Found this one at 99 Ranch Market recently and thought it would be neat to try. It just amazes me how many Taiwanese dry noodle varieties and brands there are out there. They just keep popping up and so many contact me and ask if I’ll review them – which I really enjoy – and there are still brands I’ve never seen left and right! Let’s give this one a try!
Shuang Ren Hsu Famous Chinese Noodles Sesame & Peanuts – Taiwan
Detail of the package liner (click to enlarge). Looks to be meat free but check for yourself. To prepare, boil noodles 4~5 minutes. Drain. Add sachet contents. Finally, stir and enjoy!
The noodle block.
A dry sachet of peanut powder.
A wet sachet of soy sauce.
A wet sachet of oil.
A dry sachet of vegetable flake.
A dry sachet of sesame seeds.
A dry sachet of crushed red chili.
Finished (click to enlarge). Added soft egg, Youku Sichuan pepper powder, spring onion, and sesame seeds. Noodles came out pretty well – kind of on the fluffy side for dry noodles. The flavor was interesting; peanut was light and soy did a good job. Oiliness made it very slippery. Flavors seemed slightly muted but all in all not bad. 3.5 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 4715409919094.
This is blue! I really like the color of this package – very striking and vibrant. These are something new from Three Meters – Belt Noodles. They’re very wide – kind of like a belt! The flavor sounds quite nice as well. Let’s check these out!
Three Meters Pepper Sesame Belt Noodles – Taiwan
Detail of the packaging (click to enlarge). Looks to be meat free but check for yourself. To prepare, boil noodles for 5 minutes in 1000ml water, stirring gently. Midway through add 100ml cold water. Drain. Add in sachet contents. Finally, stir and enjoy!
One of three individual servings.
The belt noodles.
A wet sachet of sesame paste.
A wet sachet – guessing soy sauce.
A third sachet – looks like oil.
A dry sachet of Sichuan pepper.
Finished (click to enlarge). Added chashu pork, tea egg, scallions, and sesame seeds. Noodles are very broad with a nice chew to them – not too chewy or too soft but just right. The flavor is a nice coat of sesame, saltiness from soy, and pepper. It worked incredibly well. 5.0 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 4713361500121.
I’ve seen these recently at our local 99 Ranch Market in Edmonds, Washington. They’re on the more expensive end – closer to $6USD which is pretty steep, but I wanted to do a Spicy Noodle Mukbang video, was in the mood for something new from Taiwan… This just smacked of something interesting to try. Not only that, it was in a box. I swear, although more expensive, little boxes that are fancy with instant noodles in them are pretty dang cool.
A reader told me that this guy, Nic Xie, is a well-known actor from China. Let’s check these out!
Chef Nic’s Noodles Hot And Spicy – Taiwan
Detail of the box (click to enlarge). Looks to be meat free but check for yourself. To prepare, boil noodles for 3 minutes and drain. Add in sachet contents. Finally, stir and enjoy!
A tight little noodle block.
A wet sachet. Watch the Instant Noodle Recipe Time video to see contents!
Another wet sachet.
Crushed Sichuan peppercorn.
Finished (click to enlarge). Added barbecue pork, scallions, a tea egg, and black sesame seeds. The noodles have a great gauge and mouthfeel – fat little chewy strands. They pick up the sauce well, which is an amalgam of spicy Sichuan pepper flavor and sweetness and saltiness. Really worked well together – love it. 5.0 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 4897069140244.
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
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.
Usually, this is a summer list, coming out late July or early August. No more. Why? A couple of reasons – first, I’ve been busy. The whole diet and exercise thing has kind of taken over my life – which is good and a pain at the same time. I do a LOT of walking – often 15 miles in a day. This takes a lot of time and so there’s that. The other reason is that I’ve heard many ask why this list doesn’t come later in the year when it’s colder.
I figure we’ve had a handful of days already dipping below 32F (0C) and so that’s a good qualifier for being cold. It’s just been hard to find time mainly but no more. Here’s the list in all of it’s glory – with a new #1 and a lot of burning behind it! I want to note that the top couple in this list are really hot and if you’ve never tried spicy stuff, you might want to give some others a try first – they really messed me up! Don’t hurt yourself!
One other thing to note – this year I’ve got not only a link to the review of each one on the list but nine of them have mukbang videos linked as well. Anyways, here’s The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Spiciest Instant Noodles Of All Time 2020 Edition!
The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Spiciest Instant Noodles Of All Time 2020 Edition
Video Presentation
Watch as I go through The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Spiciest Instant Noodles Of All Time 2020 Edition list.f All Time 2020 Edition in detail!
