Category Archives: * Stars 4.1 – 5.0

#3325: Tabate Yuzu Dashi Shio Ramen – Japan

#3325: Tabate Yuzu Dashi Shio Ramen - Japan

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 have to say about this one – “This package of noodles is a very special one indeed and feels great during the wet season in Japan. First, the broth seasoning in this pack is a great mix of salt (shio) flavoring combined with Japan’s traditional dashi flavor and topped off perfectly with a hint of  citrus from the yuzu fruit (kind of like a lemon/lime). It’s a truly unique combination of  well balanced flavors.”

I’ll be honst, I’ve yet to have a yuzu variety that really has been all that great in my opinion, so fingers crossed for this one – let’s get started.

Tabate Yuzu Dashi Shio Ramen – Japan

#3325: Tabate Yuzu Dashi Shio Ramen - Japan

Detail of the package (click to enlarge). Contains fish, unsure of other meat – check for yourself. To prepare, boil noodles in 500ml water for 4 1/2 minutes. Add in sachet contents. Finally, stir and enjoy!

The noodle block.

A wet sachet.

Finished (click to enlarge). Added sesame seeds, Spring onion, Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, baked chicken, and soft egg. Noodles were on the thin side, but chewy as hell and very good. Broth was strong with shio and dsahi, thin but giving. The yuzu element while not smack in your face danced around in a balance; a triumvirate of balance. 4.75 out of 5.0 stars.  JAN bar code 4901592913401.

Ramen at Home: The Easy Japanese Cookbook for Classic Ramen and Bold New Flavors

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#3323: Samyang Foods Buldak Carbo HOT Chicken Flavor Topokki – South Korea

#3323: Samyang Foods Buldak Carbo HOT Chicken Flavor Topokki - South Korea

Two days in a row of varieties with long names! This one does NOT include noodles, however it’s topokki. What’s that? Wikipedia, if you please –

teok-bokki (떡볶이) or stir-fried rice cakes is a popular Korean food made from small-sized garae-tteok (long, white, cylinder-shaped rice cakes) called tteokmyeon (떡면; “rice cake noodles”) or commonly tteok-bokki-tteok(떡볶이 떡; “tteok-bokki rice cakes”).[1][2] Eomuk(fish cakes), boiled eggs, and scallions are some of the most commonly added ingredients. It can be seasoned with either spicy gochujang (chili paste) or non-spicy ganjang (soy sauce)-based sauce; the former being the most typical form,[3] while the latter is less common and sometimes called gungjung-tteok-bokki (royal court tteok-bokki).

Today, variations also include curry-tteok-bokki, cream sauce-tteok-bokki, jajang-tteok-bokki, seafood-tteok-bokki, galbi-tteok-bokki and so on. Tteok-bokki is commonly purchased and eaten at bunsikjip (snack bars) as well as pojangmacha (street stalls). There are also dedicated restaurants for tteok-bokki, where it is referred to as jeugseog tteok-bokki (impromptu tteok-bokki).

Curry topokki?! Oh man I’m missing out. These little rice tubes of deliciousness are just what the doctor ordered – let’s give it a try!

Samyang Foods Buldak Carbo HOT Chicken Flavor Topokki – South Korea

#3323: Samyang Foods Buldak Carbo HOT Chicken Flavor Topokki - South Korea

Detail of the side panels (click to enlarge). Looks to be meat free but check for yourself. To prepare, add sauce, topokki, and hot water to the line. Microwave for 2 1/2 minutes at 1000W with the lid on. Add in powder. Finally, stir and enjoy!

Detail of the lid (click to enlarge).

An included spork!

A large pouch of topokki.

A wet sachet of sauce.

A dry cheese powder sachet.

Finished (click to enlarge). Added baked chicken. spring onion, sesame seeds, and fried onion. The tteokbokki comes out very well – very satisfying. The carbo flavor is quite good – although came out soupy this go around. Nevertheless it’s very good. 5.0 out of 5.0 stars.  EAN bar code 8801073910287.

