mentions ‘menos agua’ which means ‘less water,’ probably meaning this will have a thicker broth/sauce. Let’s give it a try!
I saw an article mentioning two new ‘super spicy’ noodle coup out of Japan. Well, I found one of them (actually I found both but this one was cheap on eBay while the other required buying six and that wasn’t happening). I keep seeing that this is a spicy Mongolian miso tanmen which sounded interesting.
Today we have a Zenpop.JP variety – so what’s Zenpop? They’re a subscription service for all things Japanese! Definitely, check them out. By the way, use coupon code RAMENRATER to get $2 off! Here’s what they had to say about this one – ‘Indulge yourself freely with this dish because these are non-fried noodles with whole grains. We LOVE how healthy the noodle tastes, and no wonder it is very popular. The tonkotsu soup has much depth of flavor matching perfectly with garlic. Toppings are chashu, wood ear mushrooms and scallions. Since it is the lightest one out of this month’s pack, when you crave ramen in the middle of the night, this is the best bet.’
Yep – new stuff from Nissin USA! Cool stuff in this box! Let’s take a look!
