Here’s the third of the A-Sha Gourmet varieties I’m trying today. There’s one more left. So translation isn’t my strong suit and I often turn to friends and colleagues as to what different varieties are called and translate them. At this exact moment, I’m dumbfounded. Google’s not very helpful; one says hemp. I could be mistaken, but I think hemp isn’t going to be in the name of this one. I’ve had varieties say they’re dolphin bone as well, which most certain isn’t the case! I’ll find out shortly though!
Tag: noodle
Interview With Way Premium Foods – Malaysia
#3070: A-Sha Gourmet Traditional Taiwanese Soybean Paste Noodle – Taiwan
Time for dry noodle! This is the second from a set of four new A-Sha varieties. Soybean paste noodles impart a kind of meaty hit to them usually. Let’s give ’em a try!
New Spicy Dolar From Tseng Noodle – Taiwan | Unboxing Time
A friend send me a picture showing this new variety from Tseng Noodle I’d not heard of before: Spicy Dolar. I thought hmmm… I’d better see if I can get a sample! Well, the box arrived, I’m ready to open it, and so let’s have a look!
#3054: Xiao Ban Mian Spicy Meat Paste Flavor Noodle – Taiwan
I’ve tried all three of the other Xiao Ban Mian flavors. Their Traditional Shallot & Onion Oil variety hit #2 on the Top Ten Taiwan list last year. I’m stoked to be able to try this one – really don’t know what to expect, honestly. This is completely different from the rest. Let’s dive in!
#3013: Kinchan Noodle Shoyu Tonkotsu – Japan
Here’s one from Wes up in north eastern Canada – thank you again! He has time and again sent really interesting varieties by Kinchan of Japan – really hard to find stuff. This one’s a shoyu tonkotsu – let’s check it out!
#3010: Vedan Wei Wei Premium Noodle With Braised Beef – Taiwan
This one comes by way of a reader from Taiwan who visited t he Philippines and saw this and a spicy version there. This is most definitely an export version. First, lots of English text. Now, you’ll never see this in the United States as it does contain beef. Casn’t go wrong with braised beef – well, I guess you could if it’s bad, but I don’t think that’s going to be the case here. Let’s find out!
#2989: Mibena Spicy Chicken Instant Noodles – Ukraine
Here’s another one kindly sent by Artur of Illinois – thanks again! This is another Ukrainian variety – and again as I’ve said before, European varieties are VERY hard for me to come by. Let’s get to it!
#2978: Vedan Wei Wei Premium Braised Beef Instant Noodle
Here’s another one I received from a University student in Taiwan – thanks again! She’s working on her Master’s thesis and wanted info from me on a few products and what I thought of them – an honor! Let’s check out this braised beef variety!
#2967: Kenko Foods Hot Dry Noodles
Today, we have one that was part of Japan Crate’s Umai Crate. So Japan Crate is a subscription service which has all sorts of different options for you. pretty neat stuff from Japan! There’s a coupon code for you too – just use THERAMENRATER to get a special discount at check out.
#2960: Soup Daren Spicy Pork Bone Noodle
Found this one among others up at FoodyWorld in Richmond, B. I just can’t get enough of Canada – it’s such a nice place with nice people and nice everything. This one looked fascinating – let’s check it out.
Umai Crate: Japanese Instant Ramen Box – July 2018 – Unboxing Time
Another month, another box! We have a new Umai Crate to unbox! Japan Crate curates these and there’s always something interesting going on in these boxes – usually quite a few somethings! Coupon code below – check it out!
#2956: Paldo Curry Volcano Chicken Noodle
I took a look in the closet the other day and boom – hey look a six pack of these cups! Forgot about these ! You have to understand – I have a lot of noodles to review – hard to find space for them! But here they are ready to go! Thanks to Paldo for sending them along! Let’s check out these super spicy noodles from South Korea!
#2950: Nissin Top Ramen Chili Flavor Ramen Noodle Soup (New Recipe)
It kind of confuses me on this one – I mean, yeah, it says ‘the original’ and doesn’t really say that there’s been a recipe change. But there has – now there’s no MSG and no artificial flavors., plus a reduction in sodium. These aren’t bad things at all of course, but I’m just kind of left wondering – so shouldn’t it say new and improved instead of ‘the original?’ Anyways, let’s see what’s in this, one of the Vegetarian varieties in the Top Ramen range.
New Labeling & New Products from Mom’s Dry Noodle – Unboxing Time
Was really looking forward to this one – product samples from Mom’s Dry Noodle. A couple new ones in here – a meat one from Xiao Ban Mian and a new flavor from the Mom’s Dry Noodle line! Let’s get to it and take a look!
#2948: Itomen Kaisen Tonkotsu Ramen
Here’s one from the surprise package from Taiwan I got a couple months ago. It’s got a bit of history – the box that is. If you look at the end credits in the 2018 Top Ten Bowls video, you can see my kids hanging out in it!
