Category Archives: * Stars 1.1 – 2.0

#3280: Mama Pat’s Seafood Gumbo Flavor Instant Ramen Noodles – United States

#3280: Mama Pat's Seafood Gumbo Flavor Instant Ramen Noodles - United States

I’ve reviewed Mama Pat’s products in the past, however there have been some changesto the packs (no more drink sachet and no vegetable sachet either) and now there are cups (which I’m reviewing for the first time). I think these are neat ranges – very unique varieties Chef Ron is bringing to market. Let’s check out this cup version!

Mama Pat’s Seafood Gumbo Flavor Instant Ramen Noodles – United States

#3280: Mama Pat's Seafood Gumbo Flavor Instant Ramen Noodles - United States

Detail of the side panels (click to enlarge). Contains seafood/crustaceans. To prepare, add sachet contents and fill to line with boiling water. Cover for 3~5 minutes. Finally, stir and enjoy!

Detail of the lid (click to enlarge).

An included fork!

The noodle block.

A dry base sachet (watch Instant Noodle Recipe Time episode below to see contents).

A dry sachet of vegetable matter.

Finished (click to enlarge). Added shrimp, barbecued pork, spring onion, chili flake, hot sauce, fried garlic, and fried onion. The noodles were disappointing to be honest – they ended up with a kind of sponginess I didn’t like and just didn’t work. Broth flavor was overwhelmed by the vegetable sachet which was mostly herb. It just seemed to be thrown together quickly and not of the quality I’m used to from this brand. 1.25 out of 5.0 stars. UPC bar code 757170500204.

Mama Pat’s Low Sodium Ramen Noodles, Seafood Gumbo Flavor, 24 Pack

Watch me cook on Instant Noodle Recipe Time!

#3246: Cigala Banzai Noodle Sabor Caril – Portugal

Comments

First off a big thanks to Chris G. for picking these up and sending them after his whirlwind trip around Europe! This one’s from Portugal which is pretty neat. What flavor is it? Caril translates to curry. Let’s give it a try!

Cigala Banzai Noodle Sabor Caril – Portugal

Detail of the side panels (click to enlarge). Looks to be meat free but check for yourself. To prepare, add boiling water to line and cover 3 minutes. Finally, stir and enjoy!

Detail of the lid (click to enlarge).

The noodle block.

Loose seasoning and garnish from the cup.

Finished (click to enlarge). Added soft egg, Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, cilantro, black pepper. Noodles hydrated a little less than optimally in the 3 minutes allotted. Broth was suppose to be curry flavored, but was not very convincing. 2.0 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 5601260591601.

The Taste of Portugal: A Voyage of Gastronomic Discovery Combined with Recipes, History and Folklore.

Watch me cook on Instant Noodle Recipe Time!

#3233: Nissin Cup Noodles Soup’D Up Zesty Chicken Flavor – United States

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#3140: Nissin Cup Noodles Soup'D Up Zesty Chicken Flavor - United States

This came by way of Robert over at www.dadbert.com – thanks! I’ve never seen hide nor hare of this variety ever before – anywhere. Test market in Kentucky? Perhaps. It looks like these are a meat version of the Very Veggie really; lots of meat instead of vegetables. My thought – screw it – I mean put lots of meat AND vegetables in there. In fact, screw that – do a retort pooch with meat and vegetables – now you’re talking! Nissin – you’re here in the United States already – use real meat! Retort pouches are the salvation – they shall bring a whole new age to the domestic instant noodle industry in America! At least that’s my vision. Let’s check it out!

Nissin Cup Noodles Soup’D Up Zesty Chicken Flavor – United States

Detail of the side panels (click to enlarge). Contains chicken. To prepare, . UPC bar code.

#3140: Nissin Cup Noodles Soup'D Up Zesty Chicken Flavor - United States

Detail of the lid (click to enlarge).

#3140: Nissin Cup Noodles Soup'D Up Zesty Chicken Flavor - United States

The noodle block.

#3140: Nissin Cup Noodles Soup'D Up Zesty Chicken Flavor - United States

Loose seasoning and bits from the cup.

Finished (click to enlarge). Added soft egg, spring onion, Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, and grilled chicken. The noodles came out pretty well. The broth was very thin and could have used a little more zestiness. Vegetables did well, however chicken chunks while of a decent size weren’t completely done in the center. 2.0 out of 5.0 stars. UPC bar code

#3140: Nissin Cup Noodles Soup'D Up Zesty Chicken Flavor - United States

Nissin Cup Noodles Soup’d Up Zesty Chicken, Zesty Chicken, 2.58 Ounce (Pack of 6)

Watch me cook it up on Instant Noodle Recipe Time!

