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Right after the 2014 Top Ten List was pudblished, I got contacted by a person from Win Onn Foods in Malaysia. They were keen on me trying their variety of instant Penang white curry noodles, and I liked the idea of trying more iterations of them, so I said please send some. Well, the first time they tried to send me some, I received this box.
Pulmuone is a South Korean company that makes products using their LOHAS philosophy. They really like the sustainable agriculture/green/etc thing over there. There’s a video at the end of this post that extolls their virtues. I thought I’d reviewed this one before but noticed that there were a couple minor changes in the nutrition facts as well as new packaging, so thought maybe I’d give it a try today. It’s called Nature Is Delicious, but it doesn’t say it on the packaging like the old version does, which is kind of weird. Well, actually it says it in Korean, and the only way I could figure it out was by comparing the UPC codes from the original review and this one. I’m kind of curious about how they got the name Pulmuone… Hmmm… Anyways, let’s see how low calorie instant ramyun tastes!
Here’s something from Taiwan. These noodles aren’t fried – they’re steamed. This lowers the fat content by quite a bit, although they will break your teeth if you try eating them like snack noodles! Most of Wu-Mu’s products are this way and they’re usually pretty good. This is a four pack – you get four of everything! Let”s have a look inside.
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:
I’ve been really lucky – the FedEx guy has been coming to my patio for ages when I have a package but he’s retired! This is the last box he brought me.
Here’s another one that’s new in Colombia. How does it translate? Chicken flavor soup with noodles. Let’s check it out!
Here’s another one from my birthday trip to Canada. I think this may the first instance of chicken kimchi noodles I’ve heard of. Let’s give it a try.
Here’s one that was sent by Abbie C. of Hong Kong – thanks! I always try to source Hello Kitty and Pokemon related instants as my wife likes Hello Kitty and my son’s a Pokemaniac. Let’s check this one out!
Here’s one I got up in Canada at T&T Supermarket – thanks! Never tried this before. Looks interesting though – let’s check it out!
Here’s something new from Paldo of South Korea – cheese noodle! I am a big fan of cheese! I also like noodles obviously, so this should be a nice pairing. Let’s dig in to some cheesy goodness!
This one was sent by Mr. Yamato of Yakantei in Japan! Thank you! First off – if someone has a better translation of what this particular instant noodle is called, please let me know? The original text is 長尾製麺 ラーメン仮面・タソガレトンコツ. This is quite unique in that the outer packaging is paper. Yes – paper! Let’s have a look at this artsy ramen!
This was sent to me by Kristina W. of Arizona – thank you! Jjajangmyun is basically a noodle that is coated in a black bean sauce. Let’s check it out!
So after sampling so many varieties of instant noodles over the years, of course there have been some that I didn’t like. There also were some that are so memorable for how awful they were. After people asked what my least favorites were a few times, I thought I should just make a list of them. I should point out that these are on the list because I couldn’t stand them. I’m pretty sure they are all still in production, and the only reason they would be is that people somewhere find them enjoyable. So who knows – you might have a completely different opinion on these than me, but I found them to be absolutely the worst of the worst. With that, here’s The Bottom Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time, 2013 Edition.
Today, we have the last of the Amianda noodles. I’d like to thank Amianda for doing the interview and sending the great samples! Sesame paste – let’s get to it.
As we wind down this spotlight on Amianda, we arrive at a hot and spicy variety of their Tachia noodles. Let’s have a look.
Today it’s fried shallot. Shallots are really quite enjoyable; like an onion and a garlic had a child – strong flavor! Let’s give this one a try!
Thin noodles! Let’s have a look.
The back of the package (click image to enlarge).
I don’t know what made me do it, but I felt a need to consult Wikipedia on satay and Taiwan. So I did and found this:
Today, we have the Tachia noodles again but with rouzao. What is rouzao? Wikipedia mentioned that it involves minced pork (Amianda mentioned this one includes it in the sauce) and minced pork rice is the common rouzao:
Today I’ll be reviewing a thinner gauge noodle by Amianda. I thought it was funny that they were called ‘homely,’ as here in the US homely usually means ugly, but I think this time it’s meant to be more along the lines of homemade or home-style.
Today it’s a spicy sauerkraut – kind of interesting to see sauerkraut as a popular addition in Taiwanese noodles, but this isn’t the first time I’ve seen it – I think it’s about the fourth. Anyways, let’s give it a look!