#2946: Vedan 449 Fried Instant Noodle Sichuan Hot Flavor
Alright – this is the last of the reviews for the Uni student in Taiwan – thanks again for sending these – it’s been fun and quite truly an honor that someone going for their Master’s degree is asking me for help!
#2941: A-Sha Dry Noodle Guanmiao Noodle Hakka Sesame Oil Scallion
A-Sha’s US distributor messaged me a little while ago about these new varieties about to hit the US market that are very popular in Taiwan right now. Guanmiao noodles hail from southern Taiwan in the agricultural heartland. Hotter weather and lot of noodles! Let’s crack it open and have a look!
#2931: Maruchan Ramen Noodle Soup Creamy Chicken Flavor (New Packaging)
Yesterday, I needed a new pair of pants. I’m not into ultra fashionable stuff – like paying $100 for jeans, so we went to Walmart. Walmart is an interesting place – you’ll see some interesting people there – especially at the one in Lynnwood, Washington. When we got out of the car, there was the sound of some guy at the other side of the parking lot screaming obscenities at someone or some thing – unsure. But that was entertaining. In the store, we g ot to see a lady with a very small dog barking at everyone and every thing ( apparently, if you have an ’emotional support’ dog you can bring it with you, but this dog needed emotional support and was definitely not providing it for anyone). I did get some new pants, and they were extremely cheap. $16 for pants. It’s been a while since we’ve been to Walmart so I thought a trip down the domestic instant noodle aisle might be in order. Surprisingly, they had a very small amount of them, however they did have this pack. Creamy Chicken has been one of my absolute favorites for a very, very long time. I am curious to see whether or not they’ve changed the recipe as that seems to be a popular thing to do in the US instant noodle market right now. Let’s crack open this new package design and give it a try!
#2925: A-Sha Dan Zai Noodle – Taiwan
Here’s a new one from Taiwan by A-Sha Foods. This is Dan Zai flavor – one of their new range of more high end products. Some differences are instead of a 75g block it’s 90g. Lots of sauce/paste too.
#2913: Vedan Wei Wei Premium Stewed Beef Noodle Soup
Brought this one back with me from Taiwan last year! Time to crack it open and give it a try, that’s for sure. Something about a beef noodle sounds like a good idea today. Let’s do this!
#2910: Nissin Top Ramen Soy Sauce Flavor Ramen Noodle Soup
Well would you look at that! Top Ramen. An American original. You might be thinking ‘aww that’s Japanese,’ but this stuff is as American as it gets. The flavor is made to appeal to the local market. What bums me out is when I say ‘an American original’ all I can think about is my favorite political show which is no more. My dad used to watch The McLaughlin Group for years and I finally hit an age after he was gone that I checked it out and got hooked on it. I’d torture poor Andy and make him watch it all the time. But Dr. McLaughlin died a couple years ago, and they ended the series long run. I would be curious how it would have been if he would have stayed alive longer – how the show would be these days. Anyways, I’ve gone way off track. So soy sauce is known as Shoyu in Japan. This is a kind of Shoyu ramen. Let’s check i tout!
#2909: Nissin Cup Noodles Very Veggie Soy Sauce Flavor Ramen Noodle Soup – United States
When the Very Veggie line came out, my first thought was that it would just be varieties for Vegans and Vegetarians. Surprisingly, there was no option for this crowd. Well, it seems that that has changed! This one was sent to me by Robert Z. from Kentucky – thanks man – go check out his cooking blog www.dadbert.com! He found this at a local grocery store – nothing about this and the other new Cup Noodles he found and sent on their site or mentioned on Instagram. This has led me to think that perhaps he’s in what’s called a ‘test market.’ In some areas, a product will be introduced to meter how it’s received by the public – if it sells really well, it’ll go nationwide. If not, it might be pulled. Let’s pop the lid and look under the hood.
#2900: Vedan Double Bang Spicy Beef Noodle Soup
Here’s the last of the Vedan Double Bang varieties I brought home from my trip to Taipei last November. This one’s spicy beef. Let’s do this.
#2888: Meet The Manufacturer: Three Meters Noodles Sesame Paste
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Today we’ve got the last of the four varieties sent by Three Meters Noodles. It’s been a tasty ride! Let’s give this final variety, a sesame paste noodle a try.
Meet The Manufacturer: #2886: Three Meters Noodles Spicy Taste
It seems like every dry noodle company has a spicy one. Usually these are Sichuan peppercorn-infused, logical and tasty. Let’s have a look in this brown bag and see what is within!
