Here’s another one from Pher Engi – thank you! This is one she sent a picture of and asked if I wanted to try it to which I said yes. I also got this when searching Batagor kuah on Google from a generated AI response – ‘Batagor kuah is a soup made from batagor, an Indonesian dish that’s a shortened form of “bakso tahu goreng” (fried meatball and tofu). The soup can be made by boiling chicken broth. Batagor is traditionally made from minced tenggiri (Spanish mackerel), although other types of seafood such as tuna, mackerel, and prawn may also be used. The fish paste is stuffed into wonton skins or filled into tofu, and then deep fried in palm oil. Batagor is a popular street food in the city of Bandung in West Java. It began appearing in various Indonesian cities throughout the country in the 1980s, and is believed to have been invented in 1968 in Bandung. According to legend, batagor was created as a way to salvage unsold bakso meatballs. ‘
Category: Indonesia
The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2024 Edition
Every year I pick my favorites out of all the reviews I’ve done. In the past, I’ve had lists that have multiple companies with multiple entries. I decided this year that I would change that. Starting with this list, only one entry per company will be on the list. I’ll mention other noteworthy varieties in the text of each one which I think will give more opportunities for folks to try new things. This new way of doing things will be reflected in this list, the upcoming Bottom Ten, Top Ten Bowls, and Top Ten Cups lists.
#4815: Migelas Protevit Rasa Soto Ayam – Indonesia
Big thank you to Pher Engi for sending this all the way from Australia! This one is interesting, and my years of reviewing instant noodles has been instrumental in giving you a little info on this one. First, the name. Mi means noodle – and gelas means glass, as in a glass of milk, etc. This is quite literally a noodle you put in a glass or mug with some water to steep. Soto ayam? Chicken soto – usually a lime and chicken affair. Let’s give it a try!
#4810: Mie Sedaap Mi Kuah Instan Rasa White Curry – Indonesia
A huge thank you to Pher Engi of Australia for sending me this – I’ve been wanting to try it for easily 5 years – probably more. An Indonesian take of white curry just sounds so interesting – let’s give it a try!
The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Indonesian Instant Noodles Of All Time 2024 Edition
Well, I figured late is better than never. I compiled this list around September of last year and never got around to editing it up. Well, the kids are on spring break so I figured a great time to hunker down and get some work done. This list is a compilation of my favorite varieties of Indonesian instant noodles I’ve tried up to review 4,650. A lot of reviews have come out since I wrote this list, so you can be sure some of those will appear on the next list. I should note I’ve also compiled a list of all of the Indomie varieties I’ve tried here. You can see everything I’ve tried from Indonesia here. Also, I’m making a big change to Top Tens. That announcement can be seen below. With that, let’s look at The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Indonesian Instant Noodles Of All Time 2024 Edition.
A List Of All The Indomie Varieties I’ve Tried
Often I come out with a list and I get a comment saying ‘you should try Indomie.’ Well, I decided after years of telling folks that I have tried Indomie, I’d share a list of all of the Indomie varieties I’ve tried. So, this is that list. I’ve got 77 here. They’re ordered by review score (the last number) and the first number is the review number. So, you can hit the search button and type in that review number and it’ll bring it up. I’m pretty sure there’s a few more that have yet to be published, however this list contains 77 different varieties as on April 9th, 2024.
#4745: Indomie Tavuk Aromali Hazir Noodle (Chicken Flavour) – Turkey
The last of the Turkish Indomie sent by James from Lakeside, CA – thanks again! Sounds like a simple chicken noodle – let’s find out.
#4771: Indomie Mi Instan Rasa Coto Makassar – Indonesia
Well, this is it. This is the last of the varieties that were so kindly sent by Pher Engi from Australia and it’s sad to see the end. So many great flavors – really bumped up my list of Indomie varieties I’ve tried by a ton! Thank you so much!
#4767: Indomie Hype Abis Mi Goreng Kebab Rendang – Indonesia
One of the very last (indeed the next to last) varieties sent in by Pher Engi of Australia – thanks again! I’m not sure of how rendang on a stick differs from regular rendang insofar as an instant noodle flavor. I guess we’ll find out!