Taihodien is a popular restaurant in Taiwan and apparently, they don’t know when to quit when it comes to Sichuan peppercorn. I mean really – this is so full of ’em that it will numb up your brain and buzz you in to next week! Original review
#9: Paldo Bulnak Bokkummyun Spicy Fried Noodle – South Korea
A spicy one to be sure and flavored with the sauce one would put on baby octopus! A twist on the spicy Korean chicken, this features thick chewy ramyun noodles and broth free form – sweet and spicy all the way. Mukbang – Original review
#8: Paldo Volcano Curry Kkokkomyun – South Korea
Another dry noodle from South Korea by Paldo. This doesn’t feature the curry flavor I would have expected; it’s kind of like it’s own rendition of curry which didn’t honestly make me really think of curry all that much. But it’s spicy – that’s definitely not in question. Mukbang – Original review
#7: Paldo Teumsae Ramen 9,413SHU Version – South Korea
I’ve ben trying to get this one for a very long time and the folks at Paldo finally sent me some – thanks! This one was very tasty and very hot, although I remember the first time I tried it many years ago and it blew my head off. These days it’s not too hot to handle for me, but it’s still plenty hot. Mukbang – Original review
#6: Liangchengmei 30S” Hot Bird Noodle – China
Thirty seconds to cook, featuring fresh noodles. This company is coming up with some really unique and delicious varieties which I thoroughly enjoy. This one is very reminiscent of another one on this list with a chicken. Mukbang – Original review
#5: Samyang Foods Buldak Bokkeummyeon – South Korea
While not the spiciest in their lineup, I find this to be the real baseline for the heatwave instant noodles have experienced in the past few years. This is the origination of the Fire Noodle Challenge – and it’s popular. I can get this at the local store even – and that’s really saying something to it’s popularity. Mukbang – Original review
#4: Mamee Shinsegae Ghost Pepper Spicy Chicken – Malaysia
Not the first time Malaysia’s been on this list that’s for sure, but the spiciest offering by far. Black noodles – that’s all I’ve got to say. Ominous and lethal! Mukbang – Original review
#3: Samyang Foods Buldak Mini – South Korea
The absolutely hottest Samyang Buldak variety yet. In this video I have it wrong – this is almost 2.75x spicy. What I liked about it was that the noodle block was smaller, so doing a mukbang wasn’t such a gut-filling fiesta. Would like to see an extra challenging one though – 20,000 next time! Mukbang – Original review
The only variety I’ve NOT been able to conquer. Fail. Twice. First off, I think these taste awful outside of the violent spiciness; like burnt plastic curry. What’s rough is that this calls for 700ml water which I believe is the top end of any instant I’ve had. Not only that, you’d think that would dilute to the point of almost bland but it most certainly does not. I managed 1/4 to a 1/3 each time of trying this. The sheer size of the bowl plays a psychological game with you. It’s mean. Mukbang – Original review
#1: Culley’s World’s Hottest Ramen – New Zealand
This was hard. The only reason I was able to finish it was because of the size. I think that’s why many people have conquered this one. There are some issues with the directions on this one and I think they could be changed without effecting flavor/heat level. Basically, cook the noodles, drain, add in boiling water and sachets and stir. This was conquering the worm for me. I pounded it and then it pounded me. Eight hours of capsaicin cramping – oh so bad. Felt like an alien was going to pierce its way out of my stomach – no joke. Plus I went through a phase where I was tingling all over, slightly numb, and kind of cold. I either went into or teetered on the edge of being in shock – endorphin land to be sure. Mukbang – Original Review
#1 vs. #2: Comparing Two Ultra Spicy Monsters
Okay so these are both violently hot, but there are a couple big differences that make them very hard for me to pit head to head. The 18 Prohibited is downright huge – it’s a big portion. The Culley’s is quite manageable where size is concerned. So, that raises a couple of questions.
If the 18 Prohibited were the same size of the Culley’s, would I be able to eat it all? Yeah – just like the Culley’s I would have been able to just plow through it. If the Culley’s were the same size as the 18 Prohibited? Oh God no – nobody could. So, I went with the one that seemed hotter to me. Like I said above, the 18 Prohibited has a bit of a psychological game it plays just from the size of the beast, whereas it’s quite possible to finish the Culley’s before the full build of heat has even unleashed.
Another gauge is the pepper used itself. The 18 Prohibited uses Bhut Jolokia and the Culley’s Carolina Reaper. One could simply search Wikipedia for SHU levels of each variety, but that doesn’t fly since the exact quantity of each would need to be taken into account; I could make a little meat pie with Carolina Reaper mash that has a very high SHU, but if I use an eyedrop worth or a half cup is what’s going to decide the heat really.
In the end, I went with the one that ended up having the most effect on me, and that was the Culley’s. I didn’t eat the whole 18 Prohibited, but I’m kind of guessing I would not have been able to keep all of that one down, and definitely couldn’t these days what with my diet and exercise regimen really changing how I can tolerate not only the sheer heat but such a straight carb slam like these.
