Author: Hans "The Ramen Rater" Lienesch

#82: Nissin Demae Ramen Miso Flavor Instant Noodles

So as I’ve mentioned before, my options as far as varieties of Nissin Demae Ramen are dwindling quickly. I think I’ve got a couple after this one so here we go with Miso. Kitten was wondering what the heck miso actually is, and since I couldn’t give her a decent answer other than a kind of Japanese soup, I hit up wikipedia for some info…

Miso (みそ or 味噌?) is a traditional Japanese seasoning produced by fermenting rice, barley and/or soybeans, with salt and the fungus kōjikin (麹菌?), the most typical miso being made with soy. The result is a thick paste used for sauces and spreads, pickling vegetables or meats, and mixing with dashi soup stock to serve as miso soup called misoshiru (味噌汁?), a Japanese culinary staple. High in protein and rich in vitamins and minerals, miso played an important nutritional role in feudal Japan. Miso is still very widely used in Japan, both in traditional and modern cooking, and has been gaining world-wide interest.

This one came with a couple packets, one being soup base and the other being seasoning powder. I am imagining the seasoning powder was the miso. It had a slightly musty scent to it – if asked to define, fermentation wouldn’t be too far off the beaten path for the olfactory reaction here.

On the left is the seasoning powder. I was thinking of using a spoon and making a yin yang or some kind of neat design with the two colors of noodles but thought better of playing with my food.

So here’s the finished produc (click image to enlarge)t. Made something to drink (Crystal Light knock off from Walmart) and so the noodles cooked a bit longer than they normally do. They were a little slimy to be honest, but kind of a fungus like slimy. I don’t know if there truly was fungus among this, but all said and done this wasn’t a shabby bowl of noodles. The noodles kind of turned into a greasy udon-esque affair. The broth was a little salty but the flavor had some complexities I wasn’t accustomed to which I found interesting; a mustiness and pungency that I found interesting. Did I like it? Sure – not a bad bowl of noodles as I said. Will I jump off a chair and tell people to run and get it? Nope. This one gets 2.75 out of 5 stars. Get it here.

"Miso." Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 22 July 2010. Web. 25 July 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miso> ...see full post

#78: Nissin Demae Ramen Seafood Flavor Instant Noodle

Seeing things like this make me want to break out into a musical number like Peter does on Family Guy. Nothing more lovely than a huge mountain of instant noodles. I really enjoy seeing such things. Today, I got an extra ingredient for dinner, but I’m also going to toss it in the instant noodles too so we’ll see if it works. ...see full post

#77: Nissin Demae Ramen Prawn Flavor Instant Noodles

Today’s walk to the Asian supermarket was a lot of fun. Was nice to be able to chat with my lady on the phone whilst perusing the noodle aisle of 99 Ranch Market. I gave her the choice of which I should get – Miso, Seafood or Prawn flavor Nissin Demae ramen. I had a feeling she’d go for the prawn flavor… ...see full post

#76: Indomie Rasa Baso Sapi Meatball Flavor Instant Noodles

So today I made Kitten some noodles for breakfast! This is some tasty stuff!

Seasoning powder, seasoned oil. That’s it. This is pretty surprising for an Indomie pack of noodles as there’s usually a ton of different packets. She didn’t want it too spicy so I kept the chili powder out of the mix. ...see full post

#67: Maruchan: Ramen Noodle Soup Lime Chili Shrimp Flavor

So this looks to be one of the more exotic flavors out there as far as the more ‘domesticated’ ramens go. What I find curious is whether this is marketed towards the Hispanic or the Filipino populations. The combination of chili and lime are popular in both cultures and products marketed with a pepper and a green lime are very common. ...see full post

#65: Nissin Top Ramen Oriental Flavor Ramen Noodle Soup

So after years of reviewing instant ramen noodles, here it is. Finally. Hold onto your coiffure taming device: oriental flavor. I have always considered this to be the most boring of all flavors as it really isn’t that adventurous. We’ll see if it stays in that realm of blandness as I review the latest instant noodles for ramenrater.com. ...see full post

