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.
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!
This is my list of my all time favorites (compiled up to review #3132). These are the best and most memorable varieties – some you’ll be able to find easily, some you won’t. In the images you see, you’ll see garnished bowls of noodles. Note – reviewing is done BEFORE products have anything externally added by myself, and I follow directions on the package – for better or for worse. I should also note that going forward, the official last day for companies to submit varieties to be considered for the annual top ten will be January 31st. That’s enough – let’s have a look at The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2019 Edition!
The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2019 Edition
Video Presentation
A special presentation of The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2019 Edition.
The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2019 Edition
#10: Indomie Real Meat Mi Instan Goreng Rendang – Indonesia
The first Indomie variety on the list in years and it’s really amazing. Basically take their Mi Goreng Rendang and include a sachet of real rendang in a retort pouch. This comes after recently hearing that Indomie Rendang is hard to find here in the United States, something I was surprised to hear since it’s such a popular product and such a good one. Original review
#9: Sau Tao Tom Yum Kung Flavour Ramen – Hong Kong
I’ve become enamored and thrilled with the straight ramen noodle varieties in recent years – especially ones from Hong Kong which have been on the last two The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time lists. This is Sau Tao’s first appearance on the list. A Thai flavor is delivered masterfully – broth has a great richness and crispness of tom yum kung – spicy and lemongrass and shrimp notes play together very well. Original review
#8: Mom’s Dry Noodle Dan Dan Noodle – Taiwan
It’s second year on The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time, Mom’s Dry Noodles’ Dan Dan Noodle is just wonderful stuff. A broth-free offering with gourmet Taiwanese dry noodles, and myriad sauces that harmonize, salty, spicy, sweet and other flavors masterfully. Flavorful and deep. Original review
#7: Red Chef Green Tom Yum Soup Noodles – Malaysia
Another one returning to The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time list, Red Chef’s Green Tom Yum Soup Noodles feature a fried noodle with a great mouthfeel and quantity. They work well with the broth which is like a mashup of tom yum and green curry. The spiciness and flavors are just great – it might seem like a strange gimmicky kind of thing but definitely not. I love the new and this is a new flavor for the instant noodle world. Original review
#6: Prima Taste Singapore Curry Wholegrain La Mian – Singapore
Since a very young age when my mother would cook curried chicken livers over rice, I’ve absolutely loved curry. This one is just mind blowing and has been on the top ten for years and years. The noodles are thick and chewy – and have a rustic kind of feel to them. Marry that to the broth which comes from a large sachet of curry paste and one full of coconut milk powder, you end up with a rich, luxuriant experience you’ll love. I should note they also have a version with non-wholegrain noodles which is also very impressive. Original review
#5: CarJEN Nyonya Curry Laksa – Malaysia
Back again with their rich curry noodle, CarJEN brings something very special to the table in their Nyonya Curry Laksa. You dip the paste seen on the spoon into the broth to flavor it and it has little bits of shrimp in there that really are a nice addition. Sweetness, spiciness, richness from coconut milk powder, and a nice plump noodle makes this so tasty and memorable. Original Review
This is the highest position a Taiwanese variety has achieved in The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time before – congratulations, Taiwan! 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
#3: Liangchengmei Biang Biang Men – China
My wife Kit saw this while we were up in Canada and it piqued my curiosity so thought hey let’s give it a try. Noodles are very broad – over an inch. The flavoring is just superb – to use a word I normally don’t, this is yummy. What’s interesting too is that they included meat – at least I thought it was meat – it’s made from soy protein! Unique, delicious, and the highest a Chinese variety has achieved on The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time to date. Congratulations! Original review
#2: Red Chef Spicy Sakura Prawn Soup Noodles – Malaysia
Let the prawn-slaught begin! Returning to the #2 spot this year, we have a Red Chef variety that just gives and gives when it comes to sweet and savory prawn flavor. This umami bomb has a nice chewy noodle that is complimented by just the sweetest, strongest prawn broth with an excellent thickness and just the right amount of spiciness. What’s more they include a sachet of crispy onions to put on top that round things out so well. If you want to have a prawn freak out, this is an indispensable tool. Original review
#1: Prima Taste Singapore Wholegrain Laksa La Mian — Singapore
For the fourth year in a row, Prima Taste wins with it’s excellent Wholegrain Laksa. If abandoned on an island with only a life supply of instant noodles, I’d want them to be these, period. Hearty artisan noodles which are thick and of good quantity are combined with a broth which has a strong flavor and richness from coconut milk powder. A flavorful and striking noodle dish. Original review
What’s New
Instant Noodle Recipe Time
In the last year, I’ve decided to start doing videos for each on of my reviews and as of April 3rd, I’ve done 295 episodes. You can watch me cook and garnish everything as I sit at my stove. People have commented ‘why do you sit?’ Well, it’s a lot easier to record the show that way. Why do you wear sunglasses all the time? I’m legally blind and light sensitive. I answer a lot of questions about what I do from reader questions as well as talk about what I’m up to and give opinions and chatter about anything that crosses my mind. The show comes out every single day at 2pm Seattle time. Check out the show here.
