December 4, 2019 By Hans "The Ramen Rater" Lienesch

The Ramen Rater Diet: Episode 2 – How I Lost 132 Pounds In 12 Months

The Ramen Rater Diet: How I lost 132 Pounds In 12 Months - EP 2

Overview

On October 18th, 2018, my doctor told me I had high cholesterol and was worried about it. I’ve been battling (and losing in the wrong way) my weight for years – as long as I can remember really. It was kind of a battle of will really. I’d get started losing weight and then a holiday or some kind of thing would derail me and I’d fall off the wagon.

I was contemplating doing something about my weight again but that talk with my doctor was the push I needed in the right direction.

A couple notes real quick: first, I don’t eat multiple bowls of noodles every day. I sample and review – so at most, I have 10% of a bowl. I wear shades because I’m legally blind and light sensitive, not because I’m trying to look cool. Being legally blind means you can see, but it’s really quite crummy vision.

The Ramen Rater Diet: Episode 1

After six months and a lot of walking and big changes, I returned to my doctor was was elated with my progress. People were noticing and commenting about it too, so I decided to make the first episode of The Ramen Rater Diet.

The Ramen Rater Diet: Episode 2

A full year later to the day, I visited my doctor. This time, I walked to the appointment. In the second episode, I outline what I’ve been doing, diet changes and all sorts of things I’ve run up against and found during this process.

Recipe

As with last time, I did another video showing how I use the Hakubaku Mochi Barley as a part of my diet. I really think this was pivotal in losing weight and especially lowering my cholesterol levels along with exercise and fish oil.

What’s Next?

Well, I’m going to keep doing what I’ve been doing. I seem to just keep losing about 11 pounds a month, and my goal is 164 pounds. That’ll be 201 pounds. Then it will be all about maintaining that weight. So I suppose there will be an episode 3 of The Ramen Rater Diet coming your way soon!

Links to things I mention using

Fitbit Inspire – Link

Hakubaku Mochi Barley – Link

Anker SoundCore (Bluetooth Speaker) – Link

UKGear Shoes – Link

Progresso Light Soups – Link

Light & Motion Lights – Link

Core Power Elite Protein Drinks – Link

Tevs Minam Sandals – Link

Bang Energy Drink – Link

N.O. Xplode – Link

December 11, 2019 By Hans "The Ramen Rater" Lienesch

#3357: Kenko Foods Healthy Vegetable Ramen – Japan

#3357: Kenko Foods Healthy Vegetable Ramen - Japan

Today, we have one that was part of Japan Crate’s Umai Crate. So Japan Crate is a subscription service which has all sorts of different options for you. pretty neat stuff from Japan! There’s a coupon code for you too – just use THERAMENRATER to get a special discount at check out.

So here’s what the folks at Japan Crate had to say about this variety – “Healthy ramen? That’s right. These noodles were fried with 100% vegetable oil, made from domestic grown flour, and use natural seasoning.’

Let’s check ’em out.

Kenko Foods Healthy Vegetable Ramen – Japan

#3357: Kenko Foods Healthy Vegetable Ramen - Japan

Detail of the packaging (click to enlarge). Looks to be meat free but check for yourself. To prepare, cook noodle in 500ml water for 3 minutes. Add in sachet contents. Finally, stir and enjoy!

The noodle block.

A dry soup base sachet.

A dry vegetable sachet.

Finished (click to enlarge). Added egg, Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, sesame seeds, chili oil, and shichimi. Noodles had a nice character – a little dense and plump with a minuscule crumble. Broth was about what I would expect a vegetable broth to be, with a strong saltiness. 3.5 out of 5.0 stars. JAN bar code 4973044020111.

#3164: Kenko Foods Health Shio Ramen - Japan

Forms of Japan: Michael Kenna

Watch me cook on Instant Noodle Recipe Time!

December 10, 2019 By Hans "The Ramen Rater" Lienesch

#3356: Nasoya GoBowl Teriyaki Japanese Style Noodles – United States

#3356: Nasoya GoBowl Teriyaki Japanese Style Noodles - United States

I was visiting a prominent spot in the local Safeway supermarket which I walk to almost daily. That area would be the endcap where the mung bean sprouts are located. I noticed this and another bowl I hadn’t really noticed before sitting there and though what the heck I’ll give it a try.