Here’s the second of the Teishi varieties I received recently. The first one was truly exceptional – curious how this one’s going to go – let’s find out!
Detail of the packaging (click to enlarge). Contains alcohol. To prepare, add noodle block and sachets (not alcohol sachet) and boil in 450ml water for 4~5 minutes. Add in alcohol sachet contents. Finally, stir and enjoy!
The noodle block.
A dry sachet.
A wet seasoned oil sachet.
The sachet of wine.
Finished (click to enlarge). Added egg, spring onion, chili oil, and black sesame seeds. Noodles came out well – nice gauge and plumpness here. Broth was pretty good although I found the previous variety from Teishi was much better. Wine is a nice accompaniment, however previous version worked better. 3.5 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 4710969979366.
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
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.
Here’s one the folks at A-Sha sent over – thanks again! I like spicy and I like scallions a lot. Scallions (spring onion/green onion) are one of the things I always have to have on hand. Period. Let’s check these out!
A-Sha Jin Kung Fu Spicy Scallion Noodle – Taiwan
Detail of the package (click to enlarge). Unsure whether it contains meat – check ofr yourself. To prepare, boil noodles for 5 minutes and 30 seconds. Drain. Add in sachet contents. Finally, stir and enjoy!
The dry noodle block.
A wet sachet.
Chives.
Pepper flake.
Finished (click to enlarge). Added spring onion and sesame seeds. Noodles are broad and have a nice doneness and chewiness. The flavor is a sweet, spicy, and savory one with the greenery component working very well alongside the other flavors. Hard oto put down. 5.0 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 4715635853957.
This is the seventh year of the Top Ten Taiwan Instant Noodles list! Every year, I’m truly amazed at the innovation and unique varieties coming from the beautiful island of Taiwan. If you haven’t had the experience of visiting, you really should – the food, the culture – it truly has been a life changing experience for me. Growing up, all I knew of Taiwan was labels on products that simply said ‘made in Taiwan’ – but it so much more. One aspect is the noodle, and they’re really unique and delicious. This is a list of my favorite out of the reviews I’ve done up to number 3,284. Many images you will see have garnish, however only the base product before any is added is what’s reviewed, as in all of my reviews. I hope you enjoy this year’s list and consider trying some of these great varieties if you’ve not tried before – they’re really great! With that, here’s the Top Ten Taiwanese Instant Noodles Of All Time 2020 Edition.
The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Taiwanese Instant Noodles Of All Time 2020 Edition
Video Presentation
Watch me talk about each variety of The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Taiwanese Instant Noodles Of All Time 2020 Edition. A special addition this year is a list at the end of honorable mentions!
The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Taiwanese Instant Noodles Of All Time 2020 Edition
#10: A-Sha Dry Noodle Dan Zai Noodle
The noodles have a flat and broad gauge and an excellent chewiness I’ve come to expect from the A-Sha line of products. The flavor is very good – a kind of spicy, salty, slightly sweet and then this savoriness to it – lots of spices that I can really only describe as tasking like Taiwan. Original review
#9: Three Meters Noodles Shallot Taste
Nice gauge and light chew. The flavor was just mind-blowingly good and I am thoroughly excited about this one. The shallot flavor is just right – not too salty, not too pushy – just exactly perfect. Original review
#8: TTL Pickled Vegetable Beef With Hua Diao Liquor
This one I enjoyed immensely – lots of noodles, but the broth was the show stopper. The combo of the liquor and the rich beef broth was very savory. Add vegetables and real beef from the retort pouch and there’s why it’s on this list. Original review
A very recent review. Found this at a local store and the combo of ginger and sesame was intriguing. Take a thin noodle and combine it aptly with the aforementioned flavors and there you go. Very tasty ginger and sesame are in the forefront and it’s just plain umami incarnate. Original review
#6: Tseng Noodle Scallion With Sichuan Pepper Flavor
A wide noodle with scalloped edges. These have the bonus of a thin edge and thicker center, giving a delicate as well as hearty aspect. The flavor is very good – a soy bump, some onion hit, then the Sichuan pepper oil. It all works together magnificently. Original review
#5: Little Cook Thailand Green Curry Chicken
This bowl, in fact, is two bowls. One you steep the noodles in. The second? Drain the broth from the first by poking holes in the lid and pour into it. The noodle is accompanied by a spicy green curry and chunks of vegetable and real chicken. The broth slurping soup worked well too. Original review
#4: Xiao Ban Mian Traditional Shallot & Scallion Oil Noodle
Start with a thin kind of rectangular noodle with a strong chew. The flavor that comes with it is a sweet and savory shallot and scallion oil – and it works so well. Who would think something so simple could be so delightful. Original review
#3: Mom’s Dry Noodle Blue Elephant Curries
