Author: Hans "The Ramen Rater" Lienesch

#4634: The Han Kitchen Budae Ramyun – South Korea

#4634: The Han Kitchen Budae Ramyun - South Korea

This one was found at HMart in Lynnwood, Washington. Never have seen this brand before. I’m guessing this is going to be budae jjigae, aka ‘troop stew,’ a combo of a classic Korean spicy ramyun along with bits you would find in Army rations like hot dog, salami, macaroni – stuff that will last a long time in the field. Let’s give it a try! ...see full post

#4630: NoodleMix 3 Flavors In 1 Noodle – Guanmiao – Taiwan

#4630: NoodleMix 3 Flavors In 1 Noodle - Taiwan

This one seems a little different. So, it says 3 flavors in 1 noodle.

NoodleMix 3 Flavors In 1 Noodle – Guanmiao – Taiwan

Detail of the packaging (click to enlarge). Looks to be meat free but check for yourself. To prepare, boil noodle for 5~6 minutes, then 30 seconds with lid on. Drain. Add in sachet contents. Finally, stir and enjoy! ...see full post

#4628: Nongshim Bowl Noodles Savory Chicken Flavor – United States

#4628: Nongshim Bowl Noodles Savory Chicken Flavor - United States

Our local store sells these for $4 each. I thought this was a little high and then I went to a different store and they were $2 which seemed a bit more reasonable. These are the popular bowls Nongshim has been producing and selling for years – I have seen them be made! It’s a very impressive process, with lots of little interesting things. One is a machine that checks each and every bowl to see if say a screw from the machinery fell into a bowl – they don’t. It’s pretty neat stuff. Most people are really into the whole deal with making noodles, but I find it fascinating. Let’s cook one of these up. ...see full post

Exclusive: Top Ramen Instant Noodles In An Air Fryer

Recently, my wife and I inherited an air fryer. We’re pretty late to the ‘revolution’ of a tabletop convection oven on steroids that can make crispy french fries and chicken nuggets like nothing else. But of course, you probably guessed instant noodles wouldn’t be far behind. This is my first attempt, but most certainly not my last. I didn’t do any research – I decided to just wing it after making a few things over the past two days. Let’s see what happened! ...see full post

#4625: Samyang Tangle Bulgogi Alfredo Tangluccine – United States

#4780: Samyang Tangle Bulgogi Alfredo Tangluccine - United States

Found this one recently at Boo Han Market in Edmonds, Washington. I rarely buy a multipack, but I found this one so compelling that I figured why not. Bulgogi is a delectable dish which usually isn’t represented well when not in it’s original form, and marrying it to something as western as an alfredo pasta seemed really fascinating – if it works. Let’s see if they can manage to balance the authenticity of both dishes well. ...see full post

#4621: Tapatio Ramen Noodle Soup Birria Flavor – United States

#4449: Tapatio Ramen Noodle Soup Birria Flavor - United States

Very curious about this one. So here’s a little background on birria –

Birria (Spanish: [ˈbirja] (listen)) is a Mexican dish from the state of Jalisco. It is a traditional soup or stew made from a combination of chili pepper-based goat meat adobogarliccuminbay leaves, and thyme, and cooked at a low heat. Birria is slow-stewed in a pot (olla), and differs from barbacoa, which is cooked underground. Beeflambsheepchicken, or vegan meat substitutes are alternatives for goat. It may be seasoned and garnished with onioncilantro, and lime. It is commonly accompanied with handmade corn tortillas.[1] Birria is one of the most famous dishes from Central Mexico including Jalisco and Michoacan. Each municipality and state is said to have its own version of this dish. The most famous are goat birria from ApatzinganMichoacan and from Guadalajara, Jalisco San Pedro Tlaquepaque, are also well known for the quality of their birria.[2] ...see full post

#4620: Cielo Menudo Instant Ramen Noodle – United States

#4620: Cielo Menudo Instant Ramen Noodle - United States

Here’s the second Cielo variety – Menudo. When I kid, I think on the ABC channel they had a lot of stuff about a show called Menudo – or a band – and I think Ricky Martin was in it? Well, that’s different from the soup. Menudo was honestly the first real introduction to latino culture I really got – I grew up in a town that was pretty white. It isn’t that way anymore which is nice though – lots of different people.  Here’s what the soup consists of – ‘In Mexican cuisine, Menudo, also known as pancita ([little] gut or [little] stomach) or mole de panza (“stomach sauce”), is a traditional Mexican soup, made with cow’s stomach (tripe) in broth with a red chili pepper base. Hominy, lime, onions, and oregano are used to season the broth.’ I can probably pull off some lime and onions. I tried hominy once before I realized it is cooked in bacon fat and I never have bacon, nor bacon fat on hand. Let’s give this a try! ...see full post

#4617: VIZ Naruto Shippuden Ichiraku Ramen Candy – United States

#4432: VIZ Naruto Shippuden Ichiraku Ramen Candy - United States

Did this review on Halloween of 2022! Seemed fitting enough. I wish I could remember where I picked this up; oh wait – I got it at HMart the day I went and saw the 40th anniversary screening of Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan. That was so great – haven’t seen that movie on the big screen and that made it really amazing. Before that my buddy Matt and I went to Seattle’s University district to grab some food . It was an interesting day – soon as we got down there his car started blowing smoke from under the hood. overheating. So we went walking around and found Aladdin Falafel – got a shwarma on flatbread thing and it was great – could eat that every day. After an hour or so we drove his car up to the theater in Lynnwood by the Alderwood Mall; taking backroads. All went well although it was kind of white knuckled. But it worked out. But yeah we went to the HMart which is next to the theater and he got a beer and pounded half of it then we went in and watched the movie. Good times. I used to listen to the soundtrack for Star Trek II before bed when I was a kid – I had it on cassette. Yeah, I was a weird kid. ...see full post

