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Been a busy day today so noodles came in the evening instead of first thing in the morning. Usually, instant noodles are the first thing I eat in the morning. Well, today it’s vegetable tom yam Cup Noodles. Let’s see how they come out – very curious how they’ll be inside!
My son’s favorite instant noodles of all time are (drumrolls please), Nissin Top Ramen Chicken Flavor. It’s about as domestic as you can get. I’ll admit I like it a lot too – basic noodles and decent chicken broth. He does let me make him stuff that’s a little more adventurous from time to time. Today’s going to be one of those days.
Many of you familiar with the sight of this package may say – hey waitta minute – what are you calling this? In fact, this is known by a few names! Here in the United States, it’s called Nissin Demae Ramen. In Japan, the four characters in big print translate to Demae Iccho. In Singapore however, Chinese is often spoken, and they translate to Chu Qian Yi Ding. I’m pretty sure it means something like delivery boy’ or something – the little guy on the package. Anyways, this is pretty easily gotten the world over, however this is the Singaporean made one! Let’s check it out!
Cup Noodles are made by Nissin in all sorts of varieties worldwide. They make them specifically for different regions – the ones for sale in India have an Indian taste; ones in Brazil have flavors that appeal to Brazilians. One flavor that is kind of universal is chicken. I would guess that every country has some kind of well known chicken dish. I wonder if they have chicken in Antarctica? I guess it would be freeze-dried and imported. Is Antarctica even inhabited? Maybe wikipedia will know…
XO Sauce is an interesting thing; I think this Wikipedia snippet is a good way to start –
Developed in the 1980s in Hong Kong for Cantonese cuisine, XO sauce is made of roughly chopped dried seafoods, including scallops, dried fish and shrimp, and subsequently cooked with chili peppers, onions, and garlic. This dried seafood-based sauce bears similarity to the Fujianese Shacha sauce. Spring Moon, the Peninsula Hong Kong‘s Chinese restaurant is often credited with the invention of XO sauce, although others claim the sauce’s origin in the urban area of Kowloon.[2]
I first heard of a dish called Chilli Crab a few years ago, and was told it was the ‘signature dish of Singapore.’ Since the advent of Instagram, I’ve seen this particular Cup Noodle variety dozens of times and always have been quite curious about it. Let’s take a look at this regional Cup Noodles variety!
Toiday, I’m reviewing another new one from Nissin Singapore – Kyushu Black. Kyushu style ramen is different in that it features broth with a cloudy nature and rich flavor. Nissin Singapore’s Kyushu Black looks from the package to feature this. The black part? Black garlic oil! Looks interesting! What to add…
Looks like we’ve got some hot weather coming to the northwest this week. One weather report is saying it will get into the 90’s which is pretty darn hot for these parts. My wife and I were talking about it the other day and she mentioned that the last time we had a summer with such hot temperatures, the winter was equally as extreme – got lots of snow! I hope that it turns out the same way this year because I really like snow quite a bit. Granted, there are quite a few challenges getting around being legally blind, but it’s neat stuff all the same.
Whether you call is Tom Yam or Tum Yum, it’s a tasty, spicy and citrus flavored soup that originally heralds from Thailand. It is often served with seafood (shrimp seems most common) and garnished with coriander, better known in the United States as cilantro. When I first saw something mentioning coriander in Tom Yam, I decided to go to the store and find some. I ended up with a $5 little jar of powder. At the point I realized they call it cilantro here, I felt a little stupid, albeit a more educated. Coriander adds a nice little flavor to things. The thing is that you can’t get it here in very small amounts. For usually between 50 and 90 cents, you get more coriander than I would have any clue of what to do with, and I suppose it could be frozen, but I don’t think it would be as fresh and happy as it is when it’s just bought. So, I always feel a bit wasteful when I buy it. On the bright side, I think it’ll come into play a few times in this week, so that’s at least a plus. Well, let’s try this Tom Yam and use some coriander!
Here’s a new line from Nissin Singapore – their premium Japanese ramen. There are two of them – this Tokyo Shoyu and one called Kyushu Black which I will be reviewing in the few days. So what is Tokyo Shoyu? Well, let’s start with some Wikipedia info on shoyu ramen:
Seafood curry! This sounds and looks really interesting. I think this is the first that mentions including cuttlefish, too! I got curries cuttlefish at a dim sum joint nearby a few months ago. It’s pretty good stuff – chewy and had a nice curry sauce. I’ve got some nice things to add to this one I just got at the store the other day. For the last few months, I’ve been trying new things from the seafood counter at the Asian markets around me. I’ve tried quite a few fishball varieties, sliced squid, and got some interesting looking fish cakes! Let’s have a look at this seafood curry from Nissin Singapore!
