Tag Archives: 台灣

Meet The Manufacturer: #3033: TTL Bolognese Red Wine Sauce Instant Noodle – Taiwan

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Meet The Manufacturer: #3035: TTL Bolognese Red Wine Sauce Instant Noodle - Taiwan

Today, we have a traditional Italian variety – from Taiwan? Yup – Italian noodles from Taiwan! Here’s what Wikipedia has to say about bolognese –

Bolognese sauce (UK: /ˌbɒləˈneɪz, –ˈnɛz/, US: /ˌboʊlənˈjeɪz/;[1] known in Italian as ragù alla bolognese, pronounced [raˈɡu alla boloɲˈɲeːze; -eːse], ragù bolognese, or simply ragù) is a meat-based sauce originating from Bologna, Italy, hence the name. In Italian cuisine, it is customarily used to dress tagliatelle al ragù and to prepare lasagne alla bolognese. In the absence of tagliatelle, it can also be used with other broad, flat pasta shapes, such as pappardelle or fettuccine. Genuine ragù alla bolognese is a slowly cooked sauce, and its preparation involves several techniques, including sweating, sautéing and braising. Ingredients include a characteristic soffrittoof onion, celery and carrot, different types of minced or finely chopped beef, often alongside small amounts of fatty pork. White wine, milk, and a small amount of tomato concentrate or tomatoes are added, and the dish is then gently simmered at length to produce a thick sauce.

The earliest documented recipe of an Italian meat-based sauce (ragù) served with pasta comes from late 18th century Imola, near Bologna. A recipe for a meat sauce for pasta that is specifically described as being “bolognese” appeared in Pellegrino Artusi‘s cookbook of 1891. The ragù alla bolognese that is now traditionally associated with tagliatelle and lasagne is somewhat different from Artusi’s recipe. Many traditional variations currently exist. In 1982 the Italian Academy of Cuisine registered a recipe for authentic ragù alla bolognese with the Bologna Chamber of Commerce (incorporating some fresh pancetta and a little milk). In Italy, ragù alla bolognese is often referred to simply as ragù.

Outside Italy, the phrase “Bolognese sauce” often refers to a tomato-based sauce to which minced beef (or pork) has been added; such sauces typically bear less resemblance to ragù alla bolognese being more similar in fact to the ragù alla napoletana from the tomato-rich south of the country. Whereas in Italy ragù is not used with spaghetti,[2] so-called “spaghetti bolognese” has become a popular dish in many other parts of the world.

Alright – let’s give it a try!

TTL Bolognese Red Wine Sauce Instant Noodle – Taiwan

Meet The Manufacturer: #3035: TTL Bolognese Red Wine Sauce Instant Noodle - Taiwan

Here’s the back of the package (click to enlarge). Contains pork. To prepare, cook noodles in 500ml boiling water. Tip – place retort pouch in to heat it as well. Cook for 3 minutes. Add soup sachet to 200ml boiling water to make soup. Drain noodle after 3 minutes cooking and combine with retort pouch contents. Finally, stir and enjoy! Note – soup is not combined with noodles but served alongside as shown in image below.

Meet The Manufacturer: #3035: TTL Bolognese Red Wine Sauce Instant Noodle - Taiwan

The noodle block.

Meet The Manufacturer: #3035: TTL Bolognese Red Wine Sauce Instant Noodle - Taiwan

The soup sachet.

Meet The Manufacturer: #3035: TTL Bolognese Red Wine Sauce Instant Noodle - Taiwan

A light powder.

Meet The Manufacturer: #3035: TTL Bolognese Red Wine Sauce Instant Noodle - Taiwan

A liquid sachet.

Meet The Manufacturer: #3035: TTL Bolognese Red Wine Sauce Instant Noodle - Taiwan

Red wine.

Meet The Manufacturer: #3035: TTL Bolognese Red Wine Sauce Instant Noodle - Taiwan

The retort puoch.

Meet The Manufacturer: #3035: TTL Bolognese Red Wine Sauce Instant Noodle - Taiwan

Thick with a tomato scent.