#4616: Nissin Chicken Ramen Donburi – Japan

#4616: Nissin Chicken Ramen Donburi - Japan

Back in 2016, I reviewed this one before my son Miles was a year old. This was my 2000th review at that time, and I found it to be really quite good. It came in a special sunscription box (which I’ll tell you about below), and I figured it was due another look. Nissin Chikin Ramen was the first variety on the market in 1968 – and it didn’t have a seasoning sachet; the seasoning was in the noodle. This one is that way as well, and includes a freeze dried block with egg and other ingredients. This was also the first instant noodle I fell in love with when my favorite at age 8 or so was discontinued (Nissin Roasted Ramen). When my parents took me to Seattle to Uwajimaya, a big Japanese grocery, they asked them what was comparable and they steered me towards Nissin Chikin Ramen. I also saw all the different varieties on hand as well and was instantly transfixed; so much foreign text! Exotic flavors! I’m making this bowl today and going to let my daughter Mimi try it when she gets home from school. ...see full post

#4614: Cielo Pozole Flavor Instant Ramen Noodle – United States

#4614: Cielo Pozole Flavor Instant Ramen Noodle - United States

You might not be familiar with pozole – I have tried a pozole ramen in the past but unfortunately I still haven’t sampled the actual dish. Here’s what Wikipedia has to say about it – ‘Pozole (Spanish pronunciation: [po’sole]; from Nahuatl languagespozolli, meaning cacahuazintle, a variety of corn or maize) is a traditional soup or stew from Mexican cuisine. It is made from hominy with meat (typically chicken , but possibly pork), and can be seasoned and garnished with shredded lettuce or cabbage, chilli peppersoniongarlic, radishes, avocado, salsa or limes. Known in Mesoamerica since the pre-Columbian era, today the stew is common across Mexico and neighboring countries, and is served both as a day-to-day meal and as a festive dish.’ ...see full post

#4610: Thai Kitchen Garlic & Vegetable Instant Rice Noodle Soup – United States

#4610: Thai Kitchen Garlic & Vegetable Instant Rice Noodle Soup - United States

I tried this 11 years ago. That’s a long time as far as my reviewing has gone. Back then it was review #761 – I still have the same bowl and I think I’ll use it again! Funny, I thought I got this from my mother in law and that I mentioned it in my review, but maybe it wasn’t this one. Hmm. Well, I gave it a 3.5 back then. Curious if I’ll like it now. It’s gluten free which I’ll mention to my wife. Let’s give it a try! ...see full post

Zenpop.jp Ramen Unboxing – October 2023 + Coupon Code

It’s time to unbox a Zenpop.jp box – you get seven varieties of instant noodles to try! I would say that almost every time I’ve gotten one of these, I’ve never tried any of them before which is really awesome. Great as a gift or to hoard for yourself! Use coupon code THERAMENRATER for a groovy discount! Let’s check it out! ...see full post

#4606: A-Sha Meteor Noodles With Braised Beef Sauce – Taiwan

#4799: A-Sha Meteor Noodles With Braised Beef Sauce - Taiwan

This sounds great and I’m really quite curious. Braised beef noodle is a really wonderful thing in Taiwan. I’ve had the fortune of trying it over there and it’s just spectaular – rich flavor and beef that’s melt in your mouth wonderful. A-Sha also makes a boxed premium noodle with beef that’s been on the global top ten for a couple of years now. Let’s see what this new braised beef noodle tastes like – it can be prepared two different ways, too! ...see full post

A-Sha Sends Meteor Noodle Trifecta!

Back in 2013, I gained the ire of many Taiwanese netizens when varieties from over there didn’t make the top ten, and some made the bottom ten. In a ‘noodle diplomacy’ initiative, I asked companies who thought they had some special stuff to send it. A-Sha was the first to answer the call, introducing me to the Taiwanese dry noodle. Ten years later, here we are with their Meteor Noodle – a threesome of flavors with a unique noodle. ...see full post

#4603: Nissin Cup Noodles Tom Yam Seafood Flavour – Singapore

#4603: Nissin Cup Noodles Tom Yam Seafood Flavour - Singapore

Back in 2017 when the world was young (before I started Instant Noodle Recipe Time), this one graced my desk with its packaging exclaiming ‘more shrimptacular.’ The packaging has changed a bit and I got this one as part of a media kit espousing the virtue of their new Cup Noodles Fish Head Curry (which were quite good, I might add). Nissin Singapore has sent some really quite amazing and well thought out media kits as of late – can’t wait for more of them! Let’s give this new packaging cup a try. ...see full post

#4602: Daebak Ghost Pepper Cheese Spicy Chicken Flavour – Malaysia

#4602: Daebak Ghost Pepper Cheese Spicy Chicken Flavour - Malaysia

This is it – the last of the great varieties that were sent by Mamee-Doubledecker. Thank you so much – it’s really been an amazing journey of flavor and new varieties! This is the cup version of the ghost pepper cheese. I previously did the pack version which was a real tough go. This one looks to be just a smaller version. They both have a sachet of ghost pepper oil – I think it works pretty darn well. Let’s do another mukbang! ...see full post