The Ramen Rater’s Readers Top Ten Instant Noodles 2016 Poll
So here’s the question: What’s YOUR favorite instant noodle? You can answer this question and everyone’s votes will be announced when I announce The Ramen Rater’s top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2015 Edition!
#1651: Ruski Chicken Flavour Instant Noodles
You might have noticed that I haven’t reviewed a lot of chicken flavor varieties recently. The main reason for this is that Io haven’t had any chicken to go with my noodles – I usually cook some in the over and slice it up nicely and then I’ve got it for a couple reviews. Well, I’ve been lazy – a bag thing. So let’s check out this chicken instant from Ruski – laziness ends here!
#1650: Ottogi Sesame Ramen Korean Style Instant Noodle
I’ve gotten a good amount of comments about this one. Ottogi Sesame Ramen seems to have filled an interesting niche in the noodle market! It’s pretty neat stuff – it has something called an ‘egg block.’ It is basically dehydrated egg that when introduced to the boiling water springs to life! I’ve had the bowl version (also known as a king cup) before, but never reviewed the pack. Let’s check out Ottogi Sesame Ramen!
#1649: Master Kong Seafood Flavour Instant Cooking Noodles
Here’s another one sent by a kind reader in Sweden! Thank you! Master Kong is really popular in China and what surprises me is that there are no places that I’ve seen that you can get their products here in the United States. Luckily, people send them to me from time to time, but it seems to me that I really need to figure out a way to contact them and do a Meet The Manufacturer with them. The Chinese consume billions of packages of instant noodles a year and I’ve never done a Chinese Meet The Manufacturer yet! It’s about time. Well, let’s check out these seafood flavor Master Kong instant noodles!
#1648: Wei Lih Instant Noodles With Onion Flavour
This is one I got last month on my birthday trip to Canada! What’s interesting is that it’s one I tried to get along with a couple others from one store up there the previous year but there was some kind of thing that to use a card you’d need to spend at least $20 or something, and since the noodles I found were a far cry from that, I skipped it. I really was bummed – this is nowhere to be found here in the USA so thought this time around I’d see if the place had it – and it did! Let’s check out this Wei Lih onion variety.
#1647: No Name Shrimp Flavour Oriental Noodles And Soup Mix
Back in the day, there used to be a brand that was literally generic; they would have products with a white background and a very stark blocky black text. A can of dog food would simply say dog food. I think they’re long gone, but this is kind of the next best thing to it. No Name is a line by Canadian company Loblaw’s, a grocery store chain. Let’s give No Name a look!
Top Ten 2015 Re-Review: MyKuali Penang Red Tom Yum Goong Noodle
This one is pretty special. When I traveled to Malaysia last year, we got to visit an island off the coast called Langkawi. We went to a couple of really nice Thai restaurants while there and I tried the tom yum soup. It was nothing like anything I’d tried previously; extremely strong broth, with a deep richness to it. It was one of the best things I got to try during my trip! I knew that MyKuali had a new Tom Yum variety and I was very keen on trying it. The day I left, I got a couple packs to bring home and try. That being said, let’s have another look at MyKuali Penang Red Tom Yum Goong and see what makes it so special.
The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2015 Edition
The top ten instant noodles list is an annual post I do which is always quite a treat for me. I started reviewing back in 2002, but I really got going with it in June of 2010 – I’ve done nearly 1,600 reviews since then. It still boggles my mind that after trying so many, the industry continues to innovate and bring flavors forth that truly amaze me. With that, here are my absolute favorites – The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2015 Edition.
#1646: New Way Spaghetti Instant Noodles
Here’s one I got this year up in Canada on my birthday! My wife spied this one on a lower shelf . She’s got a knack of finding ones that I don’t notice which is really quite handy! It’s also interesting how many spaghetti varieties come from Vietnam! Anyways, let’s check out this New Way variety.
#1645: Lucky Me! Supreme Jjamppong Korean Style Spicy Seafood Soup
I recently reviewed a South Korean Jjajang instant noodle. Well, here’s another double J named instant noodle! Jjamppong! So, what’s jjamppong? Wikipedia has this to say:
Friday Video: Instant Noodles Being Digested: So What?
You’ve probably seen the video they’re talking about in this news clip before. Not only that, you’ve probably seen many, many news articles about how horrible this is. I got an email yesterday about the video asking about my opinion. So here goes.
#1644: Hao Way Vegetarian Penang Laksa Instant Bowl Noodles
Here’s another bowl from Hao Way – this one a vegetarian laksa. Here’s a little about laksa from wikipedia:
Exotic Noods – A New Way To Try Instant Noodles
I was contacted recently buy a couple guys with a neat idea and thought I would share it with everyone. They’ve started a service called Exotic Noods (catchy title, eh?) which allows you to subscribe to receive some interesting instant noodle varieties every month. Daniel and Marcus’ plan is simple: to get everyone trying something new every month. I think this is great; I see so many people having the same easy to source varieties when they couold be sampling varieties from all over the world with so many different flavor profiles and options. What’s in the box? Let’s see!