Finished (click to enlarge). Added parmesan cheese, habanero curry shichimi and scallion. The noodles hydrated nicely and have a soft tooth. The flavor from the retort pouch is quite nice – a zesty tomato sauce with little pieces of pork in there. The red wine works well here, but it’s overwhelming. The sipping soup wasn’t altogether to my liking; it reminded me of frozen pizza with its flavor. 4.0 out of 5.0 stars.  EAN bar code 4710199110904.

Meet The Manufacturer: #3035: TTL Bolognese Red Wine Sauce Instant Noodle - Taiwan

Taiwan TTL Red Wine Pasta Instant Noodles 1 box (12 bags) 台灣台酒紅酒帕式達一箱12入

Watch me cook on Instant Noodle Recipe Time!

#1305: A-Sha Instant Noodle Original Flavor

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Here’s the last of the A-Sha line of instant noodles they sent. These are a leaner line; not with the different gauges that the other products they make have. Not to say they don’t taste good, though! Let’s see how original this one is!

Here’s the back of the package (click image to enlarge). Mentions that it’s vegetarian friendly. To prepare, boil noodles for 3 minutes. Drain. Add contents of sachet, stir and enjoy.

The noodle block.

The liquid sachet.

Has a strong soy scent.

 

Finished (click image to enlarge). Added shrimp. The noodles are good – decent chewiness, elasticity and bulk. The flavor is a sweet and sesame like soy amalgam – pretty good! 3.75 out of 5.0 stars. UPC bar code 4715635851502.

Here are some Taiwanese people talking about what I’d had for breakfast a couple nights before – this was in mid 2013.

#1231: A-Sha Instant Noodle Shallot Flavor

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Here’s a new one from A-Sha. They decided to come out with a stright instant variety. You cook it a little differently, too. Shallots! Let’s give this a try!

Here’s the back of the package (click image to enlarge). Mentions that it is non-vegetarian. To prepare, boil about 400ml water. Put noodle block in a bowl that will hold the water, add noodles and cover (what I do is boil the water in a pan, remove it from the stove, drop the noodles in and put the lid on). Let sit for 3 minutes. Drain off water, add liquid sauce sachet and stir. Done!

The noodle block comes in it’s own inner wrapping. Here it is unwrapped.

The sauce sachet.

Has a great shallot scent.

Finished (click image to enlarge). Added sweet onion, thinly sliced big ugly carrot and chicken that was baked with Tony Chachere’s Creole seasoning. The noodles are nice – slightly fluffy and of good character. The sauce gives everything a nice coating of soy, sweetness and shallot flavors which are balanced nicely. 3.75 out of 5.0 stars. UPC bar code 4715635851519.

Here’s a Taiwanese news clip about when I did a Meet The Manufacturer with A-Sha about 6 months ago.

#1210: A-Sha Dry Noodle Hell Spicy Mala

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Happy Halloween! Today, I thought I’d go with something spicy – and not just spicy but hell spicy! But what about Mala – what’s that mean? Here’s what Wikipedia had to say:

Mala sauce is a popular oily, spicy, and numbing Chinese sauce which consists of Sichuanese peppercorn, chili pepper and various spices simmered with oil.

Regarded as a regional dish for Chongqing cuisine and Sichuan cuisine, it has become one of the most popular sauces in Chinese cuisine and spawned many regional variants.

The term málà is a combination of two Chinese characters: “numbing” (麻) and “spicy (hot)” (辣), referring to the feeling in the mouth after eating the sauce.

The numbness is caused by Sichuan pepper, which contains 3% hydroxy-alpha-sanshool. The recipe often uses dried red peppers that are less spicy than bird’s eye chili, which is widely used in Southeast Asian cuisines.

Sounds pretty darn hot! Let’s check it out!

Here’s the back of the package (click image to enlarge). Mentions ‘non-vegetarian sauce.’

The noodle block.

The spicy sauce sachet.

A very deep red color and a strong chili oil scent.

My boy and his pumpkin!

Finished (click image to enlarge). Added sauteed beef, sweet onion and garlic and garnished with green onions. The noodles are really nice – flat and very broad – and thick. They are so scant on ingredients and have such a nice texture and chewiness – as I’ve said before, they are masterful in their simplicity. The flavor? This stuff is really spicy – the oily liquid base coats every nook and cranny of the noodles with extreme heat and a nice balance of soy. I think the oil really spreads the heat into the palate and gives it a nice long burn. 4.0 out of 5.0 stars.

