Over 5,000 Instant Ramen Noodle Reviews Since 2002
Decided to start off the week with a couple Sau Tao varieties today (you should be seeing the second one tomorrow). They sent a ton for a Meet The Manufacturer series (okay, not a literal ton – just 400lbs of samples). Let’s check out their QQ Rice Vermicelli!
I found this at a large Asian grocery in Bellevue, Washington recently. It was the last one – I’m guessing part of a special promo for Lunar New Year. My guess is that this is going to be in the vein of the hot spicy stir fried noodles of South Korea, but in a Chinese way? I don’t know for sure, but it sounds interesting. Let’s give it a try!
You might be saying ‘gosh, you’re reviewing a lot of Sau Tao stuff!’ Well, yes I am – as I have a lot of different varieties in a couple boxes in our bedroom currently. I’m trying to review things that are big to shrink things down so they’ll fit in the hampers.
Recently, I finished a Meet The Manufacturer series with Sau Tao. They shipped a whole pallet of samples of a myriad of different styles and varieties. A PALLET! Well, the upshot is that I still have so many different styles and varieties to review! Here is one of them.
Here we have the second of two varieties (one spicy, this one not), clad in paper. Pretty neat – they have character, that’s for sure. Let’s give this non-spicy variety a try!
Those crab claws there look really nice. Man, that sounds so good right now! I remember when in Penang, Malaysia, sitting around a table which was on a little dock – one of many that were roped together and you picked the seafood you wanted and they prepared it. It was amazing – and we got crab. The meat was so good! We also had duck and sea cucumber – that’s an interesting thing. They work well together, but sea cucumber by itself wasn’t my favorite thing. Anyways, I digress – black pepper crab it is!
I really like this packaging – paper with a protective inner liner. It’s definitely unique and I must say I wish more companies would do things this way. It’s so much easier for me to take pictures of the packaging – much less glare! Let’s give the contents a try!
Here’s another one from Sau Tao – a trolley noodle! I’m so curious about these… I want to go on a trolley and have noodles; it sounds enjoyable! Let’s give these a try!
Today, we have one that was part of Japan Crate’s Umai Crate. So Japan Crate is a subscription service which has all sorts of different options for you. pretty neat stuff from Japan! There’s a coupon code for you too – just use THERAMENRATER to get a special discount at check out.
There are so many varieties these folks make and I’m glad because this has been one of the most varied Meet The Manufacturer series yet. This is a flavor however I could revisit with a different noodle pairing repeatedly with enjoyment, as well as their Tom Yum Kung. Laksa is a tasty thing! Let’s make this one and see how this pairing goes as we march towards review 4000.
I’m still just amazed how many different styles of noodles this company has – they sent so many! This is a unique pack, too. Ten packs, ten sachets. Shall we give it a try?
First things first – this is big. The noodle blocks are physically really big. I’ll let you watch the episode of Instant Noodle Recipe Time below so you can understand more fully. But E-Fu – let’s look on Wikipedia for more info –
Oh sweet – XO Sauce! If you don’t know what this delightful flavor is – here’s something from Wikipedia –
Hey this sounds neat – but what are Trolley Noodles anyways? All I can surmise after doing some research is that Trolley Noodles are akin to cart noodles. Basically, hawker style. Let’s open this laksa flavor variety up and take a look!
To start things off, I grabbed something randomly ou of the massive pile of samples I have here. These are ho fan rice noodles – thin and flat. Wikipedia had this to say –
Oh so you like shrimp? I do as well. I also like how on the serving suggestion they’ve got some carved squid going on. Carved squid is quite nice! Let’s give it a try.
Okay. This one’s interesting. This product is produced by Paldo Vina, a Vietnamese branch of Paldo Food of South Korea. It is for sale in Taiwan (formerly called Formosa). It was sent to me by Daniel – one of the guys from www.exoticnoods.com who visited Taiwan recently and brought it back for me – thanks again! Let’s check it out!
Here we have the last of the trifecta of the KOKA Baked Noodle series. I thought I’d give this a try today as it’s a Monday and I’m hoping to get through ten reviews this week. It’s been an uphill climb lately though…
Thanks to Annie T. and Kyle K. for help in translation! This is yet another one we found up in Canada recently. Really digging the graphic on this one. Let’s give it a try!
I got two of these packs sent to me from two sources. The First was from a reader named James from California. The second from a My Ramen Box subscription box (use coupon code THERAMENRATER for a discount). Thanks to both!
I recently tried the rice vermicelli version of this and really enjoyed it. Today it’s the cup noodle version. I’m curious how this will do with a wheat noodle. Let’s find out.
Today, we come to the next-to-last variety from Mr Lee’s and the only one devoted to seafood. Freeze dried shrimp inside? Let’s see!
