This is a box I’ve been really excited about – and I think a lot of you will be excited as well. People have been asking me about Tseng/Zeng noodles and where to get them since they were #9 on my annual The Ramen Rater’s top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2016 Edition. They just made #1 on my Taiwan Top Ten list2 days ago. Well, I have it on good authority that they will be available in the United States at 99 Ranch Market in California around Christmas time – that’s all I know for now but if I hear more, I’ll let you all know!
Tag: noodle
Noodles & Snacks From Love Cook Of Taiwan
Thank you Steve C. for sending these along! Curious to see what’s inside!
Two bags of noodle (click to enlarge). Steve wasn’t sure how they translate – anyone want to give it a shot?
The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Taiwanese Instant Noodles Of All Time 2016 Edition
This is the fourth year of The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Taiwanese Instant Noodles Of All Time lists. The list definitely has had a lot of movement every year – a good sign as those who produce instant noodles in Taiwan are innovating and producing new styles and flavors all the time! Here are my pick of the tastiest and most memorable Taiwanese varieties from my over 2,000 reviews to date.
Re-Review: Tseng Noodles Scallion With Sichuan Pepper Flavor
I thought that after making The Ramen Rater’s top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2016 Edition and winning The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Taiwanese Instant Noodles Of all Time 2016 Edition, it would be nice to revisit this tasty noodle! What do you think? Let’s dig in!
#2170: Maruchan Ramen Noodle Soup Mushroom Flavor
Here’s another one sent by a reader named Colin – thanks again! Today, I thought I’d cook up something for my wife Kit. Her actual name is Christine, but I’ve called her Kit for years. She’s always been a big fan of mushrooms – in fact, it’s because of her that I’ve started to like them. Oddly, here’s a Maruchan instant noodle I’ve not reviewed yet. I didn’t even know it still existed til Colin sent it over. Let’s have a look at this one.
#2168: Tseng Rice Noodle Shallot With Braised Pork Flavor
Here’s another new one from Tseng’s – shallot braised pork. Man, this sounds good – I really have high hopes. As I’ve opined before, Taiwanese braised anything is unbelievably good. Really, it isn’t just my opinion – I would mark it down as fact. If you don’t like Taiwanese braised anything, you just don’t know what tastes good and should have your tongue examined for mold or aliens. Let’s give this one a try and see how it translates to a rice noodle.
#2164: Tseng Rice Noodle Chinese Mushrooms With Soybean Vegetarian Braised Pork Flavour
This one sounds curious to me. While I do like braised pork – a lot- I’m unsure about this Chinese mushroom. But hey – I’ve been pleasantly surprised in the mushroom department before, right? Let’s give it a go!
#2162: Tseng Rice Noodle Seafood Laksa Flavour
So this is definitely a first – I don’t think I’ve ever heard of laksa from Taiwan! It sounds good – I mean hey, I make laksa here in the United States quite often but I’m sure my neighbors haven’t a clue what they’re smelling ‘must be some off kind of Hamburger Helper’ probably going through their minds. But laksa is a seriously tasty thing and I’m keen on seeing what Tseng has come up with for us. Let’s have a look!
#2161: Nongshim Chal Bibim Myun
After perusing Nongshim America’s website, I saw these noodles I hadn’t heard of before. A quick message to my contact at Nongshim and these magically arrived in a couple days! This is what you would call a Summer variety – the noodles are served cold with a spicy sauce. It’s made in South Korea, but definitely in packaging for the United States. Let’s give it a try!
#2157: Master Kong Artificial Mushroom Chicken Flavor Instant Noodle
Here’s one sent to me by Colin – thanks again! So these have been a real conundrum for me for quite a long time. The little chef on the logo is definitely different from the regular Master Kong chef, but I can’t get to the bottom of the exact name of this brand and so it’s Master Kong?
Meet The Manufacturer: #2149: Jingqi Aloe Vera Guan Mian Cyanobacteria Noodles With Ginger Oil Sauce
Not often do I come across a noodle product with the word ‘bacteria’ in the title, but I am definitely not fearful of it. I found this post about cyanobacteria, also known as spirulina/blue green algae. Very interesting! Let’s give it a try!
Meet The Manufacturer: #2148: Jingqi Black Eyes Bean Pumpkin Noodles With Basil Sauce
As there are 2 kinds of noodles and 4 flavors of sauce, I’ll be alternating back and forth between the noodles during this Meet The Manufacturer to keep things lively! This one looks interesting – the noodles are infused with pumpkin and comes with a thick basil sauce. Let’s check it out!