#1643: emart Dare You! Habanero Jjajang Ramen
This was sent to me by Anders E. from South Korea – thank you very much! I was aware of the regular habanero ramen – the one that’s been #1 on my spicy list for a while now. But this one – jjajang ramen – it sounds pretty dang spicy. Especially if it’s anything like the other Dare You! ramen. For those of you not familiar with jjajang, here’s what wikipedia has to say about it:
Ah Lai Bihun Samples
Wasn’t sure what this box was that I received yesterday contained… Hmmm…
Ah! Ah Lai Penang White Curry! I reviewed this a while back – but this is the bihun version. Bihun (or beehoon) is the Malay name for rice vermicelli. Very curious about this one – will try it soon! Thanks!
Paldo’s Rabokki Comes Out West
Wasn’t expecting this one today – what’s inside?
One of my favorite Korean foods is tteotbokki (pronounced tah-bocky or tah-pocky). They’re like little tubes made from rice and thick and chewy. Usually it’s accompanied by a spicy sauce, egg, fish cake and more. Well, this is rabokki – ramyun with tteotbokki sauce! I had this a few years back and was really bummed it wasn’t available here in the United States. When I got this package in the mail I contacted my friend at Paldo and found out that indeed it will be on shelves here soon! Awesome!
#1642: Campbell’s Hearty Noodles Savoury Beef Flavour
I’ve reviewed two of these previously and haven’t been a big fan, giving one a 1.75 out of 5.0 stars and the other a 0.0 out of 5.0. I’m hoping this one will ‘break the mold’ as it were; I really like their canned soups! Let’s see if this cup has a little mmm mmm good in it!
#1641: One Dish Asia Japanese Ramen Noodle
Here’s one that’s spent a little time in my noodle hamper. I’ve been wondering what flavor it might be, although it really doesn’t say. It’s manufactured in Thailand, but definitely for the US market. Let’s check out this microwavable instant ramen.
My Wife’s Birthday At Chi-Mc n Hot Pot – Lynnwood, WA
Today is my wife Kit’s birthday! I thought I’d do up a post about the new restaurant I took her to.
#1640: Long Jun Hang Tainan Yi Mien With Onion Oil Sauce
These tend to be a little hard to figure out; what flavor? What brand? Luckily, I had help from Bobby Y. on the first of these I found, and knowing some of the standard flavors of Taiwanese instants, the translation I got of a page that came up from the bar code on Google was logical. Anyways, Let’s try this onion oil flavor Taiwanese noodle offering.
#1639: Pama Bihun Creamy Tom Yam Flavour
Bihun (or beehoon) is basically rice vermicelli. Pama is a brand by President Rice Products of Thailnd and looks to be for sale in Malaysia. Make sense? Okay now on to the flavor: tom yam. Tom yam (or tom yum) is a very standard Thai variety – spicy, lemon/citrus, spicy, and usually shrimp. I was told that the creamy isn’t from dairy but from the boiling of shrimp! Let’s check it out!
#1638: A-Sha Veggie Noodle Tomato Noodle With Vine Ripened Tomato Sauce
Got this sample recently and been really wanting to try it. Well, today’s the day. They told me that it has a very strong tomato flavor and is ‘robust.’ I have been asked by people quite a few times ‘so whatever happened to the tomato flavor instant noodles? They were really good!’ I’ve never really figured out what the heck they were talking about, guessing that they were referring to a domestic brand most likely. Well, let’s check out A-Sha’s take on tomato!
#1637: Thai Chef Instant Nudelsuppe Huhn Geshmack
Ahh what do we have here you ask? Well, this is a variety made by the same company that makes MAMA noodles – Thai President Foods. This one however is for the German market. Huhn? Chicken. Let’s check it out!
#1636: Shan Shoop Instant Noodles Masala Flavour
Been curious about this masala from Shan for a while. Shan makes a lot of different seasonings as well as the Shoop line of instant noodles. I remember when I first found it and that it was made in Pakistan – I was really excited. Why? Well, I’d only reviewed one instant noodle from Pakistan before, and strangely enough, it was pizza flavored! Anyways, Let’s check out this masala flavour Shan Shoop.
#1635: Wai Wai Quick Zabb Tom Klong Flavour Instant Noodles
Everyone (well maybe not everyone) has heard of tom yum, a very tradition Thai soup. If you don’t know about it, here’s something about it from wikipedia:
#1634: Samyang Foods Shoyu Noodle
As I’ve said before, some companies will make products for different markets. Shoyu isn’t really a variety you’d generally see in South Korea, however Samyang Foods is making this one for the Japanese market. Shoyu is a very common variety of ramen in Japan – here’s a little about it from wikipedia:
#1633: A-One Mì Ly Instant Noodles Mì Bò Beef Flavor
Last year, my son Andy noticed a ton of these A-One cups at a local Asian grocery. “Do you have these, Papa?” he asked me – and no, I didn’t! So that was a great score thanks to my boy! Let’s check out this Vietnamese variety from A-One.