In Malaysia, I don’t think it gets as cold as it is here. Not sure they’ve ever gotten snow there. I think it would be nice to be there right now. It’s cold.
What do we have here? The second of two big bowls from Paldo! I’m in the mood for sampling spicy today- it’s cold outside. It’s snowing. Weatherman says we’re looking at 5 more inches of snow and gusty winds. It’s cold in here. Time to cook!
Another one from James of Lakeside, CA – thanks again! So, what have we here? Well, this is a special ramen – clam flavor (shijimi) – specially about sumo (chikara). Clam noodle soup for wrestlers. Sounds interesting – let’s check it out!
Sriracha is a place I’ve been to in Thailand. It was very hot and the sky was a deep azure blue. Telephone poles were packed with wires – you’d have to see it. Looking out my window right now it’s cold, windy, and the forecast is calling for a week of snow here, just north of Seattle. I miss Thailand.
Hey look – something totally new and different from MyKuali! They told me that fish noodle is a hawker stall staple over in Penang. Very curious about this one, as this isn’t supposed to be spicy which is a departure from all their other varieties which do have a strong spiciness. Let’s give it a go!
Yeah – check that out why don’t you?! Little devils all over it and a wallop of sachets! I found this at our local Edmonds 99 Ranch Market yesterday along with the next one I’m reviewing. Let’s give it a try!
A new recipe for 2019 – they change recipes a lot at MyKuali. It’s definitely a Malaysian thing, that’s for sure. I like that though – definitely neat to see companies tweak recipes every so often and see what they come up with. Let’s give this one a try – I’m guess it’s going to be strng with a sweet prawn flavor.
This one comes by way of James in Lakeside, CA. Thanks! Okay so yer it’s made in Japan but this is obviously packaged for US sale. I generally classify things for the country you’ll be able to buy them in. If it’s an export product that would go to a region, say Europe, it’d get given the originating country’s name at the end of the title. So there.
Yet another one of these cups! I think I actually have two more. It’s tough doing a series honestly; but it’s just something I have to do. Let’s see how this shrimp variety does.
This is a brand new variety from Malsyai’s MyKuali. This company’s had three different varieties in the past end up on my global top ten rankings and after trying the vermicelli and cup versions, here we have the pack (you’ll see the other two in upcoming reviews. Let’s give it a try!
I gotta say, there have been a TON of new recipes for this instant noodle. I don’t know how many brands are changing recipes out there, but it’s nice to know when they do. This is something they do in Malaysia, specifically Penang, Malaysia, an awful lot. The folks at MyKuali told me how you might go to a hawker stall one day and have something really great and a week later it’s almost unrecognizable in hopes of having the next super popular food item. Food creators there never seem satisfied with ‘good enough.’ Let’s see what this iteration of the legendary MyKuali Penang White Curry Noodle has to offer.
Simply looking at this bowl evokes memories of travel for me so happy… Penang is such a place of wonder and fascination. The sights, scents and sounds crescendo in a vibrant, harmonic din that haunts my soul in such a way that not a day goes by without a sigh of returning. As the mighty salmon is compelled to return whence it came, so I must return to old Penang someday to experience its charm.
Here’s one from the December 2019 Umai Crate! Umai Crate is a monthly subscription box you can get from Japan with all sorts of noodles and Japanese things inside. Should check ’em out and if you get one or a subscription, use coupon code THERAMENRATER at checkout for a discount!
Here’s one from an Umai Crate! Umai Crate is a subscription box you can get via Japan Crate that comes packed with ramen and Japanese goodies of all types, but focusing on noodles. Use the coupon code THERAMENRATER for a discount!
When I tried this previously, I was totally stoked. Often you can find prawn noodle in Penang that has both vermicelli and wheat noodles present. Well, you get that here. Not only that, this one while insanely good prior to this review now has a new recipe. Very curious how it is – let’s find out!
We meet again, black pepper crab! I tried this awhile back as a special pre-release variety, but this is the full-fledged version. Black pepper crab is considered of one of the top dishes of Singapore – here’s a little about it from Wikipedia –
![#3512: Red Chef Green Tom Yum Soup Noodles [New Formulation Dec-19] - Malaysia](https://i0.wp.com/www.theramenrater.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/2020_1_22_3512_001.jpg?resize=500%2C546&ssl=1)
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This is always something that really humbles me. I review instant noodles, and getting new varieties is always a good thing, albeit difficult oft times. Well, this is a definitely new variety. The former version has been on my The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time list – now I’m curious… Isn’t that good enough? Apparently not! Let’s see what’s different!
Okay so this is the local South Korean version of this variety. I’ve had it before as an export. Let’s see if it’s any different!