The Chocolate Break
What began as something to try once has become a project my wife Kit and I do regularly. The Chocolate Break is where we try chocolate from around the world – and give our opinions on them. I’m proud to announce that www.thechocolatebreak.com is up and has rundowns of every single episode! Check it out and let us know what you think!
Big Changes For Me
Some of you have been noticing I’ve been losing weight – thank you! In fact I’ve been working hard on that. Reviews I do are usually involving me eating maybe 5% of a bowl of noodles, if that. Everything else goes down the drain.
I keep my regime to around 1200~1500 calories a day. I’ve also been doing a lot of walking with my daughter Miriam. With her stroller decked out with lots of lights and a really loud speaker (I usually play a lot of Primus, Herbie Hancock and Tobacco), we walk all over town. My feet hurt, too! If you put together our walking from April 1st and April 2nd, it comes to 21.12 miles (33.989km)! No, that is NOT a typo. My doctor told me I had high cholesterol back in October and I decided to make some changes. I’ll find out how I’ve done later this month and let you guys know how I’ve done so far.
This is the second of two A-Sha varieties I got a little while back. I’ve been cranking out three reviews a day lately and chugging through a lot of new stuff. Now that a lot of the varieties are churned through, I can focus on some things in the hamper. See, my hampers are very full. When I get new stuff, they go into the area next to the kitchen. Instead of tripping over boxes, I try to run through them quickly! So here we have a wide noodle from Taiwan. Let’s get started.
Detail of the side panels (click to enlarge). Looks to be meat free but check for yourself. To prepare, boil noodles for 5 minutes. Drain. Add sachet contents. Finally, stir and enjoy!
The noodle block.
A wet sachet.
Has a soy scent.
A dry sachet.
Looks to be something spicy?
Finished (click to enlarge). Added soft egg, spring onion, Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts and Chinese sausage. The noodles are great – nice chew and very broad. Flavor is definitely spicy but not overly so with some nice soy and sweet in there. 4.0 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 4715635852974.
This is the last of the quartet of varieties from A-Sha that they sent to me a little while back. With this, I think I’ve cleared out all the odds and ends of noodle varieties that have been sitting in the kitchen – boo yah! Next will be the boxes next to counter in the kitchen lol – should be able to whittle those down quite a bit this week as well.
A-Sha Gourmet Sesame Paste Noodle – Taiwan
Here’s the back of the package (click to enlarge). Unsure whether it contains meat or not – check for yourself. To prepare, boil noodles for 4 minutes. Drain. Add in sachet contents. Finally, stir and enjoy!
The noodle block.
The first of two wet sachets.
Sesame paste?
The other wet sachet.
Soy sauce.
Finished (click to enlarge). Added Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, scallions, sesame seeds, chashu pork and soft egg. The noodles have a firm chew and are plentiful. The flavor is akin to peanut butter – very dry. It is augmented with a light saltiness from soy sauce. 3.75 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 4715635853902.
Here’s the third of the A-Sha Gourmet varieties I’m trying today. There’s one more left. So translation isn’t my strong suit and I often turn to friends and colleagues as to what different varieties are called and translate them. At this exact moment, I’m dumbfounded. Google’s not very helpful; one says hemp. I could be mistaken, but I think hemp isn’t going to be in the name of this one. I’ve had varieties say they’re dolphin bone as well, which most certain isn’t the case! I’ll find out shortly though!
