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Wow – review #1800. I must admit my surprise on how quickly I’m closing in on #2000. I haven’t reviewed one of these Crystal Noodle varieties in quite a while. I was talking to a friend of mine about instant noodles we weren’t particularly fond of and he mentioned his wife really liked these. We both agreed that Crystal Noodle was one of our least favorites. I figure though hey, you never know. This might be the one I really like! Let’s have a look.
Today, we come to the end of this Meet The Manufacturer. On a side note, I reviewed one that has the exact same packaging that I received from a reader in Scandinavia a while back. I asked if it was the same as this and was told it is a little different. sometimes companies will change levels of different ingredients depending on where they’re sold. Anyways… Lots of interesting new things in this one – lots of great flavors as well! I want to thank Alvin Leung for all his help with making this happen! Let’s have a look at the package version of JML’s Spicy King Spicy Chicken!
As we come close to the end of this Meet The Manufacturer, we have the third bowl that includes an egg: the spicy flavor bowl. Let’s check it out!
I received a package version of this one a while back from a reader in Sweden. Well, this is the bowl version. I was also told that the version that can be found in Europe (which has exactly the same packaging) is different than the version sold in Hong Kong. Interesting! I’m curious about the spiciness in this one – the one I got in the mail was on this year’s Top Ten spiciest Instant Noodles Of All Time 2015 Edition list! Let’s have a look!
Look what came in the mail today! An express envelope!
An autographed poster of Dee Hsu, the woman on the JML Spicy King Spicy Beef bowls and packs! Here’s what Wikipedia has to say about her:
The other day I reviewed the pack version of this one, and today it’s the bowl! I wasn’t sure who the lady on the bowl was but found out – her name is Dee Hsu – here’s a little on her from Wikipedia –
We started this Meet The Manufacturer with the bowl version of this variety. Today, it’s time for the pack version! Let’s see if there’s any difference with this one.
Here’s one that’s truly unique – not only does it have a stewed egg but something called sour beans. I’m wondering if they’re akin to something I tried in Penang at a Nyonya restaurant. Hmmm. Well, I just looked them up and from what I gather, what is in this may be pickled Chinese long bean whereas the smelly beans I had in Penang are somewhat akin to looking like a lima bean but bigger. Anyways, let’s have a look at this one!
This is a very red package! The woman is jubilant with her golden ladle! Her name is Dee Hsu – a popular entertainer from Taiwan. Spicy sounds good – let’s check it out!
This is a real treat – you might be wondering what’s so special. Well, look at the picture – egg! Yep – this one comes with a n egg. Not dehydrated or in an egg block and scrambled, but a stewed egg! Let’s dig in!
So to start things off, I thought this looked like an interesting cup. I had one that had a smiliar design quite a while back – and it ended up on the Top Ten Spicy list for 2015! So, I’m wondering how this one’s going to be – spicy? I’m going to bet it’s spicy. Let’s open the lid and look within!
Was extremely happy to get a knock at the door and a nice big box today!
Ooh! New things to try from China! What’s within I wonder?
Interview With JML * Product Samples From JML * Poster From JML * JML Spicy King Bowl Noodle Spicy Pork * JML Supreme Bowl Noodles With Stewed Egg Braised Beef Flavour * JML Spicy King Spicy Beef * JML Supreme Bowl Noodles With Stewed Egg Sour Beans With Pork Flavour * JML Spicy King Spicy Pork Noodle * JML Spicy King Bowl Noodle Spicy Beef Noodle * JML Spicy King Bowl Noodle Spicy Chicken Noodle * JML Supreme Bowl Noodles With Stewed Egg Spicy Flavour * JML Spicy King Spicy Chicken Noodle
Here’s what I believe to be the very last I received from a nice readerfrom Sweden – thank you very much! Braised beef is always a nice flavor. Usually a little hint of heat and a nice slow cooked taste. Curious about this one! Let’s check it out!
