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This one was sent by His Grace, the Rev. Dick Gazinya of the UK – my gratitude knows no bound, my friend. This one is of a brand I’ve not seen previously. It’s also made in Bangladesh for the British company Meeran. Anyways, let’s crack this one open and check it out.
Here’s the second of two of these Wicked Foods varieties we found recently at the Lake City Fred Meyer grocery store. The last one was pretty slimy. Let’s see what this one has in store…
I’ve a couple fascinating varieties from the Shin range by Nongshim which came by way of The Fat Hipster – thanks man! He’s got a YouTube channel where does reviews you should check out. This is one I though was only in the UK but from the labeling it’s distributed throughout Europe – there fore its getting the South Korea stamp as it’s not just for one country but many. Let’s give it a try!
Here’s one found during the holy hunt for the pumpkin spice noodle of late 2021. This was at Walmart in Bellevue I believe. Let’s check it out!
I’m hoping that this variety does not do to the idea or history of Chinese cuisine what they did to Japanese teriyaki. Chow mein and teriyaki are generally not known to have soup, or a ton of gravy in excess. Let’s find out what we got here, folks.
#424
Here’s one I dug out of a box. Pretty sure I found this at a grocery store while hunting for pumpkin noodles a few months back. I’ve tried some of these and they’ve been pretty good honestly. Let’s give this one a shot.
Found these in Bellevue, Washington at a Walmart during the Great Hunt for Pumpkin Spice Cup Noodles of Fall 2021. Definitiely something interesting to check out. These are in a little pouch – have tried the cup version of this but the pouch sounds interesting – let’s check it out!
This one comes by way of my good friend (who actually was Knighted) from the UK I met via the Ramen Junkies group a little while ago. Thank you, bro! I’m a huge fan of British varieties and especially interesting ones from Pot Noodle. Let’s see if this one is as bland as he says it is. Sadly, I have no tinned pangolin to add to this one, Sir JB will be happy to see the absence of corn.
Well this was a nice surprise – British noodles at a local store? Unteresting the new things I’m starting to see around here. I rarely get UK varieties – I enjoy reviewing them a lot, too. Let’s check this one out and see what’s up.
Here’s the second variety of the Mr Lee’s Congee – chicken. These have freeze dried vegetables and chicken in them – let’s check it out!
So not too long ago, Mr Lee’s started running US operations as well as in the UK! So I got to trysome new product right away. This is congee – rice porridge. It’s made basically from shredded instant rice. Let’s check it out!
Mr. Lee’s Noodles started out in the UK. Priding themselves as a healthier option, they use freeze dried ingredients to give a better taste and freshness which is really quite a nice departure from the norm. Their varieties of noodle products are rice noodles, so they made the connection to offer congee varieties as well – let’s check them out!
I got the chance to try the range of Mr. Lee’s products when they were only available in the UK. Now, they also are making them here! This one’s got freeze dried beef and vegetables, plus it’s gluten free. Time to see if this one’s the same as what I’ve tried from the UK!
Oh wow so I saved what I’m hoping is the best for last. I love laksa. I love curry. It puts me in a place where I’m weightless, floating above the physical world, not caring one iota for the ridiculous problems humans complain about. Curry is life. Let’s see if this one makes me feel alive.
Today, we come to the next-to-last variety from Mr Lee’s and the only one devoted to seafood. Freeze dried shrimp inside? Let’s see!
Well, here we go!I did a Meet The Manufacturer with Mr Lee’s a couple of years ago, and now they’re going to be producing in the USA! Sounds like starting May 2020 their products will be available (and also made) here as well as in the UK. They’ll be available on Amazon and I’ll do reviews of the Us made versions when they become available. This one’s only 222 calories! Not only that, this is one of the few manufacturers that use freeze dried rather than dehydrated bits. Let’s check it out!
