March 6, 2015 By

#1604: Unzen Mushroom Honpo Shiitake Nutritious Noodle

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So we’re moving. Seems like we just moved here a little while ago, but we’re moving again. I’m pretty glad too – new scenery is always nice and it’s closer to my wife’s work. I’ve been doing a lot of packing and throwing things away. During this I found this one that was under a couple of things. It was sent a while back by a reader – she was trying to find out how to get her hands on these as she really enjoyed them when in Japan. I figured it out and as a thank you, she sent me a pack! Translating this one has proven quite a task – I’m still not sure I’ve got it right in any way, shape or form. If I’m way off, let me know! Let’s look inside – I think it should be interesting.

 Here’s the back of the package (click image to enlarge). Not sure whether meat is involved. To prepare, add noodle block and vegetable sachet (dry silver one) to a bowl and add 400ml boiling water. Cover and let steep 3 minutes. Add remaining sachet contents and enjoy!

The noodle block.

A sachet with lots of sliced shiitake mushrooms in a clear liquid.

Unsure of what this is.

The dry vegetables sachet.

Looks like the onion sachet.

A liquid base sachet.

Has a soy scent.

 

Finished (click image to enlarge). Didn’t add anything. The noodles had an alright texture and chew to them; not the best I’ve ever had but not bad. The broth has a salty soy kind of flavor with a kind of sweetness to it. The additions were interesting; the onions were just excellent. The sachet with the large pieces of mushroom was the culprit for the sweetness I believe. The pieces of mushroom were very large and of good quality. The clear sachet’s contents were still odd and very mushy when added and soaked up liquid. I wasn’t a big fan of everything put together.  1.0 out of 5.0 stars. JAN bar code 4966994003457.

Shiitake: The Healing Mushroom (from Amazon) – The shiitake is one of the most highly prized foods in Oriental cuisine, lending its rich, caramel-like flavor to seasonings, sauces, soups, even carbonated drinks and candies. Yet few aficionados of this gourmet delicacy are aware of its high nutritional value or of its important role in traditional Chinese medicine and in the modern search for botanical remedies. Traditionally classified as a food that activates the blood, shiitake has been used as a folk treatment for colds, measles, and bronchial inflammations. Shiitake: The Healing Mushroom takes the reader on a lively tour of the healing properties of one of the world’s most delicious foods.

A time lapse video of shiitake mushrooms growing over ten days.

Products cooked according to package instructions. Product reviews done prior to adding any additional ingredients.
March 5, 2015 By

#1603: Salam Mie Mi Goreng Ala Jawa Dengan Sambal Cabe Asli

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Got this one during my trip to Malaysia at the Chain Ferry Econsave in Butterworth, Penang. Today is March 5th, 2015 and Momofuku Ando would have been 105 years old today! It’s fascinating to me to think that I wouldn’t be doing any of this if he didn’t invent the instant noodle. Happy Birthday, Mr. Andi!  This one however is an Indonesian brand called Salam Mie. The flavor translates to original spicy sambal. Let’s have a look at this variety by Salam Mie!

Here’s the back of the package (click image to enlarge). Looks to be meat free but check for yourself. To prepare, add noodle block to a pot of briskly boiling water for 3 minutes. While you wait, add contents of all sachets but the fried onion one to a plate and combine. Drain noodles and combine with seasonings on the plate. Sprinkle with the onion and enjoy!

The noodle block.

A dual sachet of dry seasonings.

The dry seasoning base.

Fried onions.

A triple sachet (from left to right): seasoning oil, chilli sauce and finally sweet soy sauce.

The three together.

 

Finished (click image to enlarge). Added kerapuk aci, hard boiled egg and shrimp with Megah Sari Original Sambal Bakso and BonCabe Level 3 chilli seasoning. The noodles are just as I expected – good gauge and chew. The flavor is really quite nice – this is the mi goreng flavor I love but with a very nice added kick thabks to the included sambal. Sweet, salty and spicy combined in a perfect trifecta. 5.0 out of 5.0 stars.EAN bar code 8992731101533.

Java: Includes Yogyakarta, Borobudur and Solo (from Amazon) Hike along one of Asia’s most stunning volcano chains before spending a relaxing evening at one of the nearby hill resorts. Visit one of the world’s great Buddhist monuments, the Borobudur, and prepared to be overwhelmed by the size of this giant pyramid-like shrine adorned with over 500 Buddha statues. From the crowded, bustling streets of Jakarta to the art deco architecture of Bandung, Footprintfocus Java will help you make the most out of your trip. Includes a Background section with fascinating insights into the history and culture of Java.

An older video about PT. Sentrafood Indonusa – makers of Salam Mie and their parent company, Medco.

Products cooked according to package instructions. Product reviews done prior to adding any additional ingredients.
March 4, 2015 By

Momofuku Ando’s 105th Birthday

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March 5th, 2015 would have been Momofuku Ando’s 105th birthday! Google has honored the inventor of the instant noodle by putting up these alternate logos – I will explain them below.

This is a animation of the birth of the instant noodle. Ando spent hours and days and weeks trying to figure out how to make the instant noodle. He watched his wife making tempura one day and it hit him; frying. When you fry a cooked noodle, it extrudes the water and leaves tiny holes. When re-introduced to hot water, they spring back to life!

To be honest, I was a little unclear on this one at first. It has been said that after research, it was found that 1 minute wasn’t enough time to get the appetite going and 5 minutes too long. 3 minutes is the ipso-facto standard steeping time for instant noodles.

In 1971, the Nissin Cup Noodle was born. Ando saw businessmen on a flight putting chunks of instant noodle in foam cups usually used for coffee with some hot water. He decided a product made this way would be convenient for people. The research began. The noodle block is suspended in the cup midway to allow hot water to permeate the noodles above and below!

Outer space?! Yep! Ando’s crowning achievement was ‘Space Ram’ – an instant noodle astronauts could enjoy in outer space.

If you’d like to see some special reviews, check out Nissin Chikin Ramen – it’s exactly the same as it was when released in 1958. I also did a special video review of the Nissin Emergency Cup Noodle this year for The Ramen Rater’s 4th Annual Momofuku Ando Day! Happy Birthday Mr. Ando – you changed my life!

Products cooked according to package instructions. Product reviews done prior to adding any additional ingredients.