This looks like a good one! I like how it mentions on the front in the little text: with ‘top-notch Secret Roasted Beef Paste Recipe’ – that definitely has me interested. This is part of their Premium line – let’s have a look under the hood and see what makes this instant noodle tick.
Let’s kick things off with this Cream of Chicken Cup Noodles. I’ve heard of creamy chicken instant noodle, but never cream of chicken! What’s more interesting to me is the part of the world this is coming from; I would think this a more US or British flavor, but Singapore? I looked around online and found this recipe for creamy soups on a Singapore Home Cooking site – I would never have guessed creamy soups would’ve been popular there! Anyways, let’s give it a try!
When I told the folks at Nissin Singapore that I’ll review up to 15 different products for a Meet The Manufacturer, they decided to send some more! Let’s peek inside.
Got a package yesterday! These are samples from Nissin Singapore!
These are two new varieties of ramen noodles – Tokyo Shoyu and Kyushu Black! Sound interesting!
Interview With Nissin Singapore * Product Samples From Nissin Singapore (1 of 2) * Product Samples From Nissin Singapore (2 of 2) * Nissin Cup Noodles Cream Of Chicken Flavour * Nissin Premium Instant Noodles Roasted Beef Flavour * Nissin Cup Noodles Seafood Curry Flavour * Nissin Japanese Ramen Tokyo Shoyu Instant Noodles With Soup Base * Nissin Cup Noodles Tom Yam Seafood Flavour * Nissin Premium Instant Noodles Spicy Beef Flavour * Nissin Japanese Ramen Kyushu Black Instant Noodles With Soup Base * Nissin Cup Noodles Chilli Crab Flavour * Nissin Premium Instant Noodles XO Sauce Seafood Flavour * Nissin Cup Noodles Chicken Flavour * Nissin Chu Qian Yi Ding Sesame Oil Flavour Instant Noodles With Soup Base * Nissin Premium Instant Noodles Roast Beef Flavour * Nissin Cup Noodles Tom Yam Veg Flavour * Nissin Premium Instant Noodles Spicy Beef Flavour * Nissin Cup Noodles Black Pepper Crab Flavour
If you like it hot, you’re in for a real treat here. These are the spiciest instant noodles you can get that I’ve reviewed from my 1,446 reviews thus far. If you can’t handle spicy foods, these definitely aren’t for you – these are serious! Many of these were so hot, I couldn’t finish the bowl – and I can handle a decent amount of heat! I used to review hot sauces! Anyways, Hope everyone is having a great summer and here are the spiciest instant noodles of all time for 2014!
Awesome! Tom Yam! Tom Yam soup is a spicy and citrus seafood extravaganza for the taste buds. I really enjoy it quite a bit. Let’s see how this variety tastes! This one’s made in Malaysia.
Interview With Maggi Singapore * Product Samples From Maggi Singapore ( 1 of 3 ) * Product Samples From Maggi Singapore ( 2 of 3 ) * Product Samples From Maggi Singapore ( 3 of 3 ) * Maggi Extra Spicy Curry Instant Noodles * Maggi Senses Laksa Instant Noodles * Maggi 2 Minute Noodles Curry Flavour * Maggi Hot Cup Perisa Kari * Maggi 2 Minute Noodles Assam Laksa Flavour * Maggi 2 Minute Noodles Tom Yam Flavour *
A while back I reviewed the Malaysian version of this one. This is the one from Singapore – and it says it’s got a ‘new look, better taste’ – sounds awesome! But what is Assam Laksa? Here’s what Wikipedia says:
Here’s one I’ve been most eager to try. The Ramen Rater is also on Instagram, and I peruse for instant noodle related things. I’ve seen these cups quite a few times and people seem to enjoy them! They come in other varieties such as chicken and tom yam aside from this curry one. This Hot Cup was sent by Maggi Singapore, but made in Malaysia by Maggi Malaysia. Let’s have a look at this one and see what’s inside!
Well this looks like a fancy one. This is a new premium laksa from Maggi that’s supposed to be really special. Their goal was to make a laksa with a great ‘just like from home’ kind of feel and flavor. Sounds interesting!
Interview With Maggi Singapore * Product Samples From Maggi Singapore ( 1 of 3 ) * Product Samples From Maggi Singapore ( 2 of 3 ) * Product Samples From Maggi Singapore ( 3 of 3 ) * Maggi Extra Spicy Curry Instant Noodles * Maggi Senses Laksa Instant Noodles * Maggi 2 Minute Noodles Curry Flavour * Maggi Hot Cup Perisa Kari * Maggi 2 Minute Noodles Assam Laksa Flavour * Maggi 2 Minute Noodles Tom Yam Flavour *
Maggi singapore wanted to make sure I got their newest prodct – MAGGI Senses Laksa for review during Meet The Manufacturer. They rolled it out in June and here it is! Let’s see what’s inside!
A big long box – let’s see what’s within!
Somebody spent a long time crumpling up paper – it was very well packed!
