Over 5,000 Instant Ramen Noodle Reviews Since 2002
Prawn Mee as it is called in Penang, Malaysia is a very popular dish. Mee means noodles by the way. A broth that’s sweet and absolutely jam packed with prawn flavor is the norm, but in this one, we have a vegetarian option. Let’s see how well vegetarian elements can come together to mimic a full-bodied prawn mee!
This one came by way of Michael over at EastLand Foods – thanks! I haven’t reviewed a Vietnamese instant noodle in ages it seems like – let’s see what we have here!
This one came from Shinichi over at Ramen Mania, a new monthly subscription box you can check out! They have special regional Japanese ramen varieties – good stuff so far! Thanks! So today it’s a special shio ramen. What’s shio you ask? Shio translates to salt. Here’s a little more on shio from Wikipedia:
Here’s another one that was sent to me by James B. from The Netherlands – thanks! First off, this one is oosterse groenten, which translates to oriental vegetable. These are from The Netherlands and made by Unilever. Let’s check ’em out!
This is one I saw posted on facebook by one of the nice folks I met at MAMA in May. I was very curious about it and so I asked if I could get some samples – thank you! This one and the vegetarian tom yum are made specifically for October. Why? Well, there’s a special Vegetarian Festival in Thailand during October! Here’s a little about it:
Here’s one I found at the 7-11 next to our hotel when we visit Thai President Foods in Bangkok back in May! I think the first time I tried a tom yum flavored instant, I didn’t like it. Through the years, I’ve gained a serious love for the flavor – the chilli, the shrimp, the lemongrass. It all comes together so well and the place where I had some of the best of course was in Thailand. Really hope to return someday with my sons and have them try all the amazing foods there! Anyways, let’s check out this cup!
So this is the last one that I got during my trip last October to meet the folks at MyKuali in Malaysia. We took a ferry from Georgetown, Penang over to Butterworth, Penang and went to an Econsave where I got to get a ton of instant noodles! It was a real blast for sure. Almost exactly a year ago today we were on our way home – probably was over the pacific at this point! Wow – truly was an amazing trip. I want to thank them for their kindness and for showing us such a good time! Let’s check out this last one that I brought back.
Here’s another one that the nice folks at Thai President Foods in Thailand sent me after my trip in May. These are made in Bangladesh by their factory there! Tandoori flavor though – what’s that? Wikipedia had this to say:
This is a special one sent to me by the kind folks at Thai President Foods – thanks again! So this month (October) there is a special festival that takes place in Thailand and other places in Asia involving vegetarianism. Here’s a little info on it from wikipedia:
Hey check it out – Nissin Cup Noodles got a big facelift.
Here’s how they used to look – cardboard outer packaging is now gone. Less packaging and different materials have been used to make them more environmentally friendly. Also, they’re now microwavable! Yes, I’m sure many of you microwaved them before, but you weren’t supposed to. The new cups also have a little extra room so you can add veggies and meats or whatever you want to oomph up your noodles! Let’s check this new cup out!
To those of you have followed my blogs and my Bottom Ten lists for a while, you know what this is. To those who haven’t, let me introduce you to this one. In my original review, I was really put off by this one. I thought it had some kind of ‘dirt and urine’ odor to it. But this is a new version. First, what’s fei chang? Here’s something I found on a blog called Food And Drink Chengdu:
Here’s another one my sister got for me while up in Canada a couple of weeks ago! Thanks, Sue! I’ve been really hoping to try more rice vermicelli lately but been having trouble sourcing any from around here and hoping to find some manufacturer who might want me to review some of their stuff! The top ten rice noodles list this year was a lot of fun and definitely want to make it a yearly kind of thing! Anyways, let’s check out these crab flavored noodles from Thailand!
Another one got in Penang on my Malaysia trip last year I want to get reviewed before expiry. So from looking around, this sounds to be bah kut teh flavor. What’s that? Wikipedia, if you please…
The onslaught of Malaysian varieties continues! This is yet another I got on last year’s trip to Penang, Malaysia. If you’re wondering what Ayam Cendawan means, basically it’s chicken mushroom. My wife Kit really likes mushrooms, so I thought I’d make this one for her today. Let’s check it out!
Another I picked up in Butterworth, Penang during my Malaysia trip last year. That Econsave was really great – so many varieties! Trying to run through them before they expire! Not this one’s a little interesting – you might say the logo kind of looks familiar… Well, it’s made in Thailand for the Malaysian market by President Rice Products. They make all of the MAMA branded rice vermicelli – and in Malaysia their products go under the name PAMA. Simple really. Anyways, let’s check this one out!
One of the last ones I got during my trip to Penang, Malaysia last year to visit the folks at MyKuali. This is from a store called Econsave. I had seen this Super brand before but was always curious if I’d end up with any of them; very elusive. Let’s check out the pepper crab mi goreng!
I’ve tried quite a few tomato flavored instant noodles over the years. What’s kind of interesting s that many of them hail from Taiwan – including this one I’ll be trying today, I can count three in all, and that could be missing one or more. I like tomatoes – they’re pretty tasty and have a seemingly endless global appeal. Let’s have a look at this Taiwanese variety with a tomato taste.
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!
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 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!
Here’s one that should be familiar to instant noodle fans from almost everywhere, and especially those from Cambodia! This one is made specifically for the Cambodian marketplace. I got this sent to me after seeing it at the 2015 TF Eurpean Agent meeting I was invited to check out earlier this year in Bangkok, Thailand! Curious to see if it’s different than the one sold here in the US. Let’s find out!