Samyang Carbo Buldak Tteokbokki Korean Rice Cake Instant 8oz 230g (Carbo & Roast Chicken Sauce) Snack

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#3322: Ve Wong KUNG-FU Instant Oriental Noodle Soup Artificial Soybean Paste Flavor – Taiwan

#3322: Ve Wong KUNG-FU Instant Oriental Noodle Soup Artificial Soybean Paste Flavor - Taiwan

Over 3000 reviews ago, I tried this, so it’s getting a fresh new review. 3000 reviews – holy cow. This was review #274 – before I’d been to Taiwan, before I really knew about varieties like this. Remarkably, I cooked it correctly due to the decent cooking instructions. But this is a diamond in the rough; one of the very few varieties exported to the United States from Taiwan that are cooked in this unique manner. You might be thinking ‘unique manner?’ Well, this is to be enjoyed as a dry noodle AND a separate soup.In the mood for something interesting? Let’s do this.

Ve Wong KUNG-FU Instant Oriental Noodle Soup Artificial Soybean Paste Flavor – Taiwan

#3322: Ve Wong KUNG-FU Instant Oriental Noodle Soup Artificial Soybean Paste Flavor - Taiwan

Detail of the packaging (click to enlarge). Looks to be meat free but check for yourself. To prepare, add noodle to 400ml boioing water and steep 3-4 minutes. Drain water into a different bowl. Add the dry sachet to the bowl with water and add paste to the noodles. Finally, stir both and enjoy as a soup and noodle separately!

The noodle block.

The paste sachet.

A dry soup base sachet.

Finished (click to enlarge). Added spring onion, sesame seeds, and soft egg. The soybean paste noodle is quite good – with pieces of what I’m guessing are textured vegetable protein. A softer noodle (probably not so soft with the low end of 2~3 minutes). The broth is a salty pariing for the noodle with a nice flavor. As a pair, this is a nic flavor and texture and one is eaten while the other sipped. 4.5 out of 5.0 stars.  EAN bar code 4710008211884.

Oriental Style Beef Noodle(30 packages)

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#3318: Zombear Livingdead Zomramen Shio – Japan

#3399: Zombear Livingdead Zomramen Shio - Japan

I’ve known about this one for a while, but I was finally able to score some – and what better time to roll it out than for Halloween! I’m hpoing it’s good – I mean, when you look at this, your first thought (at least mine) is gimmick – but then again what we find inside looks fascinating – blue noodles! Let’s take a look and see how it tastes!

Zombear Livingdead Zomramen Shio – Japan

#3399: Zombear Livingdead Zomramen Shio - Japan

Detail of the packaging (click to enlarge). Contains meat. To prepare, add noodles to 600ml boiling water and cook 2~3 minutes. Add in sachet contents. Finally, stir and enjoy!

A little card (click to enlarge) showing a couple links – looks like this is a comic.

The blue noodle block.

A single liquid sachet.

Finished (click to enlarge). Added Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, habanero togarashi, chashu, spring onion, chili oil, soft egg, and black sesame seeds. To be honest, this was really quite good. The noodles had a sturdy chew and were of very good quality. The broth was a savory shio – rich with a great flavor. The noodles tinger the broth blue which was a nice touch. Oh – the eyeball? Not edible. Find a victim if you want something along those lines. 4.5 out of 5.0 stars.  JAN bar code 4560298292991.

