I received a package with a couple of varieties of Peruvian instant noodles last week, then one with even more the next as well as a TON of Brazilian ones! I have to say, I have the nicest readers and want to thank you for your continued support in sending samples I couldn’t source otherwise!
Today, it’s Gallina Picante, which is spicy chicken. Let’s hit it up!
Aji-no-men Sabor Gallina Picante – Peru
Detail of the packaging (click to enlarge). Contains chicken. To prepare, boil noodles in 500ml water for 3 minutes. Add in soup base. Finally, stir and enjoy!
The noodle block.
A dry sachet of soup base (watch me use this below on Instant Noodle Recipe Time).
Finished (click to enlarge). Added baked chicken with adobo, soft egg, Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, fried garlic, and cilantro. Noodles have a nice, standard instant noodle chew to them. Broth is very much the usual salty chicken taste with a little tang and spice to the broth. 3.75 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 7754487001670.
Okay so now that I’ve been doing a lot of weight loss and walking like a fiend (one might call me a White Walker – Game of Thrones reference, sorry), I’ve been running through shoes like crazy. I really like these $30 pairs I’ve been finding at Walmart up in Canada, but as you can guess, after a week there are holes in them. We went up in search for a new pair for me again (no luck grrr) and and during our time up there we hit Lansdowne Centre, a mall in Richmond. Well, there was a new store (at least I think it’s new but I don’t know how we could have missed it) that has a staggeringly wonderful noodle selection. The place is called Smart N Save and they’ve got some really neat stuff in there, including this one. Let’s check it out.
EDO Pack Spicy Flavour Noodle – Hong Kong
Detail of the packaging (click to enlarge). Contains fish. To prepare, add noodles and sachet contents to 450ml boiling water. Cook 3 minutes. Finally, stir and enjoy!
The noodle block.
A dual sachet – powder base on the left and oil on the right (watch the Instant Noodle Recipe Time episode below to see sachet contents).
A dry garnish sachet.
Finished (click to enlarge). Added spring onion, soft egg, chili flake, black sesame seeds, boiled pork, and Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts. The noodles are quite nice – they’re for Hong Kong, they’re non-fried, but they are manufactured in Singapore. My gut tells me these are made by KOKA S’pore. Excellent noodles, and the broth is no slouch either. It has a nice heat level and the flavor is a nice spicy with a kimchi flavor which is tart and tasty. 4.0 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 4895058312801.
Someone on social media alerted me to the existence of a new spicy variety on the market. This is The Knight Of Fire Ribs. I’ve reviewed The Knight Of Ribs (in fact, that was on the 2018 Top Ten Instant Noodles OF All Time list). This is a spicy version and we shall see exactly how spicy it is. Let’s give it a try!
Palkin The Knight Of Fire Ribs – South Korea
Detail of the packaging (click to enlarge). Contains pork. To prepare, boil noodles in 550ml water for 4 minutes. Drain, saving 5 spoons water (5 * 15ml = 75ml). Add in sachet and reserved water and return to boil on low heat for 10 seconds. Finally, stir and enjoy!
The noodle block.
A large retort pouch. See it in use on the Instant Noodle Recipe Time episode below.
Finished (click to enlarge). Added spring onion. Noodles are thick with a nice chew to them. The sauce from the retort pouch contains pork and potato and a lot of flavor. It doesn’t smell spicy to me, but once I took a bute it seemed like a bit of a dirty trick! This stuff is spicy – I think maybe habanero spicy going on. A very respectable heat, however I think the regular knight is much, much better; I just found myself wanting that flavor instead of the spicy infused one. 3.5 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 8809402741410.
So you might be wondering – you haven’t reviewed this popular South Korean variety before? Well, yes and no. I’ve had it quite a few times – South Korean versions as well as ones manufactured in the United States. However this particular version is made for Europe and Oceania, so a different export version. I try to hit every version of everything- especially ones people have lots of access to. This one is generally a nice spicy seafood soup – let’s check it out.
Nongshim Neoguri Seafood & Spicy Ramyun – South Korea
Here’s the back of the package (click to enlarge). Contains fish and crustaceans. To prepare, add everything to 550ml boiling water and cook for 5 minutes. Note the instructions mention dried kelp, which was not present. Finally, stir and enjoy!
The noodle block.
A dry base sachet (watch this being used on the episode of Instant Noodle Recipe Time below).
A sachet of flake.
Finished (click to enlarge). Added spring onion, shrimp, carved squid, Busan fishcake, egg yolk, sesame seeds, and pepper flake. The noodles are just about the thickest ramyun I’ve found and work just perfectly with a broth. Strong seafood flavor and great heat and hallmarks of this variety. Lots of seaweed and bits of vegetable galore. 4.0 out of 5.0 stars. UPC bar code 031146150304.
This one was in a box from www.zenpop.jp – head over and use coupon code RAMENRATER for a discount!
Here’s what they had to say about this one – “A simple and delicate broth made from bonito and kelp. The broth is so delicious you will finish until the last drop of this soup. Contains rather small shrimp and onion tempura inside this cup, it is an ideal night snack for you! It’s light flavor won’t give you any guilt eating at midnight.”