Meet The Manufacturer: #2122: Nissin Chilli Noodles Stir Fried Holy Basil Flavour
This one sounds particularly interesting – from the picture, it looks like a seafood fried noodle. However, holy basil sounds alluring – let’s check this unique variety out!
Meet The Manufacturer: #2112: Nissin Chilli Noodle Spicy Tom Yum Shrimp Flavour
To kick things off for Meet The Manufacturer: Nissin Thailand, I thought how could I go wrong with some spicy tom yum? Tom Yum is the signature flavor of Thailand; lemongrass, spiciness, shrimp – they all go together in a harmony that I really enjoy. Let’s give this one with an extra spicy hit a try!
#2091: MyKuali Penang Hokkien Prawn Noodle Authentic Taste
The third and final of the cups I received from MyKuali – thanks again! The Hokkien Prawn (aka Spicy Prawn Noodle) was #2 on this year’s The Ramen Rater’s top Ten Instant Noodles Of all Time 2016 Edition. I recently read a little about these cups – the noodle they are using is referred to as ‘shabu noodle.’ Just a little something you might be curious about. Anyways, let’s see how the sweetness of Hokkien Prawn translates with this new noodle! Let’s crack it open!
Meet The Manufacturer: #2087: Nissin Mie Goreng Indonesia Stir Noodle Original Flavour
Here one of the more unique varieties Nissin Hong Kong sent. Mie goreng is definitely an Indonesian dish – not something that jumps at me as something from Hong Kong. However, it tastes quite nice anywhere you are, and so I imagine that’s why they’ve added it to their lineup. Let’s have a look at this one from Nissin Hong Kong!
Meet The Manufacturer: #2080: Fuku Non-Fried Superior Soup Noodle
On more than one occasion, I’ve been talking to someone from Hong Kong about instant noodles. It seems like every time, Fuku comes up. This is a really popular brand there and often mentioned as a favorite. Today I’m going to try their non-fried variety. Curious how the noodles differ from the standard instant. Let’s see!
#2065: Four Seas Kung Tak Lam Vegetarian Noodle (Mushroom)
I had a bit of trouble figuring out what this variety was called – until I scanned the back of the package and noticed it on the top left corner. This is one that I received from Apple Daily of Hong Kong for a special news feature. Kung Tak Lam is a popular vegetarian restaurant in Hong Kong. Let’s crack it open and give it a try!
#2053: Maruchan Instant Lunch Sriracha Chicken Flavor Ramen Noodle Soup
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.
#2047: Oni Hot Pot XO Sauce Noodle
Here’s the second variety I was sent by the folks at Oni Hot Pot of Taiwan – thanks again! The first variety was a spicy one – this sounds a little more on the seafood kick. Let’s have a look, shall we?
#2044: Doll Hello Kitty Dim Sum Noodle Japanese Soy Sauce Flaviour
A while back, I was all but out of instant noodles and put out a call for some. One of the people who responded was Prima Taste – they sent some from Hong Kong and this is one of them – thank you! My wife is a big fan of Hello Kitty and we’ve tried the Curry flavor one in the past. Let’s have a look in this soy sauce flavor one!
#2026: MyKuali Penang White Curry Noodle Authentic Taste Cup
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!
#1989: MyKuali Penang White Curry Noodle Authentic Taste
Here’s the last of the three new ‘Authentic Taste’ varieties from MyKuali that they sent a little while back. I was told that they’ve changed the way they cook the paste and that it will have enhanced shrimp flavor and aroma from the spices. Sounds good to me! Let’s check it out!
#1982: Master Kong Assorted Pork Bone Noodle
Here’s one sent by Colin from Massachusetts – thanks! I used to work with a lady who couldn’t say Massachusetts. It seemed a little ridiculous to me, but she would stumble over the word repeatedly and it would sound like massive two shits. Anyways, this one seems interesting – why assorted pork bone? Are they from different kinds of pigs? Well, let’s give this one a try!
#1981: MyKuali Penang Red Tom Yum Goong Noodle Authentic Taste
Here’sd another of MyKuali’s new recipe ‘Authentic Taste’ range. I’m told this has more of the lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves, as well as mushroom and chicken broth. Most of ytou should know it was #1 on the 2015 Top Ten list. Let’s see how these changes affect the taste!