Well, here we go!I did a Meet The Manufacturer with Mr Lee’s a couple of years ago, and now they’re going to be producing in the USA! Sounds like starting May 2020 their products will be available (and also made) here as well as in the UK. They’ll be available on Amazon and I’ll do reviews of the Us made versions when they become available. I should note though that this particular variety will not. This one’s Vegan and only 217 calories! Not only that, this is one of the few manufacturers that use freeze dried rather than dehydrated bits. Let’s check it out!
Well, here we go!I did a Meet The Manufacturer with Mr Lee’s a couple of years ago, and now they’re going to be producing in the USA! Sounds like starting May 2020 their products will be available (and also made) here as well as in the UK. They’ll be available on Amazon and I’ll do reviews of the Us made versions when they become available. This one’s only 218 calories! Not only that, this is one of the few manufacturers that use freeze dried rather than dehydrated bits. Let’s check it out!
Well, here we go!I did a Meet The Manufacturer with Mr Lee’s a couple of years ago, and now they’re going to be producing in the USA! Sounds like starting May 2020 their products will be available (and also made) here as well as in the UK. They’ll be available on Amazon and I’ll do reviews of the Us made versions when they become available. This one’s Vegan and only 208 calories! Not only that, this is one of the few manufacturers that use freeze dried rather than dehydrated bits. Let’s check it out!
Found this one at Walmart here in the area. Actually it was a Walmart Market – basically just groceries. Figured what the heck – it looks interesting. Shall we?
Penang. It’s a place I really miss, specifically because friends and flavors live there. some of the most amazing things that I’ve ever tasted are from Malaysia and specifically Penang. I decided to save this for last as I wanted to see how everything else was before I tried something that promises to be good. Today we say hello to this exotic variety and goodbye to the Meet The Manufacturer for Mr. Lee’s Noodles. Here we go!
I think I was talking about Kung Fu Theater and David Carradine’s career the other day. He played Grasshoppe – a pupil of the Shaolin on that show. Still bugs he; why didn’t they get, oh – I don’t know… A more fitting person to play a Chinese martial arts student? Maybe someone.. Chinese? Anyways, it’s veggie time – let’s get it on!
Tai chi makes me think of the slow moving exercise many people do in large groups. This is an instant noodle blog though and so you get 3 minutes to do your tai chi! This is the chicken noodle – the basis of where all instant noodles come from. I believe a company’s chicken instant defines them. Let’s give it a look!
Today it’s mushrooms! Looks like spicy mushrooms too! Let’s check it out!
Detail of the side panels (click to enlarge). Looks to be meat free but check for yourself. To prepare, add boiling water to ridge line (just under the lip). Stir then cover for 3 minutes. Stir and enjoy!
The second review will be this beef cup! Very curious what will be in here – beef? To beef or not to beef? Well, only one way to find out!
We start today with a seafood variety. I do believe this is the first instant noodle I’ve reviewed with the words ‘kick-ass’ on the front – hopefully a good sign, especiallywhen it comes to how spicy they truly will be. Let’s have a look at this, the first of six varieties I’ll be reviewing for Meet The Manufacturer this go around!
So this awesome box came today!
Ah I see – it was two boxes connected together!
Opening a box, you are greeted by this little sheet (click to enlarge)
Today, we have the last of this Meet The Manufacturer. I’ve really enjoyed most of these quite a bit – I’ll say one thing – they’re not bland like some UK products I’ve had in the past! Today it’s chow mein – let’s give it a try!
Okay so here we go. Pad Thai. In an instant and quick prep scenario, pad thai has gone through the ringer. I’ve had pad thai that comes this way be pretty decent, however many I’ve had taste like peanut butter and black vinegar with some chopped nuts on top. It’s not a real tricky one to translate to a processed food, but it seems a lot of the time that companies will draw on certain flavorings and try to mimic the flavor but end up with something completely different. Let’s hit up this one and see how it goes!
I’m a little curious on this one. See, Jjajang is really popular in China and South Korea; basically noodles with a black bean sauce. I’m curious as to if this is leaning in that direction, or whether it’s something on the Caribbean side; maybe a little citrus going on? Well, one way to find out – let’s crack it open and cook it up!