I recently did the Top Ten Spiciest list and the not-so-distant cousin of this one (basically the pack version) was in the second place position. I think this one was definitely violently hot and a good choice for the Fire Noodle Challenge that lots of people do on YouTube. Anyways, let’s see what we have in the bowl and maybe I’ll have to give this Fire Noodle Challenge a shot.
Hey check it out – Nissin Cup Noodles got a big facelift.
Here’s how they used to look – cardboard outer packaging is now gone. Less packaging and different materials have been used to make them more environmentally friendly. Also, they’re ot microwavable! Yes, I’m sure maky of you microwaved them before, but you weren’t supposed to. The new cups also have a little extra room so you can add veggies and meats or whatever you want to oomph up your noodles! Let’s check this new cup out!
This one’s made by Thai President Foods’ Hungarian factory for a supermarket chain in Finland. As many know, tom yum is a spicy Thai soup with lemongrass. Katkarapu translates to shrimp in Finnish, so this is a shrimp tom yum variant. Let’s have a look inside!
Here’s another new one from Mom’s Dry Noodle. This one’s got something inside none of the others do – FIVE sachets. Five. That’s a lot! Let’s crack the bag open and see what’s inside.
Here’s yet another one I got from the 7-Eleven next to our hotel from last May’s Bangkok trip. Like some others, this one got banged up pretty good, but still made it through in good enough condition to review. What’s a trip about this one is that it’s showcasing Manchester United. I’ve seen a few products with Manchester United footballers on them. As far as the flavor, I looked aoround and it sounds like Moo Manao is a popular dish with pork and lime. Let’s check it out!
I’m always in a quandry when it comes to duck and here’s why: it’s tough to find duck around here. I mean, why can’t we just go to the grocery store and get a couple slices of cooked duck at the deli counter? Chicken? Sure, no prolem. Turkey, pork, beef? Again, no problem. So on this one, I unfortunately have no duck to go with it, which is unfortunate – I really like duck! Well, let’s check out this one from Malaysia!
Here’s another one that was sent to me by James B. from The Netherlands – thanks! So this one is made in Thailand but definitely for the Dutch market. It’s an interesting one for sure – seen them online for a few years but never been able to get my hands on any – until now! I like how it says ‘decent noodles’ next to where it says iMee – as opposed to indecent noodles! Let’s check ’em out!
Here’s another neat one that I saw during my trip to Thailand and the kind folks at Thai President Foods sent me a sample of! This one’s made in Bangladesh. Hot and spicy sounds good – let’s check it out!
Got this one at the Econsave in Butterworth, Penang, Malaysia last year. Curry noodles! Let’s check ’em out!
Here’s one that was sent to me by James B. from The Netherlands – thanks! I’ve had a couple of this brand’s varieties before; they were sent to me by some folks at a Dutch tech magazine after I did an interview for them. That was waaaay back, so it’s pretty cool to be able to review new one! Let’s check ’em out!
I’m happy to report that this is the first post I’m doing using my new computer setup. Took a while to get everything all happy but now it’s quite happy as am I. Anyways, we found these in Lynnwood, WA at a store called BigLots. I’ve found varieties there in the past – kind of like a liquidation place. This one seems to definitely be for the western market although made in Thailand. Let’s check it out.
It’s been really hard to find new varieties from Indonesia lately and I was really stoked to find a total of four of them the other day! I always try to keep things mixed up – reviewing a different product from a different country every day if possible. It can be tough sometimes but lately I’ve been ending up with quite a range of varieties which is great. Anyways, let’s check out this one from Indonesia!
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!
Here’s another one that was sent to me from Thailand by the Thai President Foods folks. This is made in the EU for the German market! I thought maybe I’d make my son some beef flavored instant noodles today – let’s have a look!
Here’s yet another I got last year at the Econsave in Butterowrth, Penang, Malaysia! I’d seen this Super brand before and had always wondered if I’d ever get some. Took travelling thousands of miles, but I got some! Let’s have a look at this Malaysian cup.
Here’s another one that was sent to me by the folks at Exotic Noods – thanks! This looks to be a somen served hot,m which would make it along the lines of nyumen which is served in Winter.I must admit, when I see low sodium and low calorie I usually don’t shudder with delight; I’ve had some pretty bad ones that have these tags. But, you never know! Let’s have a look at this one!
Been a while since I’ve done a pho review. I would definitely say I’m a fan of pho, but definitely the beef varieties. Where I live, there’s no end to the pho restaurants – I’m guessing there’s probably at least 20 within 5 miles of here. Anyways, let’s check this one out.
This year, Taiwan made The Ramen Rater’s top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2015 edition for the first time with A-Sha’s Veggie Noodle Tomato variety. This one is part of the same line, which also includes carrot and ‘baby grass’ flavors which I’m also hoping to try soon! Let’s have a look at this interesting variety.
This one’s made by Thai President Foods’ Hungarian factory for a supermarket chain in Finland. It took a little translating to figure out and then I looked at the package; see the pepper? Yeah – hot and spicy instant noodles. Oh wait – then I tried it. Indeed it was hot and spicy, but something else I detected. It turns out ‘liha’ translates to ‘meat.’ It kind of reminded me of… Well, read on…