Sounds interesting – let’s hit it up!
Maruchan Tempura Udon – Japan
Detail of the side panels (click to enlarge). Contains seafood and pork. To prepare, add boiling water to fill line and steep 3 minutes. Add in contents of sachet from lid . Finally, stir and enjoy!
Finished (click to enlarge). Added sesame seeds, shichimi togarashi, spring onion, and Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts. The noodles are wide and slightly thick but incredibly soft. Broth is light with a bit of a bonito hit to it. The amount of included garnish is quite impressive and of good quality. 3.75 out of 5.0 stars. JAN bar code 4901990330961.
This one was in a Ramen Trunk subscription box.These boxes are full of extremely high end varieties that you’ll never find in the United States or anywhere outside Japan! Check out this link and use coupon code RAMENRATER20OFF for 20% off any single box or subscription!
Here’s what they had to say about this particular variety – “We just can’t get enough of Hokkaido’s miso ramen. We’re excited to bring you a special box from Bihoro, Hokkaido. This is a small town of only 20,000 people but they create an excellent crab ramen due to its proximity to the ocean and special wheat used in their noodles which is grown in this region.”
This is a miso whoe broth is based with boiled crab shell – sounds interesting – let’s give it a try!
Hide-Chan Kani Miso Ramen – Japan
Detail of the back of the box (click to enlarge). Contains crab and pork. To prepare, boil noodles 1~2 minutes. Seperately, heat 25-280ml water and stir in broth. Add noodles to bowl then add broth. Finally, enjoy!
One of the two servings of noodles.
A wet sachet of soup base (see inside on Instant Noodle Recipe Time below).
Finished (click to enlarge). Added surimi, egg, sansyo, spring onion, kizami shoga, sesame seeds, and Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts. Noodles came out very well and were aromatic while cooking. Broth has a red miso hit to it and a subtle crabbiness. Not a thick broth but a tasty one. 4.0 out of 5.0 stars. JAN bar code 4978849325027.
I’m sure there are some folks out there figuring this is going to violently spicy. Well, that’s just not the case. Not everything that Samyang Foods makes has an angry little chicken on it! Let’s see what we have inside this big bowl!
Detail of the side panels (click to enlarge). Contains seafood. To prepare, add boiling water to fill line and cover for 4 minutes. Add in sachet contents. Finally, stir and enjoy!
A wet soup base sachet. To see the sachets in action, watch Instant Noodle Recipe Time video below.
Dry garnish in this one.
Finished (click to enlarge). Added egg, spring onion, Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, pork, and chili flake. Noodle is thick and chewy but more along the lines of their standard ramen. However, the broth is where the udon taste comes in a little more I suppose. It’s tasty and has a hint of spiciness. Myriad green onion and sesame seeds. Enjoyable. 4.0 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 8801073211452.
Here’s something pretty fascinating. First off, thanks to Empire International for sending these over! This is from Indonesia, is only 160 calories for the whole package, and… yeah. It’s konjac (pronounced like cognac).- These noodles are incredibly low cal and I’ve honestly had mixed resilts. I’ve had them that are horrible before – thicker noodles. But recently tried some that were thinner and they worked well. These are dry, and I haven’t tried them that way before, so we shall see how it goes. Let’s find out!
Fitmee Konjac Fried Korean Noodle – Indonesia
Here’s the back of the package (click to enlarge). Looks to be meat free but check for yourself. To prepare, add noodles and vegetables for 400ml boiling water and cook 3 minutes. Drain. add remaining sachet contents. Finally, stir and enjoy!
The block of konjac noodles.
Dry seasoning base.
A wet sachet of seasoned oil.
A dry sachet of vegetables.
Chili powder.
Finished (click to enlarge). Added spring onion. The noodles are kind of rubbery as they employ tapioca flour. Some might be put off by this, but I think they have a certain charm to them. I’ve had konjac noodles before I disliked, but that was completely due to their gauge. These are nice. Flavor is on point with a good spicy hit which is reminiscent of fire noodle. A nice quantity of vegetable and really quite innovative and unique. 3.5 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 8997006449945.
A few months ago I did a Meet The Manufacturer series on Vite Ramen, but the packs I tried were prototypes and not this, the finished product for version 1.0 (version 1.1 will be coming soon and I’ll be giving that a try when it comes out). It’s a neat concept brought to life by Tim & Tom Zheng.
A lot of people found the idea of a healthy instant noodle very compelling – so much so that they netted a quarter of a million dollars on their Kickstarter campaign. What we have here is the culmination of lots of work by them.
These packs have a myriad of benefits, including lots of vitamins and minerals, 30g of protein, low sodium, low fat, and is an excellent source of fiber.
It also has something that’s hard for people to get – potassium. You can a decent amount in a banana, but eating enough bananas to meet the goal of potassium intake per day is going to have some side affects aside from the amount of sugar.This pack includes 25 percent of that.