Meet The Manufacturer: Interview With Miandom – Singapore
#2871: Island Foods Chiba · Matsudo Tsukemen (Dipping noodles) – Chuka Soba Tomita
Here’s one sent to me by Ippin, a purveyor of lots of different Japanese products. This is definitely a fancy variety from a set of Kanto region varieties based on popular ramen shops. Not a lot of boxes come across my desk so this should be interesting! Here’s what the Ippin website had to say about this variety:
WORST Instant Noodles Of All Time 2018 Edition
Well, it’s that time again! Every year, I come out with an update to my Bottom Ten list. I’ve got a lot of top ten lists of course, but only one that’s comprised of my least favorite varieties. Many of these will be enjoyed by people – and that’s fine. Just most definitely not by me. Let’s take a look!
Meet The Manufacturer: #2863: Wu-Mu Man Dashi Noodle Master Noodles Mixed With Scallion Oil & Soy sauce
Today we have the last of the straight noodle varieties from Wu-Mu’s Man Dashi range. Here’s what the company has to say about it –
#2842: Vedan Double Bang Pork Broth Noodle
I think I got this one at the Hi Life store at the Nangang Exhibition Center in Taipei. This looks to be a pork variety. The Term ‘Double Bang’ refers to the two noodle blocks within. Let’s check it out!
#2835: Da Long Yi Self Heating Hot Pot – Vegetable Version
Alright – now if this isn’t something that doesn’t make you wanna check your head… So we went up to Canada yesterday. What was up there? This, the second one I’ve reviewed that has a little sachet that actually heats the bowl of noodles and cooks it. Where did I find it? I’m sure you’re thinking ‘oh some neat Asian grocery store.’ No. Hold onto your butts. My wife saw this one. At Walmart. Yeah. Walmart. The Walmart locations both in Richmond, BC and Vancouver, BC have decent noodle aisles with varieties from all over. It should be noted though that there’s a huge Asian population in this area – and so kind of makes sense in a demographic way. I mean, you certainly won’t see this near Walmart HQ in Bentonville, Arkansas…I thought it would be really cool if my son Andy got a chance to try and cook one of these. It should be fun! Glad we found it at Walmart – it was our last stop before heading back home. We go to Walmart every time we go to Canada. It’s really nice up there. Let’s cook this sucker up!
Unboxing Time: New Samyang Foods Samples
Okay you definitely know Samyang Foods by now – fire noodles and all. They keep coming out with new products all the time and keep sending them my way which I thoroughly appreciate! Thank you! Let’s crack this big box open and have a look!
#2821: Sichuan Baijia Broad Noodle Sour Soup Fish Flavor
I picked this one up at the 99 Ranch Market in Edmonds, Washington a few weeks back. I hadn’t seen this Baijia variety before and I thought the graphic on the front of someone sleeping and dreaming about fancy cars, a home and lots of money was really quite compelling.
Re-Review: Mom’s Dry Noodle Dan Dan Noodle
This one really impressed me in the last year and I wanted to have it again. The folks at Mom’s Dry Noodle were kind enough to send another pack of it for review. I thought a fresh taste immediately before finalizing the top ten would be a good plan, and so here we go!
Meet The Manufacturer: #2791: Mike’s Mighty Good Craft Ramen Vegetarian Vegetable Ramen Soup
Alright so today it’s a Vegetarian variety. To be honest, I used to enjoy a lot of condensed soup and this was my favorite flavor. So, I suppose it has a bit to live up to as far as the name. Let’s have a look inside this cup and see what lurks within!
#2784: Samyang Foods Jjajang Buldak Bokkeummyun
Alright, folks! Today I bring you the brand new Samyang Foods Jjajang Buldak Bokkeummyun. 1,920 SHU is the heat level. But wait – what’s jjajang? Let’s find out with some info from Wikipedia!
Meet The Manufacturer: #2779: Mr. Noodle Barbecue Sauce Curry Taste Noodle
Today, it’s a flavor I don’t honestly see a lot in Taiwanese noodles, that flavor being curry. Barbecue curry sounds interesting too – very curious about this one.
#2773: Vedan Minced Pork Noodle
Brought this back from Taiwan. Pretty much everything I brought back came through the rigors of baggage handling unscathed; but not every single thing did. Alas, this was one of them that didn’t. To be quite honest, it did better than some I’ve brought back before from abroad – a little crushing of noodles isn’t bad – I’vbe had ones whose noodle blocks were reduced to crumbs. Let’s have a look at this one – I found it at RT-Mart in Taipei.
#2764: Vedan Double Bang Thick Beef Broth Noodle
This one’s got horns and flying saucers on the packaging – something that denotes… Well, horns and flying saucers I suppose. I guess it more likely denotes ‘hey look at me – I’m on the store shelf!’ The double bang is for the two noodle blocks. The other variety I reviewed in this series had two in it as well and called for (like this one) 700ml boiling water. Guess we will see how this one goes as well! I remember seeing these on store shelves – I think I got all but one of the varieties (sniff) but hey – got some pretty fascinating ones. Taiwanese beef noodles, it is your time to shine.