So these are made in South Korea for the US market. They require refrigeration. Interesting. Let’s give it a try!

Nasoya GoBowl Teriyaki Japanese Style Noodles – United States

#3356: Nasoya GoBowl Teriyaki Japanese Style Noodles - United States

Detail of the side panels (click to enlarge). Contains beef and fish. To prepare, add noodle and garlic topping sachet contents to bowl. Add 1/4 cup room temperature water and microwave 2 1/2 minutes at 1000 watts. Add in sauce sachet contents. Finally, stir and enjoy!

#3356: Nasoya GoBowl Teriyaki Japanese Style Noodles - United States

Detail of the lid (click to enlarge).

The noodle pouch.

A wet sachet of teriyaki sauce.

A dry sachet of garnish.

Finished (click to enlarge). Added Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, beef sauteed with soy sauce, spring onion, and sesame seed. The noodles came out quite nicely and can’t fault them. The flavor though was anything but what one would experience when they went to the teriyaki shop down the road. Sugary sweet with a strange back to it. The included garlic ended up tasting more like sweet gherkins. Just so far off the mark on this one. 1.0 out of 5.0 stars. UPC bar code 025484007093.

Nasoya Foods, Shirataki Spagetti, 8 Ounce

Watch me cook on Instant Noodle Recipe Time!

December 9, 2019 By Hans "The Ramen Rater" Lienesch

New Buldak Corn Fire Noodle From A YouTuber – Unboxing Time With The Ramen Rater

Yeah wait, what? Buldak Corn? The mukbang will be out December 27th! Stay tuned!

By Hans "The Ramen Rater" Lienesch

#3355: Vite Ramen Garlic Pork Instant Noodle Soup v1.1 – United States

#3355: Vite Ramen Garlic Pork Instant Noodle Soup v1.1 - United States

First off, I’m writing this on my son Miles’ birthday – happy birthday to you, dude! We’re so proud of you and you’re a neat person!

This is really neat. I’ve been sampling Vite Ramen’s products since the prototype stage and been really impressed by them as well as the folks who created them. This is version 1.1 – there will be some changes! One thing that’s not changed is the healthiness – lots of protein, lower sodiu, and full of vitamins and minerals. Looking forward to trying this – in fact, I just got it two days ago so I’m on it. Let’s give it a try.

Vite Ramen Garlic Pork Instant Noodle Soup v1.1 – United States

#3355: Vite Ramen Garlic Pork Instant Noodle Soup v1.1 - United States

Detail of the packaging (click to enlarge). Contains pork. To prepare, boil noodles in 1.5 cups water for 3 minutes. Drain. Add 1 cup hot water and sachet contents. Finally, stir and enjoy!

The noodle block.

A dry seasoning sachet.

A wet sachet containing canola oil.

Finally, a dry sachet of vegetables.

Finished (click to enlarge). Added Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, spring onion, chashu pork, egg, sesame seeds, chili oil, soy sauce, and shichimi. The noodles are chewy – very chewy – and I liked this. They had an extremely hearty nature to them. The broth had a nice pork taste which seems to be upgraded, however there was a strong bitter back to it I just didn’t like so well. 4.0 out of 5.0 stars. No bar code.

Vite Ramen Garlic Pork Instant Noodle Soup

Watch me cook on Instant Noodle Recipe Time!

December 8, 2019 By Hans "The Ramen Rater" Lienesch

Last Minute Christmas Gift! Umai Crate Japanese Ramen Subscription Box December 2019

Hey last mintue Christmas gift getter-ers! You can get a subscription for your favorite ramen fan! You can get ’em one box or a bunch of boxes! Just head over to www.japancrate.com and use the coupon code THERAMENRATER to get a nice little discount on these Umai Crates! They’ve got a lot of neat things in them every month! Check out the video below to see what’s in the December box!