#3215: MyKuali Vegetarian Penang White Curry Noodle – Malaysia

Comments

I’m starting to feel like with the sheer amount of products I’m finding lately that a list for vegetarian people might not be too far off. But we’ll see. A lot of companies (including MyKuali as you can see here) are getting on board with catering to the Vegetarian folks. Let’s see what the differences are going to be with this one.

MyKuali Vegetarian Penang White Curry Noodle – Malaysia

Detail of the packaging (click to enlarge). Says it is Vegetarian. To prepare, cook noodles for 5-6 minutes. Drain. Add sachet contents and noodles to 380ml boiling water. Finally, stir and enjoy!

These aren’t individually packaged. Interesting.

The nodle blocks are non-fried.

A dry sachet.

Non-dairy creamer.

A wet sachet.

A lot of paste!

Finished (click to enlarge). Added Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, tofu puff, and coriander. Noodles were a departure from MyKuali’s norm as they’re non-fried. They were pretty good. The broth was however very much a departure from the norm insofar that I really didn’t like it. I made it twice to see if it would grow on me but no – just not my thing, and I’ll stick with their original lgendary white curry. 1.5 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 9555655005784.

MyKuali Penang Tom Yum Noodle (4 Pack x 3.7 oz each)

Watch me cook on Instant Noodle Recipe Time!

#3194: Rooster Hot & Spicy Flavour Noodle Soup – Canada

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Made for Loblaw’s Canada, these Rooster varieties have been surprisingly good. In fact, despite having a very plain and generic look to them, they’ve all been really quite good. Will this bowl continue on in this way? Let’s find out!

Rooster Hot & Spicy Flavour Noodle Soup – Canada

Detail of the side panels (click to enlarge). Looks to be meat free but check for yourself. To prepare, add sachet content and 350ml boiling water and cover for 3 minutes. Finally, stir and enjoy!

Detail of the lid (click to enlarge).

The noodle block.

A dry sachet.

A light powder with some little vegetable bits.

Finished (click to enlarge). Added Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, soft egg, baked chicken with Neo-Essence pepper salt and NuTek Salt for Life, coriander, Cholula Original hot sauce, and black sesame seeds. Sadly, the noodles just didn’t hydrate enough in the alotted time, leaving them spongy. However the broth was really great. Five minutes would have dome this one much better. 1.5 out of 5.0 stars. UPC bar code 061483036641.

Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Spirit of Canada: 101 Stories

Watch me cook on Instant Noodle Recipe Time!

#3185: Sakurai Foods Vegetarian Stir Fried Noodles (Worcestershire Sauce Flavor) – Japan

Comments

I reviewed this one on February 10th, 2019. This has been a crazy week – we’ve got layers of snow here and haven’t been able to even move the car since Friday. It’s Tuesday and probably we won’t be going anywhere today, either.

The weather folks say this has been a storm series that I’ll be able to tell mygrandkids about. Yesterday was the best day of it – after days of not making it about freezing and waking up to take the dog out in 13 degrees (-10.5C) cold, it finally warmed up a bit. To the point that it started dumping snow yet again. Huge fluffy wet flakes.

It was great – it had been so slick and icy everywhere and now you could run in the stuff. We threw snowballs at eachother, Kit built a snowman with Miri which on first attempt Miles ran over to and kicked over. I rolled a pretty big snowball. It was a lot of fun. In the sky we saw flashes from time to time – snow undoubtedly weighing down branches of big Douglas fir trees to the point of snapping and busting power lines which in turn cause transformers to explode.

It’s funny because I know this will end up published about 3 months from now as we’re knee-deep not in snow but in springtime. Let’s check it out!

Sakurai Foods Vegetarian Stir Fried Noodles (Worcestershire Sauce Flavor) – Japan

Here’s the back of the package (click to enlarge). Mentions being vegetarian. To prepare, add to 200ml boiling water and cook until water is absorbed. Add in sachet contents. Finally, stir and enjoy!

The noodle block.

A wet sachet.

A thick and dark liquid.

A small dry sachet.

Powdered seaweed.

Finished (click to enlarge). Added spring onion and Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts. The noodles come out very nice – I like them. The flavor did have a Worcestershire component, but there was a strong sweetness that just wasn’t my cup of tea. I like a bit more Worcestershire bite to yakisoba. 2.0 out of 5.0 stars. JAN bar code 4960813312775.

Sakurai food Goma-ramen 100gX20 bags

Watch me cook on Instant Noodle Recipe Time!

