Category: * Stars 4.1 – 5.0

#4746: Current Instant Noodles Chatpata Masala – India

#4746: Current Instant Noodles Chatpata Masala - India

An interesting name for an instant noodle range. It could be construed in different ways; pertaining to it being in the now, or having to do with weather. It also says ‘yummy & mummy’ on there – never heard this phrase before – mummy? In the UK, a ‘yummy mummy’ means an attractive mother. Couldn’t find exactly what this meant in India except possibly a slang pertaining to children that are picky eaters and that mothers could give them this and they’d eat it? Fascinating. Let’s cook – I’m doing the fried directions on this one. ...see full post

#4739: Samyang Vegetasty Noodle Soup – United States

#4739: Samyang Vegetasty Noodle Soup - United States

You ready for a historic roadshow in a cup? This variety has gone by a few names and packaging wordings, but I’d say this is my favorite.. For example, here is review #695 – savory vegetable flavor. But wait – here’s good old review #1030 – this one is ’60 ingredients’ flavor!  Back in 2011, I reviews the 60 Ingredients cup – review #553! Well, now this one’s called Vegetasty. They’ve dropped the whole looks how many ingredients and given it a very interesting name. I think this one is a troublemaker. The reason I say this is because they want to market it – and indeed it’s been pretty good – but as far as export, it’s a tough one to come up with a good name for perhaps. Vegetasty is kind of catchy, but for a Western audience, it might be a little tricky to pull off. It does bear the Vegan logo on there which is a good thing. Vegetasty sounds very monolithic; like it’s from a sprawling corporate empire. I would say completely revamp. Show farm imagery – crops being cared for or rolling fields in the sun as a background, then in the foreground a basket being held containing lots of different vegetables. Maybe a rustic theme. Then a better name – something like  Nature’s Delight or Back To Nature Vegetable Noodle Soup – granted those aren’t taken already. Either way, vegetable and in particular Vegan varieties are very popular. I;ve been asked many times by companies my thoughts on how to name something for Western markets – a real honor I have to say. Anyways, yeah – let’s cook it – maybe I’m ruminate on the episode on Instant Noodle Recipe Time that appears at the bottom of this post – the finest show in the universe – and you all want to like and subscribe to. Yeah. ...see full post

#4738: Maruchan Seimen Goma Abura Kaoru Toridare Hiyashi – Japan

#4748: Maruchan Seimen Goma Abura Kaoru Toridare Hiyashi - Japan

Here’s one that came in a Zenpop.jp box -here’s what they had to say about it – ‘This is a delicious cup of chilled Mazesoba.🍜 The noodles have a chewy texture, combined with a flavorful chicken sauce infused with sesame oil and green onions🍗✨ It’s a refreshing and savory dish, perfect for summer.🏖️🍉 冷やし中華 (Hiyashi Chuka) is a popular Japanese summer dish.🌞 It features chilled noodles topped with ingredients like cucumber, ham, and eggs, drizzled with a tangy soy-based sauce. This Toridare Hiyashi takes inspiration from this dish, offering a unique twist with its chicken sauce and sesame oil😊🍽️ Enjoy this delightful, cool meal to beat the heat!👊🌞 ‘ ...see full post

#4791: Samyang Nagasaki Jjambbong – United States

#4791: Samyang Nagasaki Jjambbong - United States

This is one I tried when it debuted way back. There were a couple of versions as well. This one is made in South Korea and packaged for sale in the US market. Jjambbong is like a spicy seafood stew. This on the other hand is the same but with a more milky broth. This is a really great one when I’ve had it in the past – let’s visit it again! ...see full post

#4788: A1 Bihun Kari Laksa Curry Laksa Vermicelli – Malaysia

#4788: A1 Bihun Kari Laksa Curry Laksa Vermicelli - Malaysia

Back in October of 2021, I penned a review of the wheat noodle version of this one. It was brought to me locally by a fellow named Andres who found it in Canada and he met me at the local grocery store. I ended up not only reviewing it, but doing a ‘How I Review’ style video which details the nuts and bolts of how I do a review, from photography to image editing, cooking, making the Instant Noodle Recipe Time show, and more. It was published in January of 2022 and you can see it here. ...see full post

#4783: Yamadai Tonkotsu Ramen Japanese Style Noodles – United States

#4783: Yamadai Tonkotsu Ramen Japanese Style Noodles – United States

Found another one of these! This time, not at S*Mart but at the Lynnwood, WA HMart – along with quite a few other things. Usually don’t find a lot there but it was a good haul the other day. I also found a pair of ‘chopsticks for kids that my daughter went crazy for and since she accompanied me in the store, I figured why not. Tonkotsu is one she likes as well, so maybe she’ll get this. Let’s give it a try. ...see full post

#4782: Aram Wonderpokki Spicy Rapokki – South Korea

#4782: Aram Wonderpokki Spicy Rapokki - South Korea

Found this neat one at Boo Han Market on Highway 99 in Edmonds, WA. Rapokki is a combination of noodle and rice cake – a great combo of textures and usually really quite good. Hopefully it works out well – seen a few microwavable varieties not go so well – hopefully this is one that gets a good score as rapokki is a favorite. ...see full post