Last Minute Christmas Gift! Umai Crate Japanese Ramen Subscription Box December 2019

By Hans "The Ramen Rater" Lienesch

#3354: Yumei The Lazy Noodle Sichuan Green Pepper Flavor – China

Another one I found at that fascination bastian of things Asia in Canada, Smart’n’Save at the Lansdowne Centre mall in Richmond, BC. This is something new to me – green pepper? Sichuan? Hmm… What’s it all about? Let’s fint out.

Yumei The Lazy Noodle Sichuan Green Pepper Flavor – China

A big import sticker (click to enlarge).

Under the lid (click to enlarge). Looks to be met free but check for yourself. To prepare, steep noodle sachet contents and 1 minutes. Drain. add in sachet contents. Finally, stir and enjoy!

Chopsticks with extenders!

The noodle pouch.

A wet sachet.

A dry sachet.

Finished (click to enlarge). Added Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, green onion, and barbecue pork. My first thought is the word putrid. Noodles were alright, but the flavor and bouquet were from the bowels of hell. Spicy, funky, purification along with crunchy peas that had no place here. Maybe I’m just too Westernized to appreciate this, but I don’t think so. I like spicy fei chang and could eat smelly tofu all day. This was foul. 0.0 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 6952395704213.

Asian Hotpots: How to Cook Simple and Delicious Hot Pot Dishes at Home

Watch me cook on Instant Noodle Recipe Time!

By Hans "The Ramen Rater" Lienesch

#3353: Yatekomo Fideos Orientales Pollo Al Curry – Spain

#3353: Yatekomo Fideos Orientales Pollo Al Curry - Spain

I usually listen to politics on the radio in the morning and the term ‘magic voodoo powder’ was just used. Anyways, this is a chicken curry variety from Spain and that sounds like a neat one to finish the week on – let’s give it a try!

Yatekomo Fideos Orientales Pollo Al Curry – Spain

#3353: Yatekomo Fideos Orientales Pollo Al Curry - Spain

Detail of the packaging (click to enlarge). Unsure whether it contains meat – check for yourself. To prepare, add 150ml water to a pan and bring to a boil. Add noodles and cook until water is absorbed (about 3 minutes). Add sachet contents. Finally, stir and enjoy!

The noodle block.

The dry soup base sachet.

Finished (click to enlarge). Added egg, baked chicken, and spring onion. The noodles were great – slightly wide and a little thick. Curry flavor was nice and strong and a kind of European salty kind of thing. Not bad at all. 4.0 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 8410300359982.

Paella!: Spectacular Rice Dishes From Spain

Watch me cook on Instant Noodle Recipe Time!

December 6, 2019 By Hans "The Ramen Rater" Lienesch

#3352: A-Sha Rainbow Noodles – Taiwan

Check this out! Multi-colored noodles! This is an interesting set. What is coloring these? Well, you have Matcha noodle (green) with original sauce, Red Yeast Noodle (red) with onion sauce, Purple Yam Noodle (purple with sesame paste sauce, Danzai Noodle (yellow) with spicy BBQ sauce, and finally Blue-Green Algae Noodle (blue-green) with chili sauce. Pretty neat! I want to try making a bowl of multi-colored noodles I think. This could be interesting! Let’s check it out!

A-Sha Rainbow Noodles – Taiwan

Detail of the packaging (click to enlarge). Looks to be meat free but check for yourself. To prepare, boil one bundle of noodles for 5 minutes. Drain. Add in corresponding sauce and one sachet of green onion. Finally, stir and enjoy!

Colorful!

The different sachets.

Dried green onion.

All five of the noodle varieties, cooked and prepared separately (click to enlarge).

Finished (click to enlarge). Added scallion, shrimp, fish cake, egg, sesame seed, black sesame seed, and pepper flake. The five different style of nodles are really quite interesting. They all have differring textures, and some seemed thinner (the red yeast is a prime example). The sauce flavors were nice as well. Included green onion worked well also. 5.0 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 4715635853971.

Asha Top Seller Ramen Sampler (Non-Spicy)

Watch me cook on Instant Noodle Recipe Time!