This sounds like a good one! Red curry i sone I thoroughly enjoy; although I can’t think of a curry I’ve met that I’ve not enjoyed. When I think of curry and the UK, my thoughts immediately wander towards Red Dwarf episodes with Rimmer complaining about Lister reeking of last night’s vindaloo and stale lager. It also wanders to something I saw a couple years ago – in Britain, you can get takeaway boxes full of fried odd and ends – it looks like pure gut bomb amazingness. But I digress – red curry sounds good – let’s dig in!
To kick things off, we have the Satay variety. Satay is hugely popular, but I have a feeling most people don’t know the whole story – here’s what Wikipedia has to say about Satay:
Behold! The postman comes bearing gifts! Let’s see what’s inside, shall we?
All five varieties of Urban Noodle (click to enlarge)! I think this will be a fun Meet The Manufacturer!
Today, we bid a fond farewell to the Kabuto Noodles Meet The Manufacturer. These have all been very unique and innovative products. As I’ve said before, most of the instant varieties I’ve sampled from the UK have been, in a word, bland. Flavorless is another word. These have all had good flavor and great quality. Today, it’s laksa, one of my favorite Southeast Asian flavors. Let’s check it out.
Up until now, I’ve been reviewing some of Kabuto Noodles’ egg noodles – now it’s time to take a look at their rice noodle varieties to wrap up Meet The Manufacturer. It’s been a while since I’ve reviewed any pho varieties. Pho is a traditional (and wildly popular) Vietnamese noodle soup. Pho involved cooking broth with lots of spices like cinnamon, star anise, stewing beef bones for hours, and with rice noodles. Usually when you get it locally, it comes with jalapeno slices, sweet basil, mung bean sprouts, a little Huy Fong Sriracha sauce and Hoisin sauce. Oh – and there’s a lot of different kinds of meats to choose from – beef flank, tendon, ribeye – and chicken. Let’s check this one out!
I’ve got to say – it’s been quite a while since I’ve had this one – #1167! Seems like it’s been forever since I’ve reviewed anything from the UK as well. Well, let’s kick this Meet The Manufacturer off with one of their first varieties, miso! Here’s something to note – over in the UK, these aren’t commonly referred to as ‘cup noodles’ – they refer to these containers as ‘pots.’
Chilli chicken, eh? This sounds interesting – not a flavor I think I’ve seen coming out of the UK before (and I’ve seen a lot of interesting ones). By the way – if you’re wondering what coriander is, it’s the same thing as cilantro. Okay – let’s have a look inside this neat ‘pot’ of noodles!
Vegetarian instant noodles are ones I often get asked about. I often have been asked to do a top ten list on vegetarian and vegan varieties, gluten-free and others. The issue is that I’m neither a vegetarian nor am I someone requiring a gluten-free diet, and so I would definitely not want to come up with a list and say ‘these are great for vegetarian/vegan/gluten free folks’ and have someone eat what they don’t want or what they shouldn’t. One thing I can say is that foreign varieties coming into the United States that are chicken or beef flavored generally are free of said animal products, as the CBP/USDA/FDA are rather strict about their import. But there are always exceptions, of course. Many companies will also use things like bonito which is a fish in all their varieties. Anyways, when I say in my review ‘looks to be meat free but check for yourself,’ I’m saying that my poor-eyesighted, legally blind eyes have pored over the ingredients list, but I could be wrong and have missed something. Anyways, here are some mixed veg flavor instant noodles today by Ko-Lee. They’re made in Thailand and generally for the UK market. Let’s check ’em out!
Here’s one that Joe B. and Sarah B. sent me from Nottingham, UK – thanks! I think I’ve only got one more they sent – been fun doing these British varieties! Curry is a really popular British flavor. I’m calling it a British flavor, because there are so many interpretations of curry; the British make curry powders and cook with them – they’re usually less spicy and exotic than something you’d find in Southeast Asia. Anyways, I thought I’d make some chicken to go along with this and use some of the curry leaf that’s growing in my wife’s garden. What’s interesting is that curry leaf isn’t used in curry! It smells like curry powder though. Should be interesting! Let’s check it out.