Zombie Bear Living Dead, Stuffed Animal Plush Toy Unique Teddy Bear 12″ (Yellow)

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#3317: Kubota Men Ganja Saitama Ramen – Japan

#3317: Kubota Men Ganja Saitama Ramen - Japan

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 have to say about this one – “With it’s main shop located in Kawagoe, Saitama tasting a bowl of Ganja Ramen take some time and persistence to get to with over an hours train ride from Tokyo. Nevertheless the trip is well worth it. Knows for both their ramen as well as tsukemen (noodles and soup serves separately) Master Oohashi-san has crafted unique bowls that people from all over Japan line up for.Master Oohashi comes from a long line of noodle makers and prepares the noodles for his shop every morning to ensure the freshest noodles. The noodles in this box of ramen are strong and thick. The soup base is a unique “tonkatsu-gyokai” mix of pork-bone and seafood. The density of the broth perfectly complements the thickness of Master Oohashi’s noodles
The soup is rich and fatty with small morsels of meat and seafood that will cling to the thick noodles.”

Sounds impressive – let’s find out!

Kubota Men Ganja Saitama Ramen – Japan

#3317: Kubota Men Ganja Saitama Ramen - Japan

Detail of the back (click to enlarge). Contains meat and seafood. To prepare, boil noodles for 5 minutes. Combine soup base with 300ml boiling water. Drain noodles. Finally, add noodles and soup to bowl and enjoy!

Two servings f noodle.

Two wet broth sachets.

Finished (click to enlarge). Added egg, chashu, spring onion, Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, nanami togarashi, narutomaki, and black sesame seeds. The noodles are very thick and have a very authentic chewiness which is just right. Broth is like a kind of fatty cured pork and soy sauce flavor with a oiliness and richness. 5.0 out of 5.0 stars.  JAN bar code 4972874209963.

ramen kitakata aizuwakamatsu koriyama iwaki Gourmet Information in Koriyama (Japanese

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#3314: O’Taste Jjajang Tteokbokki With Noodles – South Korea

#3314: O'Taste Jjajang Tteokbokki With Noodles - South Korea

I got three different version of this up in Canada. After a little translation work, it looks to be Jjajang

O’Taste Jjajang Topokki With Noodle – South Korea

Import/distributor’s label (click to enlarge).

#3314: O'Taste Jjajang Tteokbokki With Noodles - South Korea

Detail of the side panels (click to enlarge). Looks to be meat free but check for yourself. To prepare, add 80ml water to the line in the cup. Add noodles, veggies, and seasoning. Microwave for 3 and a half minutes. To prepare on the stove (how I’ll be doing it) Add 160ml water to a pot and boil. Add noodles and cook for a minute and a half. Add veggies and seasoning, stir in, and cook an additional minute and a half.

Detail of the lid (click of enlarge).

An included fork!

A little nest of noodles.

Tteokbokki!

A wet sauce sachet.

Finished (click to enlarge). Added spring onion and sesame seeds. The noodles are great – working with the sloppiness of the sauce – tteokbokki also was the same. Sauce was interesting – like a sweet and spicy tteokbokki sauce with notes of black bean. Delightful – first one I’ve eaten that wasn’t a mukbang in a while. 5.0 out of 5.0 stars.  EAN bar code 8809061679017.

Otaste Roasted Misugaru Multi Grain Powder, 2 Pound

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#3313: Nissin Raoh Kogashi Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen – Japan

#3313: Nissin Raoh Kogashi Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen - Japan

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 – ‘This is called geikikara’ (extremely hot); however, it’s not as hot as it thinks it is. We bet you will like this even if you are not a big fan of spiciness. The rich tonkotsu soup contains delicious ma-yu (burnt sesame oil and garlic), and it creates an irresistable smell for your appetite. The unique octagonal form of the box is to let it stand out from other noodles.’

The non-spicy version made a high spot on the 2019 Top Ten Instant Noodle Bowls list – let’s give this one a try.

Nissin Raoh Kogashi Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen – Japan

#3313: Nissin Raoh Kogashi Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen - Japan

Detail of the side panels (click to enlarge). Contains pork. To prepare, take out sachets and add dry ones in. Add 400ml boiling water and cover 5 minutes. Add in liquid sachet contents. Finally, stir and enjoy!

Detail of the lid (click to enlarge).

The noodle block – a little darker than most.

A wet sachet.