As many of you know, I’ve been on a diet. I’ve been overweight most of my life. My doctor told me on October 18th, 2018 that I had high cholesterol, and pushed me to change my diet and exercise; something I’ve been told by doctors many times before. But I guess it was just the right time to do something about it. We got a jogging stroller and I started walking my daughter Miri on days my son has all day preschool. I also started using a fitbit and the My Fitness Pal app to track my intake and calorie burn.
I started slow; trying to get my step goal and trying to stay under the recommended calories for the day. It was hard at first, but I put myself in a good mindset and pushed forward. I started at 365lbs. I went back to the doctor on April 26th, 2019 – lost 65lbs and cholesterol is in check. I haven’t weighed myself, but I’ve gone down 6 pants sizes. I had to skip walking a couple days after last week too – Monday I walked 9.5 miles, Tuesday 10.5 miles, and Thursday I walked almost 15 miles and hit 30,000 steps. I guess I need to get some walking shoes that are better than the ones I get at Walmart in Richmond BC for $30CAD! I really jacked up my feet…
But in a couple weeks, I’ll find out how much I weigh at the doctor and report on that. I’m pretty stoked – I’m down to around 1200~1500 calories per day and it’s no problem at this point. As far as when I review, I have the tiniest amount of noodles and broth to sample – the rest goes down the drain. But I think today I’ll figure one of these packs into my regime and see how it goes. Let’s get started.
Vite Ramen Garlic Pork Instant Noodle Soup – United States
Here’s the back of the package (click to enlarge). Take a look at the nutrition facts panel – it’s pretty monumental. Contains pork. To prepare, add noodle block to 2 1/2 cups boiling water and cook 2 1/2 minutes. Add in sachet contents. Finally, stir and enjoy!
The noodle block.
Dry soup base powder. See contents in the video below.
The ‘Noodtrients’ sachet – this is where the protein and vitamins live.
Canola oil (if there was any doubt).
A mixture of vegetables.
Finished (click to enlarge). Added Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, egg, spring onion, bbq pork, sesame seeds, and shichimi togarashi. Noodles are very hearty which I enjoyed. Broth has a nice homestyle kind of pork flavor to it, however is a little on the lass salty side. Vegetables jydrated well. An impressive feat achieved here. 4.0 out of 5.0 stars. No bar code.
No, this is NOT noodles. But it’s a tie in that’s for sure. These are little surimi (fish) sausages to enjoy as a snack, flavored like Buldak Bokkeummyun. I’ve seen these all over recently in different ways – some packs call them ‘Kid’s Bong’ and they come in a variety of flavors. These sounded interesting! Couldn’t resist. Let’s take a look!
Samyang Foods Hot Chicken Flavor Sausage – South Korea
Here’s the wrapper (click to enlarge). Contains fish. To prepare, open by pulling tab, extend sausage. Finally, eat sausage.
The package contains three of them. Note the little red tab.
Finished. I rally didn’t know what to expect with these little sausage things. What I found was they were pretty good – a little chew and a nice seafood and spicy hit from that definitive Buldak Bokkeummyun flavor. Spicy level, not through the roof, but definitely there. For a snack, I’d give these 4 out of 5 stars. EAN bar code 8801073940079.
Here’s one that was in a box from Zenpop. Their monthly boxes feature a slew of varieties from Japan – use coupon code RAMENRATER for a discount! Here’s what they have to say about this one – “The seabura (pork back fat) broth is so delish and addictive, don’t you agree? Its thin noodle is smooth, so the richness of the soup mixes very well together. Toppings are sesame, wood ear mushrooms, scallion, and pickled ginger.”
Okay let’s give it a shot!
Acecook Seabura Tonkotsu Ramen – Japan
Detail of the side panels (click to enlarge). Contains pork. To prepare, fill to line with boiling water and steep 3 minutes. Add in sachet contents. Finally, stir and enjoy!
Finished (click to enlarge). Added barbecue pork, Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, spring onion, sesame seeds and egg. Noodles indeed are thin and hydrated very well in the 3 minutes allotted. The broth is a salty tonkotsu – rich and flavorful. 4.0 out of 5.0 stars. JAN bar code 4901071239831.
Today we have a Zenpop.JP variety – so what’s Zenpop? They’re a subscription service for all things Japanese! Definitely, check them out. By the way, use coupon code RAMENRATER to get $2 off! Here’s what they had to say about this one – ‘The rich and deep flavor of the soup is created with beef, onion, garlic, miso and other spices and seasonings which all keep a perfect balance together. topped with four kinds of ingredients including diced potatoes which are the hidden stars of this dish,’
Cool – curry! Let’s do this.
Sapporo Ichiban Japanese Curry Ramen – Japan
Detail of the side panels (click to enlarge). Contains beeff, chicken and pork. To prepare, To prepare, add in sachet contents and boiling water to line. Cover for 3 minutes. Finally, stir and enjoy!
Finished (click to enlarge). Added soft egg, spring onion, habanero togarashi, Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, and sesame seeds. Noodle were pretty good – not spongy. The broth was a nice one two punch of curry and sweetness which I liked quite a bit. The only down thing was the potatoes which were slow to hydrate. 4.0 out of 5,0 stars. JAN bar code 4901734024545.
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