#1965: MyKuali Penang Spicy Prawn Soup Noodle Authentic Taste
MyKuali has been tinkering with upgrading their recipes during the last year or two. One thing they told be when I visited in 2014 was that the hawkers are always fine-tuning their recipes, and that they planned on doing the same thing. When I asked what the difference is with this new iteration, I was told that an aspect of the shrimp powder has been altered to give it an even more authentic taste. I found tha the Hokkien Mee I had in Penang a couple years back was very close to what I got from the MyKuali Hokkien Mee. Let’s see how this one tastes.
MyOri Creates New Packaging – Endorsed By The Ramen Rater
Got this package in the mail yesterday – let’s look inside!
MyOri’s new packaging (click to enlarge) – looks really snazzy!
#1956: Maruchan Spicy Tomato Salsa Ramen
Here’s another one sent by Casey P. from Hong Kong – thanks! I want to especially thanks Casey P., Jef M. and the folks on dpreview.com for all your help with figuring out all the settings and ways to use my new camera. It’s been an uphill battle for me, but I think I’m almost at the summit. This one looks particularly interesting – it mentions salsa on the label but the sticker mentions tomato. Not only that, the colors denote either Italy or Mexico. I’m going to guess Mexico, especially with salsa mentioned. but I guess we’ll see!
Meet The Manufacturer: #1934: Love Cook Guanmiao Dried Noodles With Spicy Sauce
Ah now here we go – spicy! Spicy sounds good today – it’s been cold, rainy and windy lately – not a very nice combo. Every morning Miles wakes up and I wheel his bassinet over to the window to spend a few minutes looking outside – usually it’s a cloudy day. But that’s weather in Washington state for you – winter’s like that. Spicy sounds good – let’s check it out!
Meet The Manufacturer: #1932: Love Cook Guanmiao Dried Noodles With Shallot Flavor
To start things off, I thought something sesame sounded good. Today alsol marks the start of regularly using my new camera/copy stand setup. I’m hoping this will allow for much higher quality photos! I suppose we’ll see! Anyways, let’s check out this noodle from Taiwan!
The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten South Korean Instant Noodles Of All Time 2016 Edition
South Korea has the highest per person consumption of instant noodles in the world. It’s not a surprise that their instant noodle are quite good – usually the noodles (known as ramyun) are thicker and accompanied by a spicy broth. These are my very favorite varieties of South Korean instant noodles – hope you enjoy!
The Ramen Rater’s 5th Annual Momofuku Ando Day: #1911: Nissin Emergency Chikin Ramen
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.
#1898: Master Kong Spicy Fish Noodle
I’ve had what I believe to be the pack variety of this before. Was pretty good! Let’s see how this bowl version fares.
#1866: MyKuali Penang Spicy Prawn Soup Noodle
Here’s the last I have of the new packaged varieties of MyKuali products. Before, this was called Hokkien Prawn, but now it appears they’ve gone to a more streamlines title and packaging. Prawn Mee as it’s known in Southeast Asia is a spicy and prawn filled extravaganze of flavor and wonder. If you like prawn, this is definitely something you should enjoy! Let’s look within!
#1864: Nissin Raoh Ramen Noodle Soup Umami Tonkotsu Flavor
I got some new samples from Nissin USA a few weeks ago (thank you!) of some varieties of Nissin’s Raoh from Japan that are now available in the USA. Raoh (meaning King( is a premium line. At this point, you can only get them on Amazon. Not sure if that will change though. So Umami. This is something interesting – first, let’s have a look at what wikipedia has to say about umami –
#1742: Aroi Curry Me! Penang White Curry Stir-Fry Noodle
I got this during my annual trip up to Canada for my birthday! A while back, I reviewed the soup version of this one. I’ve seen numerous soup varieties of Penang White Curry , but this time it’s a Stir-Fry version. Sounds interesting and different – let’s give it a look!
#1667: Deshome Aloe Thin Noodles With Camellia Oil Vegetable Sauce Flavor
Camelia oil – this is a new thing to me. I was curious – why camelia oil? Wikipedia had this to say:
#1646: New Way Spaghetti Instant Noodles
Here’s one I got this year up in Canada on my birthday! My wife spied this one on a lower shelf . She’s got a knack of finding ones that I don’t notice which is really quite handy! It’s also interesting how many spaghetti varieties come from Vietnam! Anyways, let’s check out this New Way variety.
#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.
Samples From Hao Way Of Malaysia
Win Onn Foods of Malaysia make Hao Way brand Penang White Curry Noodles. I reviewed them a while back, but they asked if I’d like some more. Very kind!