#4777: Yidu Noodles Artificial Pork Flavor – China

#4777: Yidu Noodles Artificial Pork Flavor - China

“What’s this? What’s this?’ A famous line from the juggernaut critically acclaimed film Max Max: Beyond Thunderdome, uttered inspiringly by Tina Turner. Well, Auntie Entity, I’ll tell you. There are shelf stable fresh noodle from China. Found them at 99 Ranch Market and figured this would be a good one to start with as there are a few different varieties. I have a good feeling about them – let’s cook. ...see full post

#4774: Nissin U.F.O. Koikoi Seafood BBQ Fu Yakisoba – Japan

#4774: Nissin U.F.O. Koikoi Seafood BBQ Fu Yakisoba - Japan

Here’s one that came in a Zenpop.jp box. Here’s what they had to say about it – ‘Nissin’s popular UFO series gets its name from the shape of the bowl. The UFO line are all Yakisoba, or fried noodles. These are eaten without soup, but with amazing topping, spices and sauce. This month’s ZenPop UFO is a summer limited edition BBQ cup, only accessible in Japan and will be sold out once summer is over.’ ...see full post

#4762: Samyang Buldak Hot Chicken Rendang Curry – South Korea

#4762: Samyang Buldak Hot Chicken Rendang Curry - South Korea

Well, look at this! Thanks to The Fat Hipster for sending this over! It’s kind of funny – this is the first of three varieties sent and I’ve been kind of slow to get to them as they’re not instant noodles, they’re curry sauces. However, lately I’ve been making curries constantly lately. I’ve learned the way of black cardamom too. But here we have one by a company also known for their spicy instant noodle. I actually made butter chicken last night too. Let’s see how this one goes. ...see full post

#4755: Indomie Mi Goreng Rasa Cakalang – Indonesia

#4755: Indomie Mi Goreng Rasa Cakalang - Indonesia

A big thank you to Pher Engi for sending these along! I’m getting really low on varieties to review at this point – I’ve been doing four reviews a day lately and have been trying to do so all the way up to my kids going back to school. Twenty days to go until they’re back! They’ve had a lot of fun this summer, but they miss their friends from school of course. So – what is cakalang? It’s skipjack tuna. Many years ago, you could easily find an Indomie variety here (among others you can’t anymore) which mentioned skipjack tuna flavor. Let’s give this one a try. ...see full post

#4731: Vedan Jhen Mian Tang Garlic Pesto Noodle – United States

#4731: Vedan Jhen Mian Tang Garlic Pesto Noodle - United States

This is great – I saw this at S*Mart and couldn’t resist. I generally resist purchasing multipacks as I usually just need one, maybe two package to do a review. I was thinking though perhaps my daughter might like this one so there will be extras. Definitely made in Taiwan, packaged for US sale. One thing too – you might think this is pronounced Vey-dan – it is not. The ve is pronounced ‘way’. So now you know – let’s cook! ...see full post

#4730: Pink Rocket Original Rapokki – United States

#4730: Pink Rocket Original Rapokki - United States

Well, here we are. The standard stuff. This was found at GMart in Lynnwood, Washington. So, what is it? It’s a combination of ramyun and tteokbokki – which are tubes of rice flour that are chewy and truly wondrous. Anyways, these really have been hit and miss on preparation – either dry or exploding in the microwave. Let’s give it another try. ...see full post

#4727: Maggi 2-Minute Noodles Masala – United States

#4727: Maggi 2-Minute Noodles Masala - United States

Yet another packaging design – it should also be noted that this one doesn’t say spicy masala and just masala. I found this at Indian Sweets & Spices in Shoreline, Washington yesterday. Yesterday was a day of finding particular things. I’ve been doing a lot of curry lately and I got some nice basmati, some noodles, some black cardamom and mango pickle there. I also went and got a half pork belly at Double DD Meats, a great butcher shop and holy grail for hot sauces and all things spicy. I must note that while this is made in India, it’s certainly an export version specifically for sale in the United States.  Anyways, time to cook. ...see full post

#4717: Yamadai Shoyu Ramen Japanese Style Noodles – United States

#4717: Yamadai Shoyu Ramen Japanese Style Noodles - United States

Looks like Yamadai/New Touch is getting into the export market game with this and another one I found at S*Mart. Shop smart. Shop S Mart. You may have noticed I keep saying that – it’s where the main character in the film Army Of Darkness works before he’s launched into a bizarre comedic hellscape. Anyways if you’ve not seen that movie you should. Let’s make some shoyu ramen. ...see full post

#4716: Nongshim Premium Udon Style Noodles With Shrimp Tempura – United States

#4716: Nongshim Premium Udon Style Noodles With Shrimp Tempura - United States

Well, dang. I really would have loved to been able to review this sooner but tough to get samples from companies in the United States for some reason. Ah well. I found this at S*Mart – yup – shop smart, shop S Mart. Not sure if they just did a repackaging of the old version or not, but I’m guessing it’s a bit more than that. Let’s give it a try! ...see full post

#4713: Pulmuone Crab Ramen – United States

#4713: Pulmuone Crab Ramen - United States

This one came from James of Lakeside, California – thanks, man! Pulmuone leans towards the healthier end of the stick when it comes to food manufacturing. I believe I read a while back about how there is in fact a large farm Pulmuone runs that is also a school on heritage farming for students in South Korea – pretty cool. Let’s make some crab ramen! ...see full post