#3179: Nagatanien Tom Yum Kung Rice Vermicelli – Japan

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#3179: Nagatani Tom Yum Kung Rice Vermicelli - Japan

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.

So here’s what the folks at Japan Crate had to say about this variety -“Enjoy the two worlds of hot and sour with tom yum this season. With notes of pakuchi (coriander) and lemongrass, this Japanese take on Thai fried noodles will leave your stomach full and taste buds satisfied.”

Alright – so they recommend bacon with this. I’m going to take the leap and go with chashu. Let’s give it a try!

Nagatanien Tom Yum Kung Rice Vermicelli – Japan

#3179: Nagatani Tom Yum Kung Rice Vermicelli - Japan

Here’s the back of the package (click to enlarge). Unsure but probably contains shrimp. To prepare, add vermicelli to a skillet with 200ml boiling water and cook 3 minutes. Add in liquid base. Stir and enjoy!

#3179: Nagatani Tom Yum Kung Rice Vermicelli - Japan

The vermicelli.

#3179: Nagatani Tom Yum Kung Rice Vermicelli - Japan

A wet sachet.

Finished (click to enlarge). Added scallions, Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, black sesame seeds and habanero togarashi. The vermicelli came out pretty well – very thin and a nice chew. I liked also the fact that they were in semi-short lengths, making them easier to manage with a fork from the outset. The flavor was definitely a Japanese take on a Thai tom yum as it definitely was different. A lot of sweetness here and some lemongrass. It just didn’t rub me the right way. 2.0 out of 5.0 stars. JAN bar code 4902388014890.

#3179: Nagatani Tom Yum Kung Rice Vermicelli - Japan

Tokyo Cult Recipes

Watch me cook on Instant Noodle Recipe Time!

#3167: Vedan Jhen Mian Tang Braised Beef Noodles With Ginger – Taiwan

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#3167: Vedan Jhen Mian Tang Braised Beef Noodles With Ginger - Taiwan

Here’s one of the last ones sent by a Taiwanese university student who has probably graduated by now – thanks again and good luck! This is a really big box – let’s check it out!

Vedan Jhen Mian Tang Braised Beef Noodles With Ginger – Taiwan

#3167: Vedan Jhen Mian Tang Braised Beef Noodles With Ginger - Taiwan

Detail of the side panels (click to enlarge). Contains beef. To prepare, boil noodles for 1~2 minutes in 400ml boiling water with soup pouch. Drain. Add in soup pouch. Finally, stir and enjoy!

#3167: Vedan Jhen Mian Tang Braised Beef Noodles With Ginger - Taiwan

Two of these noodle blocks are included.

#3167: Vedan Jhen Mian Tang Braised Beef Noodles With Ginger - Taiwan

Two soup pouches are included.

Finished (click to enlarge). Added boiled beef, soft egg, Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, scallion and mushroom. The noodles hydrated well but seemed kind of out of place; the visual was a stark white noodle in a rich looking broth and it was honestly off-putting. Round noodle has a nice chew though. The broth really didn’t give me that braised beef taste. Beef seemed a little fattier than I would have liked. Overall, the flavor just didn’t hit for me. 1.5 out of 5.0 stars. . EAN bar code 4710110232494.

#3167: Vedan Jhen Mian Tang Braised Beef Noodles With Ginger - Taiwan

Why Taiwan Matters: Small Island, Global Powerhouse

Watch me cook on Instant Noodle Recipe Time!

#3159: Sichuan Baijia Big Boss Hot & Sour Sweet Potato Vermicelli – China

Comments

Found this one up in Canada at Foodyworld and it looks really neat! The kids are really interested in this one but I’m sure it’s definitely off the charts spicy for them. I’m always curious when I see a cartoon or comic character on a product. Definitely looks interesting, that’s for sure! Let’s crack it open!

Sichuan Baijia Big Boss Hot & Sour Sweet Potato Vermicelli – China

Detail of the side panels (click to enlarge). Looks to be meat free but check for yourself. To prepare, add in all sachets and boiling water to fill line. cover for 6~7 minutes. Finally, stir and enjoy!

Detail of the lid (click to enlarge).

An included fork!

The sweet potato vermicelli.

Three dry sachets!

Three wet sachets!

Finished (click to enlarge). No garnish. The vermicelli hydrated well. Made a few crosscuts with a pair of kitchen scissors. The flavor was strong on the Sichuan pepper side and super strong otherwise. Super oily too. Lots of included garnish was neat but it had a very odd flavor – to me at least. 1.5 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 6926410338165.

Baijia Hakka Instant Rice Noodle 10.9 oz (2 Packs)