#1632: Cintan Mi Segera Mmm… Perisa Kari
Another one I got during our trip to Malaysia in October! I’ve heard Cintan was the first instant noodle company in Malaysia. This one looks to be fortified with protein – something I think is pretty cool. Adding some vitamins and protein to instant noodles can help make instants a little more healthy. Let’s check out this curry by Cintan!
#1631: Nissin Donbei Tempura Soba Mini
It might be hard to tell from this image, but this is a very small bowl from Nissin’s Donbei line. I’d say it’s about 1/3 the size of a normal bowl. Kinda cool – a mini bowl! Let’s have a look.
Re-Review: Mamee Chef Gold Recipe Mi Kari Seribu Rasa
I woke up this morning in the mood for something curry. I was looking in my stores of instant noodles today and found this Mamee Chef Gold Recipe. I’ve reviewed it before, but I thought it would make a good breakfast and would be neat to re-review. I really liked the name of this one – seribu rasa means a thousand flavors, which immediately makes me think of thousand island dressing. Of course, this isn’t anything like thousand island dressing. Let’s have a look inside and see what makes this instant noodle tick.
#1630: Nongshim Korean Clay Pot Ramyun
This is one you probably won’t find in the United States (I got it up in Canada). It’s made by Nongshim’s Chinese plant in Shaghai. I’ve found that sometimes the same product can taste a little different in different regions. This one’s interesting in that the packaging look is very much like Nongshim Ansungtangmyun, but the characters are very different. Let’s have a look at this Nongshim Korean Clay Pot Ramyun!
Friday Video: An Official Statement On Taiwanese Plagiarism
I knew there was a little store doing this a few weeks back, but now it seems like I’d better say something about it.
#1629: Hao Way Penang Laksa Instant Bowl Noodles
Hao Way has made corresponding bowl version of their whole line of products. I reviewed the Laksa pack version a while back and now it’s time for the Laksa bowl! Let’s check it out!
#1628: Azami Kimchee Flavour Noodle Soup
Here’s one I got from Justin M. from Winfield, BC up north of here in Canada! Thanks! Let’s see here: the instant noodle cup was invented in Japan. This one is sold in Canada under the name Azami and sold by Loblaw’s, a supermarket chain. It’s manufactured in China. The flavor is of kimchi, which is South Korean. Wow. I’ve got hopes that this will be a good one! Let’s check these Azami noodles.
Re-Review: Prima Taste Singapore Curry La Mian
I thought it was about time to review this one again. Prima Taste Simgapore Curry La Mian has been on my top ten lists for the last couple of years – it’s really great stuff! I remember when I first tried it tell my friends and colleagues that it was ‘a real game changer.’ I hadn’t seen but sachets like the ones found within before and though it was really neat stuff. I just found out about a couple new videos Prima Taste has made to prepare them as well – check them out here! Let’s have another look at Prima Taste Singapore Curry La Mian!
#7261: Earth Instant Noodles Natural Flavor
I thought today I would try this interesting variety. A lot of people are very health conscious these days and are looking for something that is also ‘Earth friendly.’ Well, here’s an option. This is a new brand I’ve never heard of before. There’s really no information about them online and their packaging has no information about where it’s made, nor a website to check out their company. Hmmm… Well, let’s have a look at this one – I’m really curious!
#1627: Vedan Wei Wei A Instant Noodles Hot Beef Flavor
Here’s one I got a couple weeks ago on my birthday trip to Canada! I’ve had a few varieties by Vedan before but this one sounds really good. Hot beef is always a good bet. I think I’ll try it with some Chinese sausages in the mix! Let’s check out this Vedan Wei Wei A Hot Beef flavor!
#1626: Nissin Gonbuto Kitsune Udon
This is another of the Gonbuto bowls. Nissin Gonbuto Kitsune Udon has a unique preparation regime which was quite hard to figure out – I figured it out after a lot of research (to be honest, I read the side numbers). Let’s have a look at this Nissin Gonbuto Kitsune Udon bowl!
#1625: MAMA Instant Rice Noodles Soup Spicy Shrimp Flavour
I often get asked ‘can you make a top ten gluten free list?’ My answer unfortunately is always no. Since I’m not someone who’s a doctor and not having to modify my diet for gluten intake, I would be afraid of telling people ‘oh yeah – eat this!’ and then they get sick, file a lawsuit against me, and I end up so poor I can’t evern afford instant noodles! But there’s a however coming up! I have been thinking I may start an annual top ten rice noodles list. Why? Well, my top tens probably will never include rice noodles or rice vermicelli; instant noodles are more of the wheat flour kind of thing. Rice noodles however do appear to be mostly gluten free as this variety is, so a top ten list of rice varieties might be a great place to start if you’re looking for something that you can have if gluten isn’t on your personal menu. Let’s have a look at these gluten free spicy shrimp noodles by MAMA!