Another wet sachet.

Lots of solid bits in this dry sachet.

Finished (click to enlarge). Added narutomaki, fried garlic, Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, egg, spring onion, chashu, shichimi togarashi, and black sesame seeds. Noodles are exemplary – thick with a nice chew. Broth is very meaty and full with a nice heat level that doesn’t detract from the rich flavors within. Lots of meat and veg in here. 5.0 out of 5.0 stars.  JAN bar code 4902105245972.

Nissin – Raoh, Japanese Instant Noodles, Burned soy sauce Soup, 4.1oz X 6bowls

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#3309: Itsuki Spicy Miso Tonkotsu Ramen – Japan

#3309: Itsuki Spicy Miso Tonkotsu Ramen - Japan

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!

I found some info online about this one and had to use Google translation –

● Miso-tonkotsu ramen where you can feel the taste in the hotness, which is made by adding the spicy taste with the chili pepper and soya bean paste to the pork broth, and the richness with the miso and the flower bud. 

● The soup is based on a hot pepper base with chili pepper and comes out with 2 kinds of rice miso and neri sesame seeds, and it has an exquisite and deep taste with the addition of the flavor of fish and the smell of florets. 

● Excellent compatibility with soup and straight non-fried noodles. 

● For hot taste, I blended several spices and seasonings, and I was particular about not only the hotness but also the quality of hotness. 

-It is a tonkotsu ramen that is unbearable for those who really like hot things. 

● Please note that this is a very hard ramen.

So this kind of sounds like it may be a mukbang – unsure at this point. But very cool either way! Let’s check it out!

Itsuki Spicy Miso Tonkotsu Ramen – Japan

#3309: Itsuki Spicy Miso Tonkotsu Ramen - Japan

Detail of the packaging (click to enlarge). Guessing it contains meat, but check for yourself. To prepare, add noodles to 500ml boiling water and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add sachet contents. Finally, stir and enjoy!

The straight ramen noodles.

A dry powder sachet.

A wet sachet.

Finished (click to enlarge). Added narutomaki, chashu, spring onion, black sesame seeds, habanero togarashi, chili oil, and Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts. Was impressed by this one as it was very different. Noodles come out nicely – straight noodles are with a good mouthfeel and chew. The broth is very different insofar as it is quite spicy and it has this smoky pepper taste – kind of leaning in the direction of chipotle. It worked well and was fascinating to me. 5.0 out of 5.0 stars.  JAN bar code 4901726014165.

#3238: Itsuki Soba - Japan

Itsuki food 2 co-yaki soba 340gX6 pieces

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#3308: Teishi Old Wine Instant Noodles – Taiwan

#3308: Teishi Old Wine Instant Noodles - Taiwan

Here’s something new from Tiawan from a brand I’ve not tried before. This one contains alcohol – yep – real booze! In the past I’ve tried varieties which contain different spirits and found them to be pretty good; the alcohol adds a nice bit of richness and flavor. Let’s give this one a try!

Teishi Old Wine Instant Noodles – Taiwan

#3308: Teishi Old Wine Instant Noodles - Taiwan

Detail of the packaging (click to enlarge). Contains alcohol. To prepare, add noodle block and sachets (not alcohol sachet) and boil 4-5 minutes. Add in alcohol sachet contents. Finally, stir and enjoy!

The noodle block.

A dry soup base sachet.

A wet sachet of seasoned oil.

The wet sachet of wine.

Finished (click to enlarge). Added spring onion, bbq pork, Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, egg, red pepper flake, and sesame seeds. Wow – this really was quite good. It was such a rich and savory broth – kots of flavor and the wine really complimented it! Noodles were a little thicker than an average instant and had great mouthfeel and chew. 5.0 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 4710969979359.