Back in May, this news story came out in Tasiwan. I asked if Taiwanese companies would contact me and send samples – A-Sha was one of those and I’ve really enjoyed their stuff!

#1201: A-Sha Instant Noodle Curry Flavor

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Been a little while since I reviewed anything by A-Sha. I did a Meet The Manufacturer in May, but nothing new since then. Well, today’s the day! Curry. It’s always been a favorite flavor of mine and I think this is the first time I’ll be trying a Taiwanese take on it. Let’s give it a try!

Here’s the back of the package (click image to enlarge). Says non-vegetarian in the top left corner, so I’m assuming there’s meat or fish in this one. Cook noodles for 3 minutes in boiling water, drain, then stir in liquid sachet.

The noodle block. Very light weight to it.

The liquid sachet.

Has a very nice sweet curry scent.

Finished (click image to enlarge). Added sweet onion and baked chicken. The noodles are nice – very fluffy actually and a springy texture. The curry? It has a slightly spicy, slightly sweet rich taste. It really reminds me of the curry my mom used to make with chicken livers! It’s very tasty and enjoyable. 4.25 out of 5.0 stars. UPC bar code 4715635851526.

Here’s a video from Taiwanese news about my Top Ten Taiwanese Instant Noodles list.

Samples Of A Fiery Taiwanese Noodle From A-Sha

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A package from A-Sha… Hmmm what’s inside?

Ooh what is this? The folks at A-Sha told me this variety is called Hell Spicy Mala and is popular in Taiwan as it is extremely spicy. Sounds like fun!

They also sent a few of these little pineapple cakes – they’re really good and quite fancy. They make them with real pineapple – a special treat! Thanks to Young and Hann-wei for these!

Meet The Manufacturer: #1097: Amianda Noodle Homely Dried Noodles – Sesame Paste

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Today, we have the last of the Amianda noodles. I’d like to thank Amianda for doing the interview and sending the great samples! Sesame paste – let’s get to it.

Here’s the back of the package (click image to enlarge).

The noodle block.

Sauce packet.

Has a soy scent.

The sesame paste packet.

Has a peanut and sesame scent.

Finished (click image to enlarge). Added a little Urashima Sesame & Salt furikake. The noodles are nice – elastic and a little chewy. The flavor is that of sesame paste with a nice peanut butter after taste. 3.75 out of 5.0 stars.

<iframe width=”420″ height=”315″ src=”//www.youtube.com/embed/zhETS4fdU0w” frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen></iframe>Here’s how to make your own sesame paste!

Meet The Manufacturer: #1096: Amianda Noodle Tachia Noodles – Hot & Spicy Sauce

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As we wind down this spotlight on Amianda, we arrive at a hot and spicy variety of their Tachia noodles. Let’s have a look.

The back of the package (click image to enlarge).

The noodle block.

The sauce packet.

Has a soy scent.

The second liquid packet – presumably the spicy one.

Oh yeah – this stuff is spicy!

Finished (click image to enlarge). Added a fried egg with a little Louisiana Hot Sauce and some beef, garlic and Vidalia sweet onion sauteed with soy sauce. The noodles are great – nice elasticity, chew and texture. The flavor is salty, spicy and soy. A pretty good flavor and texture. 3.5 out of 5.0 stars.

<iframe width=”560″ height=”315″ src=”//www.youtube.com/embed/bpWp9i-sow8″ frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen></iframe>Here’s some footage of part of a night market in Taipei.

Meet The Manufacturer: #1095: Amianda Noodle Tachia Noodles – Fried Shallot

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Today it’s fried shallot. Shallots are really quite enjoyable; like an onion and a garlic had a child – strong flavor! Let’s give this one a try!

The back of the packaging (click image to enlarge).

The noodle block.

The sauce packet.

Has a soy sauce scent.

The fried shallot packet.

Wow – pungent shallot!

Finished (click image to enlarge). Added roast beef and Vidalia sweet onion sauteed in a little Worcestershire sauce. The noodles were really good – texture and chew were great. The flavoring wasn’t as I expected though; the shallot taste was there, but almost seemed burnt. 3.25 out of 5.0 stars.

Scallion Pancakes in Taiwan – man that soiunds really good!