As many might know, I started The Ramen Rater (click to see the old site) in 2002 and did about 60 reviews. Then, I turned my attention to spicy hot sauces with The Sauce Rater. In 2010, I resumed my instant noodle reviewing. I’ve long been a fan of the spicy side of things – strong heat and good flavor are a couple of my favorite things. Let’s have a look at the absolutely hottest varieties I’ve found in my over 1,700 reviews of instant noodles from around the world in this year’s The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Spiciest Instant Noodles Of All Time 2015 Edition.
There’s a new Asian Food Center on 130th & Aurora – went there hunting for some of the fruit I goty to try in Thailand and found mangosteen – and quite a few instant noodle varieties, this being one of them. It’s pretty far and few between that I find Master Kong varieties – always kind of a treat! I want to thank Bobby Y. from Canada for help in translation on this one! Let’s have a look at this one from China!
Today’s the last day of my son’s two week vacation here. I usually have him every other weekend, and a special breakfast, I made him some noodles. He recently has found he likes beef a lot – usually he’s been a chicken fan, so that’s kind of interesting. He also likes fishcakes – kamaboko, narutop, fishball – something that’s not really popular in American kids his age. That could be though that they’ve never tried them… Anyways, here’s a bowl of noodles for Andy!
This one has been a little tricky to figure out. A lot of the time, distributor stickers aren’t all that helpful; they might say the flavor, but the true name can be elusive. After looking around, I found ‘boiled fish’ and ‘spicy fish’ and ‘hot fish’ (hot fish being the one on the sticker). I think however Sichuan might be in there somewhere, so I included it. As for the lady on the package and the folks on the back, I’m pretty sure they’re involved in some kind of television program in China. Anyways, let’s have a look!
There have been quite a few of these Baixiang varieties. Well, this looks to be the last one I have – I’m sure I’ll find more. Let’s check it out!
Today we wind up the Wugudaochang Meet The Manufacturer. It’s really been great to try these new flavors and varieties from China in the last few days! I think I have learned a little more about the flavor profiles that are popular in Chinese cooking these days; usually the varieties I get that are from China are for export of course, while these have been varieties only sold and available within China. The flavors have been strong, vibrant and really quite good. I should also say that the quality of these products has been top-notch. A lot has been said of the quality of food coming from China and question of it’s quality. I would say this: China is a big country with many producers – sometimes, things will happen that bring negative attention. They certainly happen here in the United States from time to time don’t they? I don’t think it a reason to stay away from Chinese products – I certainly won’t! Let’s have a fond farewell look at this bamboo shoot and hot pot flavor bowl!
When I first saw this one, I knew it sounded interesting. Beef brisket and tomato? Sign me up! Then the purple sweet potato – I’ve been a fan of those since back when people called them Space Potatoes! This looks like a nice premium one – let’s give it a look as we start to wind down this great Meet The Manufacturer series.
Now, we again return to the tangle of the sea. This is the package version of the first variety I tried on this Meet The Manufacturer. Is there a difference? Let’s see!
Here’s a different one – a box with 5 different varieties! Check it out –
Here’s a different one – a box with 5 different varieties! Check it out –
Here’s a different one – a box with 5 different varieties! Check it out –
I’ve been really curious about this one, a brothless variety. This is made in the same way as mi goreng, however is more along the lines of what would be called a stir noodle or dry noodle. The looks from the package is interesting – I see peanuts! Peppers! Let’s crack it open and have a look!
Not a lot of instant noodles come in a box – sometimes tray varieties. This looks to be a very premium variety from Wugudaochang – very fancy! They include one of their Chef’s Grain varieties – there are five of them. Let’s check this one out – looks fascinating!
I’ve had beef hot pot before and really liked it quite a bit. Hot pot a lot of the time consists of a pot and a little gas burner. In the pot is broth and vegetables – you add meat or fish that cooks in the pot quickly and lends the fat to the broth, making it a bit more hearty. Very curious how this translates in this instant variety. Let’s check out another variety by Wugudaochang!
If you’re unsure of what sea tangle is, maybe you’ve heard of kelp. It’s like thick seaweed. When I was a kid, I’d go down to the shoreline and when the tide was out, you’d see these long whip like greenish things every once in a while – big bulbs on the end and long flat leafy looking things. We used to step on the bulbs at the end which were hollow and they’d pop! It was good fun – never thought part of these things would be something I’d look forward to in a noodle dish! Let’s check out this one from Wugudaochang to start off their Meet The Manufacturer!