A-Sha Gourmet Sichuan Peppercorn Flavor – Taiwan
Here’s the back of the package (click to enlarge). Unsure whether it has meat or not – check for yourself. To prepare, boil noodles for 4 minutes. Drain. Add in liquid base and stir. Add dry sachet. Finally, stir and enjoy!
The noodle block.
A wet sachet.
A thick sauce.
A dry sachet.
Looks like a peppery garnish.
Finished (click to enlarge). Added soft egg, chashu pork, spring onion, and sansyo pepper. The noodles are excellent as always – nice chewiness to them and the slight wideness (about 2.5 times wider than an instant noodle) is very nice. The flavor is sweet and very savory, along with a little hit of Sichuan pepper which isn’t overwhelming, but lets you know it’s come for the party. 5.0 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 4715635853674.
Here’s yet another box from Taiwan – they’re getting more popular these days for companies who want to roll out a premium variety. I like boxes; they look fancy and usually mean meats will be at play. Here’s a little about Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup from Wikipedia –
When soy sauce is added, the soup is called red roasted or braised beef noodles (紅燒牛肉麵). Braised beef noodles was reputedly invented by Kuomintang Sichuan Province recruits who fled from mainland China to Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Therefore, it is sometimes incorrectly referred to as “Szechuan Beef Noodle Soup” (四川牛肉麵). The Taiwanese traditionally had a aversion to the consumption of beef because cattle were valuable beasts of burden but it is believed that this soup’s popularity broke this taboo and also paved the way to Taiwan later embracing American foods that utilized beef (such as hamburgers). The red braised beef noodles is the most common type of beef noodle in Taiwan. The beef is often stewed with the broth and simmered, sometimes for hours. Chefs also let the stock simmer for long periods with bone marrow; some vendors can cook the beef stock for over 24 hours. This type of beef noodles tends to be spicy, as garlic, chili oil, doubanjiang or five-spice powder may be added – classic flavor elements of Sichuan cuisine. There are several variations with the soy-based broth, such as spicy, tomato, garlic and herbal medicine. The tomato variation (番茄牛肉麵) is popular in Taiwan and features chunks of tomatoes in a rich red-coloured tomato broth with or without soy sauce.[13] The herbal medicine variation is usually served without suancai as a topping (as its acidic properties are believed to inhibit medicinal properties) and may be accompanied by a chili paste made from beef lard.
Let’s delve into this box of noodle soup!
A-Sha Gourmet Braised Beef Noodle Soup – Taiwan
Detail of the side panels (click to enlarge). Contains beef. To prepare, boil noodles for 6~7 minutes. About 3 minutes in to boiling the noodles, add large pouch to another pot and bring to a boil. Drain noodles and add to second pot. Finally, sprinkle dry sachet contents on top and enjoy!
A package of noodles.
A very large pouch. This contains the soup aspect of the dish.
Green onions.
Finished (click to enlarge). Nothing added. Broad, chewy Taiwanese dry noodles have an incredibly good mouthfeel. Center vein of this style noodle provides extra chewiness while sides are thinner and lighter, giving a multi-textural feel. The broth is rich and savory with an excellent balance between salty, beef taste, and a light bit of heat which harmonizes. Included beef is like butter and melts in your mouth. Green garnish works well. 5.0 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 4715635854008.
So this is some epic looking stuff. A-Sha USA was kind enough to send one of the fanciest products A-Sha Taiwan makes – their Gourmet Wagyu Beef Noodle Soup. So first things first – you want to get some? Well, it’s only available during the holidays i.e. Lunar New Year – so you might have a year to wait for it. But here I can show you what it looks like and tell you some about it – including the fact that this goes for $15.
Unboxing A $15 Gourmet Wagyu Beef Noodle Box – Taiwan
Time for dry noodle! This is the second from a set of four new A-Sha varieties. Soybean paste noodles impart a kind of meaty hit to them usually. Let’s give ’em a try!
A-Sha Gourmet Traditional Taiwanese Soybean Paste Noodle – Taiwan
Here’s the back of the package (click to enlarge). Unsure whether it has meat or not – check for yourself. To prepare, boil noodles for 4 minutes. Drain. Add in liquid base and stir. Add dry sachet. Finally, stir and enjoy!
The noodle block.
A wet sachet.