Meet The Manufacturer: #1094: Amianda Noodle Thin Noodles – Sesame Oil

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Thin noodles! Let’s have a look.

The back of the package (click image to enlarge).

They’re not kidding – these are really thin and wispy.

The sauce packet.

Has a soy scent.

The sesame oil packet.

Has a sesame oil scent.

Finished (click image to enlarge). Added sauteed beef, Vidalia sweet onion, red bell pepper and minced garlic with a little Worcestershire sauce. The noodles are great – fluffy and soft with a comfort food texture. The flavor is really mystical; it’s got the sesame oil there, but then there’s this flavor hovering around – like cinnamon or pumpkin spice – not sure what it is but it’s really great! 4.25 out of 5.0 stars.

In Taiwan, they have these ‘Night Markets’ – tons of different sellers of absolutely everything from merchandise to food. This is the Fong Jia Night market.

Meet The Manufacturer: #1093: Amianda Noodle Hakka Flat Noodles – Satay Sauce

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I don’t know what made me do it, but I felt a need to consult Wikipedia on satay and Taiwan. So I did and found this:

Shacha sauce (Chinese: 沙茶; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: sa-te; also spelled sa cha sauce), or paste is a Chinesecondiment primarily used in Fujian, Teochew, and Taiwanese cuisines. It is made from soybeanoil, garlic, shallots, chilis, brill fish, and dried shrimp.[1] It has a savory and slightly spicy taste.

The ingredient has multiple uses:

  • as a base for soups
  • as a rub for barbecued meats
  • as a seasoning for stir fry dishes
  • as a component for dipping sauces, for example as used in hot pot meals

Shacha sauce is also known as sa-te sauce in the Hokkien dialect, reflecting its origin back to the satay sauce introduced by expatriate Chinese returning from South East Asia. It is however quite different from the peanut-based satay sauce popular in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore.

Was glad I did – I thought that this might be more of a chicken or beef kind of flavor, but I would’ve been completely wrong. So, satay or shacha, here it is!

The back of the package (click image to enlarge). May contain seafood.

The noodle block. Note that these are hakka noodles – wide!

The sauce packet.

The sauce has a soy sauce scent.

 

Finished (click image to enlarge). Added Vidalia sweet onions. The noodles are broad and have such a nice texture – so like an egg noodle but not eggy! The flavor is light; and has a seafood taste that’s very enjoyable. Reminds me of shrimp shumai. 4.5 out of 5.0 stars.

A fish market in Taiwan.

Meet The Manufacturer: #1092: Amianda Noodle Tachia Dried Noodles – Rou Zhao Meat Sauce

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Today, we have the Tachia noodles again but with rouzao. What is rouzao? Wikipedia mentioned that it involves minced pork (Amianda mentioned this one includes it in the sauce) and minced pork rice is the common rouzao:

While Minced pork rice is referred to as one important icon in typical Taiwanese folk cuisine, the variety of methods to customize flavors is so wide that it creates considerable differences between regions. In southern Taiwan, where people name it by the sauce “bah-sò-pn̄g (肉燥飯)” instead of the meat, Minced pork rice is preferably served with pork with less fat. People in the north of Taiwan favor a greasier version of meat sauce with rice.

In southern Taiwan, while “bah-sò-pn̄g” is seen on the menu indicating Minced pork rice, “ló͘-bah-pn̄g (滷肉飯)” remains on the very same menu, referring to another dish where braised pork belly covers the rice. The same rice with braised pork belly is known as “khòng-bah-pn̄g (焢肉飯)” in northern Taiwan.

Minced pork rice can also be found in China, and a wider selection of vegetables such as corn is eaten along with it.

Sounds good – let’s check it out.

Back of the package (click image to enlarge). Contains pork.

The noodle block.

This time there’s no info on the sauce packet.

A little thicker than the past few. Has a really nice sweet pork scent.

Andy joined me for a bowl of noodles.

Finished (click image to enlarge). Added a fried egg and ham I minced, garlic, sesame oil and a little soy sauce and sauteed for a few minutes. The noodles are spectacular – elastic and perfect chewiness. The flavoring is awesome! Has a sweet and salty braised pork flavor that is just out of this world. 5.0 out of 5.0 stars.

Video on how to make Rou Zao Mian – kind of what we have here. Mian means noodles.