I think it’s safe to say most people who follow this website are keen on the fact that I love Thai food and I love curry. What’s neat here is that these curries – one red and one green – pair so well with a Taiwanese noodle – and naturally so. Savory curries and dry noodles marry in such a way that a perfect balance of two cuisines harmonize rather than find conflict or dissonance. Impressive! Original reviews 1& 2
#2: Mom’s Dry Noodle Dan Dan Noodle
The noodles came out with a very nice chew. They aren’t mushy whatsoever and have a confident backbone. The flavor is very good as well. The notes of sesame, Sichuan pepper oil, Sichuan pepper in the dry mix, sesame sauce as well as soy sauce all work together and play well with each other; nobody’s feet get stepped on. Simple yet complex. Original review
#1: A-Sha Gourmet Braised Beef Noodle
For a long time, I’ve really enjoyed this style of noodle from Taiwan. It’s wide, with a center line which is thicker, and the sides are thinner – which gives them a very unique and wonderful mouthfeel. I’ve also always thought that these would just sing is in a broth (usually they are presented with a combination of sauces but no broth). The soup is rich with a strong beef flavor and hint of Sichuan peppercorn that do not overwhelm. The nice part is the inclusion of real beef in here. It should be noted that there is a special version of this that comes out during Lunar New Year which includes Wagyu beef – very expensive at a whopping $15USD per serving!, but very tasty as well. Original review
Updates
Top Ten Lists
Usually, this Taiwan list would have been released 3 weeks ago – the spicy list would’ve been released last month – what gives?! Well, I’ve been busy. With my 3 year old son Miles home from preschool all summer, time has been spent with him a lot more. Setting up a green screen is a lot more difficult with him and his little sister Miriam running around like banshees in our apartment. I’ve been busy with something else as well…
Weight Loss
In October of 2018, my doctor (who is Taiwanese I should mention!) Gave me a talk. It was the talk I’d gotten many times from him and other doctors: you need to lose weight. He said also that my cholesterol was very high. He told me this on the right day at the right time I suppose and I decided to go all in. I did my first The Ramen Rater Diet video in April after I visited my doctor in April, having lost 65 pounds. I’ve kept it up and lost a lot more since then, and the next video will be out towards the end of October – after a year of eating healthy and exercising every day (I walk a lot – up to 25 miles in a day), I’ll do a big update and share more of what I do and how I do it with you. Many folks have taken my advice and are getting healthier as well, which is very humbling. I think if I can make a big change like this, anyone can!
This is a big and somewhat heavy bowl from Taiwan. I’ve reviewed the version not made for export (this one usually goes to Hong Kong). What was funny about this one is that I found it up in Canada at a store in Aberdeen Centre – defintely not where this belongs. It’s full of beef and import restrictions would bar it from Canada. What a nice surprise! Let’s check out this one with Australian and New Zealand beef!
Uni-President Imperial Big Meal Beef Flavor – Taiwan
Detail of the lid (click to enlarge). Contains beef. To prepare, add in powder and liquid sachets and boiling water to fill line. Cover for 3 minutes. Add in large retort pouch. Finally, stir and enjoy!
The noodle block.
A dry sachet (watch these sachets get used on the episode of Instant Noodle Recipe Time below).
A wet sauce sachet.
A large retort pouch full of beef and sauce.
Finished (click to enlarge). Added spring onion, sesame seeds, egg, and chili flake. The noodle is thick and has a slight brittleness and chewyness at the same time. The broth is a very thick and tasty beef. Included beef is on point and the gravy it comes in really add a lot of rich flavor to the soup. 5.0 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 4710088412201.
One of my favorite styles of curry would have to be green curry. It’s very different from the others – a kind of crisp and savory flavor rolled into one. This is really exciting to try – curry from Taiwan in collaboration with a company from Thailand. Very curious. Been waiting a couple weeks to hit this up, so let’s go!
Mom’s Dry Noodle / Blue Elephant Green Curry – Taiwan
Detail of the packaging (click to enlarge). Unsure if it contains meat – check for yourself. To prepare, add noodles to boiling water and cook for 6 minutes. Drain. Add in sachet contents. Finally, stir and enjoy!
An individual serving – there are three inside the large package.
Finished (click to enlarge). Added baked chicken, fresh basil, red and green bell pepper, white onion, and crispy fried garlic. As with the red curry, the noodles are soft and plentiful. The green curry flavor is throughout and just the right balance. Another excellent Thai style variety in this new range. 5.0 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 4717011158205.
Like colorful things? Looks no further! These are a trip to be sure – and there are some tasty treats other than noodles in here as well! Let’s check em out!
A-Sha Sends Rainbow Noodles & Nuts – Taiwan
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