Today it’s hakka noodles, a variety I have only very recently found out about. Here’s what Wikipedia has to say about the Hakka people in Taiwan:
To start things off, we have tachia noodles. It sounds like Tachung county is where a city called Tachia is, so I’m guessing this is a local version. Anyways, let’s check ’em out!
A great big box of noodles from Taiwan! Let’s open it!
I really like it when companies send printed instructions like this – makes it easier for me when there’s very little English on the packaging if any.
Interview * Samples From Amianda * Amianda Noodle Tachia Dried Noodles – Peppery * Amianda Noodle Hakka Flat Noodles – Fried Bean Sauce * Amianda Noodle Dried Noodles – Spicy Sauerkraut * Amianda Noodle Homely Dried Noodles – Original Flavor * Amianda Noodle Tachia Dried Noodles – Rou Zhao Meat Sauce * Amianda Noodle Hakka Flat Noodles – Satay Sauce * Amianda Noodle Thin Noodles – Sesame Oil * Amianda Noodle Tachia Noodles – Fried Shallot * Amianda Noodle Tachia Noodles – Hot & Spicy Sauce * Amianda Noodle Homely Dried Noodles – Sesame Paste
Here we go with the 28th edition of The Ramen Rater Noodle News! I scour the Internet for articles about ramen and instant noodles and bring them to you! Here are some recent stories you might find interesting!
In the last week, I’ve had a lot of traffic from upset Taiwanese that none of their country’s beloved instant noodles made the list. I saw videos like this one and then this angry one. I felt a video message would be appropriate, and here it is.
Another one from my March birthday trip to Canada. I tried to translate this one but no luck – the name I got from the distributor’s sticker, so if anyone knows for sure this is the wrong name, please let me know. Let’s check it out!
Found this one at Uwajimaya in Bellevue and thought it was worth a try. I do like Worcestershire sauce!
This is one you can probably find quite easily in a grocery store here in the United States. Let’s have a look.
Another from my trip to Canada for my birthday. Wow – what a past two days here! The Top Ten 2013 list came out to a clamor of Taiwanese disapproval – Taiwan didn’t make the list. But, hopefully out of it all I’ll get contacted by one of the companies in Taiwan, but so far nothing. On to other things though – that being this interesting bowl by Nongshim. This one’s made in Shanghai, China. Let’s check it out.
If you watch this from beginning to end, not only proven yourself a true fan of the instant noodle, but also seen pretty much every single instant noodle review and re-review I’ve ever done. Clocking in at an hour and forty-nine minutes, this is pretty heavy duty. Enjoy!
Yep – another one from my Canadian birthday trip! Let’s check this one out.
Export sticker (click image to enlarge).
Another one I got while in Canada for my birthday. I’m sure many folks will immediately ask ‘where did you get this’ and ‘where can I get it,’ and I’ll just say I’ve only seen this in Canada. See, they get stuff in the Vancouver area from not only the Nongshim plant here in the states but the one in Shanghai, China. Got a couple more coming down the pipe of reviews soon that hail from China. Let’s check this out!
One of the last that Joe & Gil from the UK sent a while back – thanks again! I like chow mein, but what’s ‘super’ chow mein? Let’s see!
Another from my trip to Canada on my birthday! Vegetable! Let’s check it out.
Back of the packaging (click image to enlarge). Says it contains wheat and soy and may contain trace amounts of egg, fish/shellfish, nuts and sulphites.
Here’s the last of the three product samples sent by the nice folks at Maruchan – thanks again! Spicy shrimp sounds good – let’s check it out.
Here’s one that the folks from God Of Patena sent – thanks! Very little English on here – searched and translated via UPC code and kept coming up with ‘chanpon’ over and over so I’m calling it that. Also found it called ‘champon’ too, but more often than not it was ‘chanpon.’ Most things show it as a seafood broth, but as you can see on the package, it looks like ham or smoked pork. I also saw mention that this was a borrowed noodle soup from Chinese culture; like jjamppong perhaps? Let’s check it out!
Time for some extremely spicy noodles! This is another one from eMart, makers of Dare You Habanero Ramyun. Dare You weighs in at 5,930SHU (Scoville Heat Units) – the hottest I’ve had thus far. This one’s 3,960SHU – not as fiery hot, but definitely not to be trifled with! Jjampong is a seafood soup. You ready?
Another one from my Canada trip! Needed something I could make quickly today so thought this would do the trick. Let’s check it out!