#4763: Indomie Mi Goreng Rasa Sambal Rica-Rica – Indonesia
Another exotic variety from Indonesia sent kindly by Pher Engi of Australia – thank you yet again! So what’s rica-rica? Wikipedia was nice enough to have some backstory –
#4759: Indomie Rasa Soto Lamongan – Indonesia
A big thank you to Pher Engi of Australia for sending this! So there are many varieties of soto, and they are regiolnally different. Herew’s a translation of some info I found on the Indonesian Wikipedia –
#4757: Mie Sedaap Instant Cup Mi Goreng – Indonesia
I’ve reviewed something like this before I’m pretty sure but this is new packaging so an update is in order. Couldn’t get that sticker off the side so unfortunately you can only imagine what’s underneath it, so put on your thinking caps… Imagine – hard! Yeah, not too exciting. Anyways, let’s make mi goreng!
#4755: Indomie Mi Goreng Rasa Cakalang – Indonesia
A big thank you to Pher Engi for sending these along! I’m getting really low on varieties to review at this point – I’ve been doing four reviews a day lately and have been trying to do so all the way up to my kids going back to school. Twenty days to go until they’re back! They’ve had a lot of fun this summer, but they miss their friends from school of course. So – what is cakalang? It’s skipjack tuna. Many years ago, you could easily find an Indomie variety here (among others you can’t anymore) which mentioned skipjack tuna flavor. Let’s give this one a try.
#4752: Indomie Rasa Soto Spesial – Indonesia
Big thanks to Pher Engi of Australia for sending this along! Just spent a couple minutes researching koya gurih. It seems like it is a fried cracker which is pulzerized and then added to soups. I’ve run across this before – years back. Let’s give it a go!
#4723: Indomie Mi Goreng Aceh – Indonesia
Definitely haven’t tried this one in the past, but I’ll review it today thanks to Pher Engi from Australia – thank you very much! Aceh is a region of Indoesia – that being said, here’s a little blurb about this one I found online –
#4719: Indomie Mi Goreng Rasa Rendang – Indonesia
Big thanks to Pher Engi for sending this all the way from Australia! This is a variety that used to be available in the United States, however this and a couple other have disappeared from our shelves here over the years – and it bums me out. Bring them back, please! Not sure what rendang is? Wikipedia says –
#4701: Kobe Mi BonCabe Rasa Ramen Pedas – Indonesia
This one came by way of Pher Engi of Australia – thanks again! So BonCabe is a spicy concoction – like a seasoning. There are differing levels of heat and this one is LEVEL 30. I think the next up is the BonCabe Max End. Anyways, I’m very curious how spicy this one is, so let’s find out.
#4681: Nissin Geki Instant Fried Noodles HOT Carbo Flavour – Indonesia
Another one from Pher Engi of Australia – Thank you!! This looks to be a play on Buldak perhaps which usually is nott a good idea. However, you never know. Let’s see how spicy this is.
#4649: Indomie Mi Instan Mi Keriting Goreng Spesial – Indonesia
Massive thanks to Pher Engi of Australia for sending this as part of a huge haul of Indonesian varieties. Another from this range is in the 2023 Top Ten global list. They both used to be available in the United States, but not anymore – which is very sad. They really should bring these back… Special noodle, excellent flavor. I’ve not reviewed this is years and years so with new packaging heralding their 50trh anniversary, away we go.
Ultimate Air Fryer Ramen Recipe – Instant Noodle Recipe Time EXTRA
Perhaps there’s something to the term ‘third time’s the charm.’ After a couple fact-finding missions seeing what happens when cooked ramen is placed in an air fryer, we arrive at this one, and it turned out pretty well. Of course, some will immediately have a bit of a fit concerning this. ‘Why are you doing this?’ Why not? I know, it’s outside of your comfort zone which makes me want to do it more. Second, despite the promises made in the past of winning so much I’d be sick of winning, I decided not to rely on those making these promises and just work on the winning myself.