December 3, 2019 By Hans "The Ramen Rater" Lienesch

#3351: Marutai Chinese Style Ramen – Japan

This one was in a Ramen Trunk subscription box.These boxes are full of extremely high end varieties that you’ll never find in the United States or anywhere outside Japan! Check out this link and use coupon code RAMENRATER20OFF for 20% off any single box or subscription!

This is simply called a Chinese style ramen – don’t really know much else about it. Let’s give it a try!

Marutai Chinese Style Ramen – Japan

Detail of the packaging (click to enlarge). Probably contains meat but check for yourself. To prepare, cook 1 bundle of noodles for 3 minutes in 450ml water. Add in one of each sachet. Finally, stir and enjoy!

Two bundles of noodles.

Two dry sachets.

Two wet oil sachets.

Finished (click to enlarge). Added egg, scallions, Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, Sichuan pepper powder, and chili oil. The noodles are just fantastic in this one. Chewy with a great texture and feel. The broth was kind of odd to me; oily and had a little saltiness and sesame taste. Seemed like something was missing. 3.0 out of 5.0 stars. JAN bar code 4902702008000.

Marutai Kyusyu Speciality Kagoshima Berkshire Black Pork Tonkotsu Ramen 2 package set

Watch me cook on Instant Noodle Recipe Time!

December 2, 2019 By Hans "The Ramen Rater" Lienesch

#3350: Nissin Miojo Cremoso Costela Barbecue – Brazil

#3350: Nissin Miojo Cremoso Costela Barbecue - Brazil

I really like it when readers send me a ton of varieties from somewhere I’ve never been able to get them before. This is one of those! I know there’s lots of cups and other brands out of Brazil to try as well. Brazilian varieties have very savory flavors, centering mostly on meat. This one’s barbecued ribs flavor! Let’s check it out.

Nissin Miojo Cremoso Costela Barbecue – Brazil

#3350: Nissin Miojo Cremoso Costela Barbecue - Brazil

Detail of the packaging (click to enlarge). Unsure whether or not it contains meat – check for yourself. To prepare, cook noodles in 300ml water for 3 minutes. Add in sachet contents. Finally, stir and enjoy!

The noodle block.

A dry soup base sachet.

Finished (click to enlarge). Added cilantro. Noodles came out well enough. Broth was more of a sauce. The smells and tastes were just plain odd; but maybe I’m just not familiar with Brazilian barbecue flavors. Fascinating but ultimately off-putting more or less to me. 1.0 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 7891079013243.

#3186: Nissin Miojo Nissin Lamen Light - Brazil

Brazil: An Extraordinary Nation In Photographs

Watch me cook on Instant Noodle Recipe Time!

November 30, 2019 By Hans "The Ramen Rater" Lienesch

#3349: No Name Beef Flavour Oriental Noodles And Soup Mix – Canada

#3349: No Name Beef Flavour Oriental Noodles And Soup Mix - Canada

Hey look – another one found at the Real Canadian Superstore up in Richmond, BC! It’s been over a month since we visited our wonderful northern neighbors. I really like Canada. It’s like a totally different country! Hoping next time we go we leave early enough to go to some shopping then head over to Stanley park. That place is neat – a beautiful park in Vancouver. Anyways, yeah – I like Canada! Let’s give this beefy beff a try.

No Name Beef Flavour Oriental Noodles And Soup Mix – Canada

#3349: No Name Beef Flavour Oriental Noodles And Soup Mix - Canada

Detail of the packaging (click to enlarge). Looks to be meat free but check for yourself. To prepare, I’m going to use the main dish instructions. Boil noodles in 500ml water for 3 minutes and drain. Add a pat of butter and heat, and then add sachet contents. Finally, stir and enjoy!

The noodle block.

A dry sachet of soup base with little beef iconography.

Finished (click to enlarge). Added beef sauteed with soy sauce, scallions, and fried crispy garlic bits. The noodles are thinner than your average instant with a slight crumble and cheerful disposition. The beef flavor is mostly salty but it’s definitely beef. 3.0 out of 5.0 stars. UPC bar code 060383030070.

#2957: No Name Chicken Vegetable Flavour Oriental Noodles And Soup Mix

More Than Poutine: Favourite Foods from My Home and Native Land

Watch me cook on Instant Noodle Recipe Time!