Here’s another one that Annie T. over at MyKuali sent me – thank you very much! This looks interesting; a fusion of Tom Yam and Mee Goreng? Tom Yam is a spicy, citrus infused soup that”s very popular in Southeast Asia, Thailand in particular. Very curious about this one – let”s have a look inside.
Found this in a local grocery store the other day. It’s definitely made of the United States market, but made in Thailand, which seems kind of funny as it’s Singapore Laksa Curry. Any way you slice it, it’s a Singapore Laksa Curry that made for the United States market which is something that truly piqued my interest. What’s different here also is that it uses rice noodles instead of wheat, so it’s gluten free. I’ve only had a Laksa that used rice noodles once before. Let’s have a look at this one.
Well folks, it’s that time again. Since the last list, I’ve reviewed another 335 varieties – almost one a day This list reflects the ones I’ve reviewed in the last year as well as those reviewed before that – 1,365 varieties in all. It seems to get tougher each time – so many good ones! Here’s this year’s list – the best of the best. With that, I present to you The Ramen Rater’s top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2014 Edition.
There’s a reason there are three Prima Taste products are on the top ten list – they’re amazing. Two big sachets with serious ingredients and noodles that are so nice and tasty. I’ve really enjoyed the products they’ve made and hope they make lots of more noodle varieties in the future! Let’s give this one an up close and personal look.
When I first had curry it was when I was a kid. My mom would make curried chicken liver over rice and it was really good. Yep – liver. I really liked some things I don’t think my 8 year old son would touch with a ten foot pole! My mom would use curry powder and it came out really good. Since then, I’ve relished on many, many different curries. I think my favorites by far have been in paste form; there’s such variety and strong flavors that are involved – a true playground for the senses. Let’s have a look and see why this one made the last two top ten lists.
Here’s another one sent by Charles, a serviceman in Afghanistan – thanks! I’ve seen these cups for a long time online but never have I tried one. It seems KOKA sells their noodles in three places – Singapore, the US and the UK. They have different kinds available in each market too which is logical. Most large noodle manufacturers do this actually; look at the flavors sold here in the US versus the ones by the same company sold in Japan. It’s kind of the ‘when in Rome’ logic and it works for them. Let’s have a look inside this cup by KOKA.
Here’s one that was sent by Martin A. of Devon, England. Thanks again! I’ve really been into fish balls lately. They’re tasty, lots of varieties, and pretty low cal. Anyways, they tend to go better in spicy varieties of instant noodles and I think they are wonderful in tom yum/yam. Let’s check this one out!
Here’s another one sent by Annie T. of MyKuali! Thanks! This one sounds interesting, and I have something neat to go with it considering my recent fascination with fish balls – prawn flavored fish balls! These noodles are from Singapore, as are the fish balls! Let’s check it out!
The folks over at Prima Taste sent some nice gifts the other day! Let’s have a look!
A fancy wall or desk calendar!
Wow what an interesting past few days! Two days ago I reviewed some Taiwanese noodles that were very green. Yesterday, some Japanese ramen with jet black broth. Today? Purple noodles! These noodles are made with purple wheat – which is rich in anthocyanins. Here’s a good article for more one purple wheat. As for Aglio Olio – what’s that? Well, it’s basically garlic (aglio) and oil (olio). Capiche? Alright, let’s check it out!
At the beginning of this year, I’d never tried any of their products. When I did, I was blown away; so much so that they ended up ranking 1st and 2nd place on my Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Tiume 2013 Edition list. I’m very curious how this one will fare. Chilli Crab is considered to be the signature dish of Singapore. To ring in the new year, I thought I’d start out with this one. I decided to post it right when the clock strikes midnight the very first time of 2014. Where’s that? Turns out it’s in Kiribati, which is GMT+14! For those in my timezone which is GMT-8 (Seattle time), that will be 2am on December 31st. With that, I wish everyone a happy and prosperous 2014 – let’s check this out! By the way – I just found out there are a couple new ways to cook this one – check them out here!
The last time I got product samples from Prima Taste of Singapore I was pleasantly surprised. Their Laksa and Curry noodles ended up at the top of my yearly top ten list. What lies inside this box?
Here’s one that was sent by Martin A. of Devon, England. Thanks again! There are many varieties of Koka noodles that aren’t yet available in the United States and this is one of them. Let’s check it out!
So these last two days have been crazy – so many people from Taiwan just coming in droves to the site and declaring their passion for the instant noodles of their country! You should be proud of yourselves; I’m never going to look at Taiwanese noodles the same again, that’s for sure! I’m sure I’ll be reviewing more very soon so keep your eyes on The Ramen Rater!
It’s been over a year since the last Top Ten List came out and it’s time for a new one. You’ll see some from the old list and some new ones! With that, Welcome to the new Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time – 2013 Edition!