#4643: Best Wok Corn Bihun Hot & Spicy Fried Bihun – Indonesia
Got these a little while back – thanks to the folks at Best Wok! I’ve been saving this one as the last one which wasn’t the hot and spicy was so good. Let’s give this one a try! Oh, and yes – these noodles are made completely from CORN!!
#4631: Jiwa Pagi Mi Instan Ayam Bawang – Indonesia
Another Indonesian variety sent by Pher Engi – thanks again! Ayam bawang translates to onion chicken. I’ve always liked this flavor combo. Let’s give it a go!
#4627: Best Wok Corn Bihun Original Fried Bihun – Indonesia
Okay so you know mi goreng, right? Well, this is mi goreng with a noodle made from corn. Yep – corn. What’s great about it is that it’s low cal and gluten free. Unlike rice vermicelli, its not dry, and unlike bean thread, it’s not extremely sloppy. This is the perfect balance. Let’s give it a go.
#4607: Indomie Mi Goreng Rasa Ayam Pop – Indonesia
Big thanks to Pher Engi for sending this over! So, this variety I figured to be just a chicken mi goreng, but it isn’t. Ayam Pop is a dish from Sumatra – and while the image on the package seems to be a plain piece of chicken, looks can be deceiving! On Taste Atlas, I found this –
#4601: Indomie Hype Abis Mi Kuah Rasa Seblak Hot Jeletot – Indonesia
To begin, thanks to Pher Engi for sending this along with so many untried Indonesian varieties! Seblak Hot Jeletot. I searched and almost immediately found a site familiar to me – minime insights. This guy does market analysis on food trends and new things – he’s mentioned me in the past and I’ve check out his site quite a bit to find out about different products. In his post, he answers a lot of my questions, and leaves me with a little dilemma. First, this is a trending flavor. Second, jeletot turns out to be a Sundanese word (great now I have to figure out that Sundanese is) which means so hot your eyes pop out!
#4599: Jiwa Pagi Mi Instan Mie Goreng – Indonesia
Another one sent by Pher Engi – thanks again! This is the second of three varieties she sent in the Jiwa Pagi range by Kobe of Indonesia. The noodles are infused with carrot and green bean which is interesting. The last one had a nice flavor to it – let’s check this one out!
#4597: Super Bubur Rasa Ayam – Indonesia
Here’s yet another Indonesian variety sent by Pher Engi – thanks again! Okay, so this isn’t ramen, or a noodle. It’s porridge – rice porridge to be exact. I’ve reviewed quite a few porridges, but never one from Indonesia. This looks crazy – lots of sachets! Let’s check it out!
#4595: Burung Layang Terbang Mie Goreng Rasa Sambal Terasi – Indonesia
Thanks again to Pher Engi for this crazy train of neat Indonesian varieties, of which I’ve barely scraped the surface! This is a shrimp paste flavored mi goreng – and it’s not like anything I’ve seen thus far in my reviewing – look at everything in this thing! Let’s get cooking!
#4592: Kobe Jiwa Pagi Mi Instan Rasa Soto Segeer – Indonesia
First and foremost, thanks to Pher Engi for sending this over! Soto segeer means ‘fresh soto.’ I did a little research and found that Jiwa Pagi means ‘morning soul.’ These noodles contain carrot and green beans – also no MSG here. These are healthy variety. Sounds interesting – this also the same company (Kobe) that makes the BonCabe instant noodles and seasonings. Oh, you might not know what soto is to begin with – Wikipedia, if you please…
#4588: Indomie Mi Instan Rasa Kaldu Ayam – Indonesia
Another one that came by way of Pher Engi – thanks again! Kaldu ayam just translates to chicken broth, so I’m guessing this will basically will be your standard chicken flavor variety from Indomie – not onion chicken, special chicken, or chicken curry – just chicken. Let’s give it a go!
#4583: Indomie Mi Goreng Rasa Cabe Ijo – Indonesia
Another one that came by way of Pher Engi – thanks again! This one came out with a big promotion a few years back. What’s funny too is that I had this ten years ago. How do I know? Look at the pack here! So, what’s cabe ijo? Translates to green chili – and what’s neat it that the noodle ends up greenish from the sauce. Let’s give it a go!