The soybean component.
A dry sachet.
Curious as to what this is.
Finished (click to enlarge). Added Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, scallion, and soft egg. Noodles have a very nice firmness and chewiness. They are flat and a little broad. The soybean sauce has a nice bit of saltiness, little hint of spiciness in there too but not too much. Included shallot and corn garnish was very good – everything went together really well. 5.0 out of 5.0- stars. EAN bar code 4715635853667.
Got a box this time from A-sha of Taiwan. They have a lot of different products, but this one is very different. The company is known as a maker of dry noodle products, hence usually no broth. But this looks to have broth – let’s give it a close look.
A-Sha’s US distributor messaged me a little while ago about these new varieties about to hit the US market that are very popular in Taiwan right now. Guanmiao noodles hail from southern Taiwan in the agricultural heartland. Hotter weather and lot of noodles! Let’s crack it open and have a look!
Here’s the back of the four pack packaging (click to enlarge). Looks to be meat free but check for yourself. To prepare, cook noodles for 5 minutes. Drain. Add in sachet contents. Finally, stir and enjoy!
The noodle block.
A liquid sachet.
Smells good!
A garnish sachet.
Chives, perhaps?
Finished (click to enlarge). Added chashu pork and sesame seeds. The guanmian noodles were pretty good – a pinch softer than the more traditionally made varieties but that’s alright. The flavor however was just way too salty for me. I know – in Taiwan, they put salt on everything – even oatmeal is enjoyed like congee! But it was saltier than I could manage. 2.5 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 4715635852998.
Here’s a new one from Taiwan by A-Sha Foods. This is Dan Zai flavor – one of their new range of more high end products. Some differences are instead of a 75g block it’s 90g. Lots of sauce/paste too.
I did a little research anbd found this on Wikipedia, which makes me think that what we have here is a dry version of what they’re talking about below –
Ta-a noodles or danzi noodles (Chinese: 擔仔麵; pinyin: dànzǐmiàn; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: tàⁿ-á-mī; literally: “shoulder pole noodle”) is a type of snack found in Tainan, Taiwan.[1] Also known as “Slack Season Ta-a Noodles”, they originated in Tainan, (in southern Taiwan), about 130 years ago. While the general recipe is well known, some of the spices and the proportions of the various ingredients (shrimp flavored soup, shrimp, coriander, and garlic) are well guarded secrets by the different restaurants/stands that serve it. While seemingly a simple snack, foodies from all over the world have given it substantial recognition. The normal serving size is usually small, being considered more of a snack than an entree. It is also on the pricier side (relatively) at around NT$50 ($1.60 USD) for a small bowl.
Ta-a noodles are said to originate in the late Qing dynasty, around 1895.[2] During the Tomb Sweeping Festival and summer season (July to September) each year in Taiwan, there are frequent typhoons, rendering fishing too dangerous. These “slack seasons” were known to fishermen as “small months” (Chinese: 小月; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: sió-go̍eh) and the phrase “pass the small months” (度小月; tō͘-sió-go̍eh) refers to enduring the slack seasons.
Hong Yutou (洪芋頭), a fisherman from Tainan, and descending from fishermen in Zhangzhou, Fujian, began to sell noodles when he was 20 years old. At first it was to earn money during the off-seasons but eventually became his primary occupation. In the beginning, he carried his noodles on shoulder poles (擔; tàⁿ) and sold them on the street before setting up a small stall in front of the Tainan Chuisian Temple (水仙宮; Chuí-sian-kiong), with the Chinese characters (度小月擔仔麵; tō͘-sió-go̍eh tàⁿ-á-mī) written on lanterns. Hence the name “Slack Season Ta-a Noodles”.
Sounds good – let’s give it a try!
A-Sha Dan Zai Noodle – Taiwan
Here’s the back of the package (click to enlarge). Unsure whether it has meat or not – check for yourself. To prepare, boil noodles for 4 minutes. Drain. Add in liquid base and stir. Add in powder sachet content. Finally, stir and enjoy!
The noodle block.
A large liquid sachet.
A thick and oily paste.
A dry sachet.
Looks like crushed red pepper.
Finished (click to enlarge). Added shrimp, fried onion, scallion, and Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts. 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. Really impressed! 5.0 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 4715635853919.
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