#63: Nissin Souper Meal Chicken Flavor with vegetable medley

Nissin
Cup
3 Stars

So I currently have a cold/giraffe flu and thought perhaps a liquid suspension of sodium and noodles would help. Being the microwave gourmet I am these days, I went for the big sucker pictured here. 1420mg of sodium and some Flonase and I’m starting to perk up! This was a marginal cup noodle. The noodles themselves are rather weak by comparison to Cup Noodle for example. Of course, one plus is the multiple packets. I’m a packet junkie as all Ramen Rater readers know. You get a little dehydrated veggie packet, one with soup base and then one that you add at the end with the mysterious beckoning ‘Finishing Touch.’ The veggies rehydrate quite well and provide a decent amount, but just like all other things, there’s never enough. As I said above, the noodles lacked gumption. As for the ‘Finishing Touch,’ its an oil – probably sesame. All in all, it wasn’t anything to call home about, but nothing to call the police about either. The whole deal surrounding this product is just that its enormous. Get it here. UPC bar code 070662007020. ...see full post

Ramenrater News

So I’ve gotten all the reviews from the old website on here now – took a bit of time, but it was well worth it as they’re searchable via the blog search on the right. I’ve also implemented a Google Custom Search tool at the right. Everything you put in there will come up with results pertaining to instant ramen noodles – so if you’re looking for somewhere to buy em’, this tool is great. Also excellent for researching information on different noodle companies too.
I shall put up some recipes and shots of my ramen escapades as they happen. Here’s a commercial for some of my favorite noodles! Happy 4th of July!
– The Ramen Rater ...see full post

#58: Ve Wong A One Bun Tom Shrimp Rice Vermicelli

A One: Bun Tom Shrimp

Stars: ***

Notes: This stuff was really good – had had a few beers beforehand and decided to
try it as a preventative hangover cure. Didn’t work all that great for it’s intended purpose, however it was good. The package contained a packet of dried green onions, seasoning oil and soup base. The noodles [rice variety] were strangely enough sealed in their own plastic bag. I cooked the noodles and green onions and dropped in a couple eggs and then dropped that mixture [drained of course] into a bowl with the oil and flavor base and stirred. Was a very burly dealio. ...see full post

#54: Hua Feng Noodle Expert Spicy Instant Noodles Spicy Seafood Flavor


Hua Feng Noodle Expert: Spicy Instant Noodles – Spicy Seafood Flavor
Stars: ***
Notes: This stuff’s actually quite different – it comes in a round cake of noodles, and fits quite snugly into the cooking pot. After cooking it, it really sucks up water and basically turned into a big bowl of seafood spaghetti! Wasn’t too shabby with some roman peasant bread left over from mother’s day. ...see full post

#53: Indomie Chicken Flavour Cup Noodles


Indomie: Chicken Cup
Stars: **
Notes: A little too salty for my taste; was missing some important things like really tasty flavor and seasoning oil. I suppose that’s the trade-off when having a small cup-o-noodles style cup. However, one of the coolest things in the ramen industry is the Indomie Folding Fork, which is included. It just folds and snaps into place! Sturdy too. So yes, it’s worth it for the fork. ...see full post

#52: Indomie Chicken Curry Flavor


Indomie: Chicken Curry Flavor
Stars: ****
Notes: Ah now this stuff is classy. First off yes, it tastes like curried chicken. There’s oil, cabe [chili powder], fried onions, and bumbu sauce [the powdered base]. Another fine Indomie product to be sure. Best with a couple small pieces of BBQ pork on the side, a fried egg on top and some pickled ginger garnish. Get it here.
...see full post

#51: Indomie Curly Noodles With Grilled Chicken Flavor


Indomie: Curly Noodles With Grilled Chicken Flavor
Stars: *****
Notes: This has to be the penultimate achievement in the ramen producing world. First off, these noodles are great; they are flat and curly with an unsurpassed, fine  character. The package comes with a myriad of flavorings, including sweet soy, bumbu sauce, seasoned oil, chili powder, and finally, an extra special packet. After boiling the noodles and mixing with the seasonings in a bowl, you add 1/2 a cup of boiling water to this packet and stir – it’s a soup base. This stuff is really good – especially when you put two fried eggs on top of the ramen, then pour it over slowly. Fried shallots on top of that with a bit of shedded pickled ginger makes the scene complete. I can’t recommend any ramen more than this one. This is top! Get it here.
...see full post