#4581: Indomie Hype Abis Mi Goreng Rasa Ayam Geprek – Indonesia
Again, thanks to Pher Engi for sending this, among many other neat Indonesian varieties. This is a newer variety – and I’m sure you’re wondering what ayam geprek is – I certainly was. From the looks of things, ayam (chicken) and geprek (crushed) is basically breaded and fried chicken. Kind of like chicken strips. I found a recipe for it, but it’s looking like it might just be easier to buy a chicken strip from the local deli counter already prepared. Kind of a busy day so that might be the route I take but I’m unsure. Let’s give this a try.
#4578: Mi BonCabe Rasa Mie Goreng Level 15 Spicy – Indonesia
BonCabe (bone-chabay) is an Indonesia spice mix which packs serious heat. This one’s heat level 15 – curious how ho it’s going to be! Thanks again to Pher Engi for sending this! Let’s give it a go!
The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Global Instant Noodle Cups 2024 Edition
If you like walking around and eating things, instant noodle cups may be the way to go for your. Personally, I enjoy sitting in front of a bowl, but we don’t always have that convenience, so people opt for the convenience of something more portable, and here we are. These are my favorite cups that I’ve reviewed out of the reviews up to #4440. I’m always on the lookout for new varieties from everywhere in the world – whether they be cups, bowls, packs – any noodles I’ve not reviewed I’m very interested in sampling them. Please contact me if you’re a noodle company and you’d like me to try your products! With that, let’s peruse The Ramen Rater’s Global Top Ten Instant Noodle Cups 2024 edition.
#4513: Urai Bihun Jagung Corn Vermicelli – Indonesia
Here’s something different – corn vermicelli! I’ve tried a different gauge of this paired with Ciptarasa mi goreng seasoning and it was really quite nice. This time I’ll try doing up a soup with Ciptaras onion chicken flavor. Let’s give it a go!
#4503: Dara Urai Original x Ciptarasa Mi Goreng – Indonesia
What we have here is a noodle and a seasoning combo – both by the same company. Should be pretty good – in the mood to try. Let’s check it out!
#4489: Dara Urai Flat x Cipratasa Rasa Ayam Bawang – Indonesia
So this is a noodle with no seasoning, however the company that make this makes seasoning as well, so that works out great! These are made by Suprama of Indonesia – the same folks that make Best Wok – a great line of mi goreng varieties I really like. Let’s try this noodle in concert with some special onion chicken seasoning!
The Ramen Rater’s Global Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2023 Edition
Another year and it’s time for yet another top ten list. There’s a let of movement here, and a lot of favorites which have stood the test of time. This is a list of my favorite varieties from reviews up to #4440. If you’ve got a variety you think I should try or are a manufacturer who would like me to try your masterful creations – please drop me a line; I don’t know that in the 20+ years I’ve been sampling and opining about instant noodle products that I’ve refused a request for me to try a product. As I’ve said for years, my true favorite variety is the one I haven’t tried yet. With that, let’s look at these true diplomats of flavor in this, The Ramen Rater’s Global Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2023 Edition.
Best Wok Sends Mi Goreng Made From Corn!
A little while back, you may have been a review I did of a product called Doroku and it was a corn based noodle. This is a full product with sachets using that same noodle. You might think ‘what, does it taste like corn?’ Not really – but I think most would like the consistency of this and the fact that it’s not too wet, not too dry, and rather light. Have a look and thanks to Best Wok for sending this over to try!
#4431: Indomie Mi Keriting Rasa Ayam Panggang – Indonesia
A huge thanks to Pher Engi of Australia for sending this among many other Indonesian varieties recently – truly above and beyond. This is one I really loved for a long time when it was an export version to the United States, however it stopped coming our way. This stuff is top notch and really thrilled to be able to review it again. The name translates to curly noodle with grilled chicken flavor. It also comes with a soup to be served alongside. Let’s begin.