#3160: Mazendo Noodles With Chili Mala Sauce - Taiwan

The Food of Taiwan: Recipes from the Beautiful Island

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#3307: O’Taste Pho Rice Noodle HOT – South Korea

#3307: O'Taste Pho Rice Noodle HOT - South Korea

Here’s another one I found over at Boo Han Market in Edmonds, Washington. This new O’Taste brand seems to be cropping up a lot lately. It’s interesting as it’s not exactly a Nongshim variety, but it’s Taekyung Food & Processing, and I’m unsure exactly how they fit in with the Nongshim corporate structure. Maybe I should find out.

Anyways, this isn’t the first Pho I’ve seen from a South Korean company. Nongshim’s Farmer’s Heart range (Farmer’s Heart is a translation of Nongshim) has one. Let’s give it a try!

O’Taste Pho Rice Noodle HOT – South Korea

Detail of the side panels (click to enlarge). Contains fish. To prepare, add everything to the cup and boiling water to the fill line. Cover for 4 minutes. Finally, stir and enjoy!

#3307: O'Taste Pho Rice Noodle HOT - South Korea

Detail of the lid (click to enlarge).

The rice noodles.

A dry soup base sachet.

Dry vegetables sachet.

Finished (click to enlarge). Added pork, star anise, Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, red pepper flake, coriander, and sesame seeds. The rice noodles hydrated perfectly with a soft tooth that worked magnificently with the broth. Broth had all the hallmarks of pho and was believable. Impressed as I’ve never found an instant pho I truly enjoyed. 5.0 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 8809061676429.

Otaste Roasted Misugaru Multi Grain Powder, 2 Pound

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#3306: Itsuki Tempura Soba – Japan

#3306: Itsuki Tempura Soba - Japan

Here’s one from an Umai Crate – a subscription box from Japan. Use coupon code THERAMENRATER for a discount if you’d like to get one! Here’s what they have to say about it – ‘There’s a saying in Japan that long noodles are good luck for a long life! These soba (buckwheat) noodles are extra long for that reason! They also come with tasty crispy tempura balls, seaweed and crunchy shrimp.’

This one is interesting since in a previous Umai Crate, there was one that looks almost identical, but only had the powder sachet where this one has the topping as well – a nice addition! Let’s check it out.

Itsuki Tempura Soba – Japan

#3306: Itsuki Tempura Soba - Japan

Detail of the packaging (click to enlarge). Contains fish. To prepare, boil noodle in 300ml water for 1 minute. Add in soup base and stir. Finally, top with garnish and enjoy!

The fresh soba noodles.

A dry soup base sachet.

The garnish sachet.

Finished (click to enlarge). Added kamaboko, spring onion, Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, and sesame seeds. The noodles are very good – soft and a good texture. The broth is my favorite tempura broth; not too sweet, not too fishy – just right on all fronts. The included garnish was particularly enjoyable with tempura at the forefront. 4.5 out of 5.0 stars.  JAN bar code 4901726014127.

Itsuki – Kumamoto Mokkosu Ramen for 1 Servning

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Indomie Prison Ramen Burrito – Instant Noodle Recipe Time

How do you feel? Yeah – you feel better knowing you can make a lovely burrito out of Indomie Mi Goreng now, don’t you? Well, watch the video and then you will. I’ll walk you through the incredibly easy process step by step.

Note – an article I found mentioned I got these ingredients on Amazon. Actually, you can get them there or you can get them where I did – in Edmonds, Washington at a little store full of awesome Indonesian food called Waroeng Jajanan!

Waroeng Jajanan – 22315 Hwy 99 Suite I – Edmonds WA 98026  Phone: 425 412 7025 – www.waroengjajanan.com

Indomie Prison Ramen Burrito – Instant Noodle Recipe Time

You can get everything you’ll need on Amazon for this – Chitato Indomie chips, ZONA or Rotary Kerupuk Aci, and of course the Indomie!

Here is the glory (click to enlarge). Everything you need to know is right there in the video above! It came out perfectly in this experiment (never made this before so lucked out). Make it yourself and send pictures!