A couple of weeks ago, I got a pair of enormous boxes from Wugudaocheng! Let’s see what’s inside!
Interview With Wugudaochang * Product Samples From Wugudaochang * Wugudaochang Sea Tangle And Spareribs Flavor Noodles * Wugudaochang Sour Bamboo Shoot & Beef In Hot Pot Flavor Noodles * Wugudaochang Sichuan Pepper & Chicken Flavor Noodles * Wugudaochang Chef’s Grains Pea Noodle * Wugudaochang Chef’s Grains Buckwheat Noodle * Wugudaochang Chef’s Grains Millet Noodle * Wugudaochang Sea Tangle & Spareribs Flavor Noodles * Wugudaochang Tomato Beef Brisket Flavor Purple Sweet Potato Noodles * Wugudaochang Sour Bamboo Shoot & Beef In Hot Pot Flavor Noodles
Sauerkraut! Chanced are that if you walk down the instant noodle aisle, you’ll see some kind of purple packaged variant. It seems that there are certain colors for certain flavors; red for beef, yellow for chicken, green for pork, blue for seafood – and yellow for sauerkraut. Pickled cabbage is a very common flavor of instant noodles, especially in China and Taiwan. Let’s check these out!
Here’s one from low in the hamper that needs reviewing! I’m woindering if perhaps ‘senior’ isn’t the correct word in this one; the title as it is sounds like something for older folks. Perhaps they’re going for something more along the lines of ‘classic?’ I don’t know, but it’s time to review this one – let get to it!
So yesterday we went to the new Asian Food Center on 130th and Aurora southwest of here. Was hoping to find a lot of new varieties I hadn’t tried yet and found a couple – and this is one of them. I haven’t had much luck at all with Baijia products in the past – I think it’s just a taste that doesn’t translate well for me. However, I never met an instant noodle I hadn’t tried before that I didn’t want to. So with that, let’s have a look at this Sichuan Baijia variety.
Here’s another one sent by a kind reader in Sweden! Thank you! Master Kong is really popular in China and what surprises me is that there are no places that I’ve seen that you can get their products here in the United States. Luckily, people send them to me from time to time, but it seems to me that I really need to figure out a way to contact them and do a Meet The Manufacturer with them. The Chinese consume billions of packages of instant noodles a year and I’ve never done a Chinese Meet The Manufacturer yet! It’s about time. Well, let’s check out these seafood flavor Master Kong instant noodles!
This is one you probably won’t find in the United States (I got it up in Canada). It’s made by Nongshim’s Chinese plant in Shaghai. I’ve found that sometimes the same product can taste a little different in different regions. This one’s interesting in that the packaging look is very much like Nongshim Ansungtangmyun, but the characters are very different. Let’s have a look at this Nongshim Korean Clay Pot Ramyun!
Last year, I found this Baixiang brand up in Canada and tried the spicy beef variety. I found this one down here in the USA a month or so ago. Let’s check it out!
Last month at the Chinese New Year celebration I went to hosted by the Seattle Singaporeans Meetup Group, I was talking to Clement, one of the event organizers. Og course, the topic of conversation was instant noodles (I will happily admit I rarely talk about anything else) and he had mentioned that there are these Chinese sausages that are good in beef instant noodles. I’d been wanting to give that a try, and today was the day! Let’s check it out!
This is the first review here in our new apartment. It’s been
frustrating; the only Internet I have currently is via tethering
my cell phone to the desktop, and I’m hoping I don’t go over the
data allowance. So I’ve got Still have 6 days until they install
– which is a long time… Kit picked this one out for me a couple
of weeks ago. There are a couple other ones in this line, but she
picked this one because it showed shrimp and knows I like shrimp.
Let’s have a look!
Here’s yet another that was sent by a kind reader from Sweden – thank you! This one is by JML (Jin Mai Lang) – I’ve reviewed many of their varieties in the past but never one of the ‘Emporer’ line. It looks to have some kick to it – let’s check it out!
