Over 5,000 Instant Ramen Noodle Reviews Since 2002
I’ve just got to face it; I’ve got noodles coming out of my ears here! There’s a big bag of these Wu-Mu noodles next to my bed that I’ve been almost tripping over as of late. They don’t fit anywhere else and each one is a 4 pack! I thought today my son and I would try a couple varieties. I figured I’d give this one a shot. I’m definitely not a huge fan of mushrooms, but the spinach noodles sounded nice. Let’s have a look!
Now for something completely different. Jah jan noodles! What’s jah jan? It’s a black bean (or soybean) sauce rich with flavor – popular in China, Taiwan and South Korea. This one’s from Taiwan. Let’s check it out!
Here’s one I’ve bneen eyeballing for a little while. I’ve got a ton of these Wu-Mu multipacks. Thus far they’ve been pretty darn good. Let’s check it out!
Here’s a new one from A-Sha. They decided to come out with a stright instant variety. You cook it a little differently, too. Shallots! Let’s give this a try!
I saw this neat thing on A-Sha Taiwan’s website and thought hmmm… Wonder if they can find me one…
Shelley S. from Deshome told me a package was one the way a couple of days ago. Let’s look inside!
Happy Halloween! Today, I thought I’d go with something spicy – and not just spicy but hell spicy! But what about Mala – what’s that mean? Here’s what Wikipedia had to say:
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!
Been a little while since I reviewed anything by A-Sha. I did a Meet The Manufacturer in May, but nothing new since then. Well, today’s the day! Curry. It’s always been a favorite flavor of mine and I think this is the first time I’ll be trying a Taiwanese take on it. Let’s give it a try!
Here’s another one I got at T&T Supermarket up in Canada. I find it interesting; I got three pork varieties there – stewed pork, steamed pork and simmered pork! I asked my wife which one I should have as I couldn’t decide. She told me to simmer down and so here we are. Let’s check it out!
Got a box in the mail from the A-Sha guys in California today – wonder what’s inside…
Earlier this year, people from Taiwan voiced their displeasure with not being included in the 2013 Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time. They came in droves, shouting the praises of their beloved varieties. They were equally unhinged by having two varieties listed in my Bottom Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2013 list. Two were included there. After all of this outcry and seeing the pride and passion about their noodles, I thought it was a must to do a Top Ten Taiwanese Instant Noodles Of All Time 2013 list; these people are easily as interested in noodles as much as I am! This new list encompasses all of the Taiwanese varieties that I’ve reviewed thus far. So, without further ado, I hope you will enjoy The Ramen Rater’s top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2013 edition!
A package from A-Sha… Hmmm what’s inside?
Ooh what is this? The folks at A-Sha told me this variety is called Hell Spicy Mala and is popular in Taiwan as it is extremely spicy. Sounds like fun!
When I’m ready to relax and have some ‘me time,’ there are two words that immediately enter my mind: leisure meatballs. What’s that? Leisure meatballs? Yes. Spicy chicken flavored ones. Let’s have a look.
I recently got a nice box of samples from Duncan T. over at Gemini Food Corp in California. I’d already reviewed them, but I definitely wanted to re-review this one for sure. I last had this in my 97th review – over 1000 reviews ago. Curious about what I’ll think of it these days; it got a low rating at that time and looking at it now makes me think it can’t be that bad! But I guess we’ll see. Let’s check it out!
Here’s one from T&T Supermarket up in Vancouver, BC! Many Taiwanese extolled the virtues of these Man Han Feast varieties, especially a beef version. I had the Spring Onion Eel flavor a while back and this is the only other one I’ve seen available in North America. So what does Man Han Feast mean? Wikipedia says:
Hey everyone! Thanks to those who have voted so far! The contest is the KING5/Evening Magazine BEST In Western Washington – an annual list of the best of the best of Western Washington state here in the USA. I would be extremely thankful if everyone would vote for me – this would really help the site out a lot! Click on the above image or here to vote. I was on Evening Magazine (a local TV show) earlier this year – Jim Dever and a cameraman came into our little apartment and set up a miniature film studio here in Edmonds, WA (the clip is below).
Here’s another one from T&T Supermarket up in Canada. This one comes with four of everything! Today however, I’ll just be making one of them. Let’s check it out!
Here’s another one from the T&T Supermarket up in Burnaby, BC. I asked for help with the translation on Facebook. Thanks guys! Snack noodles are very popular in Asia and here’s one variety to check out. Yes – it’s from Taiwan! It’s a package with three little packs inside. Let’s check it out!
A couple days ago, I was interviewed via Skype on NTD TV about the recent uproar over The Bottom Ten List as well as what I do. It was a lot of fun and I would like to thank NTD TV for this great opportunity! Thank you! Here’s a direct link to their site.
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
So we are at the end of the Deshome Meet The Manufacturer. Let’s have a look at their aloe noodles with sesame sauce.
Well, we’re down to the last two Deshome varieties. Let’s check ’em out.
The stickers from the back of the packaging.
Today it’s aloe noodles with vegetable sauce – no sesame sauce in this one! Let’s give it a try.
Here’s another flavor variant of the four-types noodle pack. Let’s check it out!
Here’s another one of the aloe varieties from Deshome – this time it’s sesame and red onion. Let’s check it out!
Here’s the sticker from the back of the package.
Here’s the back of the package (click image to enlarge). Vegetarian.
The noodle blocks. Purplish is made with purple sweet potato and the other is just aloe.
The sesame sauce packet.
Again, a earthy color and nice aroma.
The red onion packet.
Red onion in an oil base.
Finished (click image to enlarge). Added a fried egg and some Vidalia onion and ham sauteed in a little soy sauce. The noodles are again really good – nice and wide and perfect texture as well as chew. The flavoring was nice and hearty with a strong sesame and nice red onion notes. This was great – 5.0 out of 5.0 stars.UPC bar code 4716873921224.
Another one with four kinds of noodles. Let’s delve into this one.
Stickers from the back of the package.
