Today, I’m trying the second variety of the samples that Ramen Talk sent recently. I should mention that I’ve made an error here. This image above is the back of the package… My mistake… It sounds really quite good – let’s check it out!
Tag: china
#4531: Shoo Loong Kan Lan Zhou La Mian – China
Another one found at Asian Family Market on 130th & Aurora . I’ve had Lan Zhou noodles before – and a few Shoo Loong Kan varieties (those were good). During my research on this variety, I’m bombarded by images of lovely beef and coriander aplenty, in really great bowls I wish I had. It makes me really want to go to China; definitely want to try Lan Zhou, the food of Henan, the food of Chongqing… Pretty much every province has their delicacies. Someday I hope. But today, I have this interesting box with a taste of China in it. Let’s give it a try.
#4529: Nissin Demae Ramen Seafood Flavor – Hong Kong
First off, thanks to Daniel over at Exotic Noods for sending this and a few others over recently – check out his website!
#4527: Ramen Talk Japanese Style BBQ Pork Tonkotsu Ramen – China
Behold! I was contacted by a fellow on instagram who follows my reviews and asked if I’d tried these as he has, loved them, but couldn’t source them. I looked around and found ramentalk.us and let him know he could get them there, so he was really happy. I also contacted Ramen Talk to hopefully arrange for some samples. I’m certainly glad I did! These look really quite fascinating – they have a few varieties that I’ll be reviewing in short order as well, but this tonkotsu style sounds great – comes with lots of garnish – including a 7cm slice of chashu. On with the show!
#4423: Bagu Fresh Hot & Sour Sweet Potato Noodle – China
Hwew’s another of what I like to call ‘flower pots.’ Interesting design on this one. Let’s give it a try.
#4414: Baixiang Big Bone Noodle Soup Spicy Pork Flavor – China
Here’s the second of two Chinese varieties sent by a reader named Cian from a trip to Brazil – thanks again! Curious about this one as the non-spicy one was pretty mellow. I am getting to this one fast because of all the varieties Cian sent, this one got the most banged up. Let’s check it out!
#4409 Norita Dan Dan Noodle Meal Kit – Sichuan Style Hot & Spicy Sauce – United States
This was an interesting find in the Asian foods section of Fred Meyer on 164th in Lynnwood, Washington. Never heard of this brand; only thing I can think of with this name is Pat Norita who played Mister Miyagi in The Karate Kid. He was also on M*A*S*H a few times. Oh snap – that’s Pat Morita not Norita. Anyways, this sounds interesting and worth a try, so let’s give it a try. Made in China for a distributor in Kentucky.
#4405: Baixiang Big Bone Noodle Soup Pork Flavor – China
So thanks to a guy name Cian and his visit to Brazil, I ended up with some fascinating varieties. I’ve enjoyed this brand in the past, so I’ve got an inkling that this should be decent. Anyways, let’s get down to it.
#4369: King David Non-Fried Instant Noodles Beef Flavour – China
Here’s the second of the two King David varieties – the first was really good – I must admit I’m surprised how good it was. Let’s see how the beef stands up.
#4366: King David Non-Fried Instant Noodles Chicken Flavour – China
Here’s one sent by King David of China. They’re a big private label outfit; so say your name is Bob and you want to sell Bob’s Noodles. You call up King David and say hi, I’m Bob and they’ll make you instant noodles per your specifications and label them likewise. Pretty neat! Let’s give this non-fried lowfat variety a try!
#4361: Uncle Ya Chongqing Noodles – United States
Made in China, packaged for US sale. These have been an interesting series of reviews, but this is the last one of the Uncle Ya varieties. Hopefully we end with a good one!
#4354: Uncle Ya Peas Fired Noodles – United States
Fried or fired? I think fired since the noodles that come with this one aren’t fried. But – do you fry the noodles? Let’s figure this out. Made in China, packaged for US sale.
#4347: Guangyou Instant Noodle Sour Hot Flavor – China
I’ve had quite a few from this brand before – just not this one. I think the first I had was in a pack form with small children playing on the package. Well, let’s see how this one tastes.
#4341: Jiangxi Nanchang Mixed Noodles – China
Took awhile to attempt to figure this one out. This looks like an interesting one – let’s check it out.
#4330: Uncle Ya Hot & Sour Sweet Potato Noodles – United States
I know, this is confusing to many. This is indeed made in China, but it’s packaged for the US market. That’s why it gets the United States suffix on the title. Anyways, the last one I had from this brand was quite good – hoping for more good things from this one!
#4327: Gui Lin Fresh Rice Noodles Chilli Flavor – China
Another one from S*Mart. Let’s hit it.
Gui Lin Fresh Rice Noodles Chilli Flavor – China
Detail of the packaging (click to enlarge). Looks to be meat free but check for yourself. To prepare, boil noodle for 60-90 seconds. Drain and in all sachets and 250ml water. Finally, stir and enjoy!
#4323: Uncle Ya Sichuan Cold Noodles – United States
Definitely made in China, but definitely packaged only for sale in the United States. This one sounds interesting – let’s cold kick it live.
#4321: Uncle Ya Sour Pepper Beef Flavored Noodles – United States
Another one found at S*Mart in Bellevue, Washington. This is made in China, but definitely packaged for US sale. Let’s give it a try!
The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Spiciest Instant Noodles Of All Time 2023 Edition
NOTE – THE 2024 LIST IS OUT – CHECK IT OUT HERE
It’s true – some like it hot. This list is comprised of the hottest varieties I’ve tried – that are currently available as far as I can tell. In prior years, there were some that were so hot that the #1 on here was like cotton candy. That being said, I’m guessing there weren’t many repeat customers. At the bottom, you’ll see those varieties. This list is current as of review #4300. Let’s get spicy with The Ramen Rater’s Spiciest Instant Noodles Of All Time 2023 Edition!
#4314: Simply Asia Spicy Kung Pao Noodle Bowl – United States
I’ve tried quite a few different varieties of domestic microwavable bowls that have been very lackluster; to the point of finding it to be a bit of a no man’s land of endless zero star fare. Yeah – I really didn’t expect that. Well, I’m hoping to find some nice things here – hoping. Let’s see what happens.
#4306: Ya Shu Xi’an Famous Foods Biangbiang Noodles – China
This looks to be yet another one from Ya Shua – didn’t realize.. Biang Biang is a favorite of mine – a belt-like noodle with a nice sauce. Let’s give it a try.
#4304: Ya Shu Huaxi Beef Flavored Rice Noodle – China
Another one from S-Mart (shop smart, shop S-Mart). They had quite a few of these and we bought all of the varieties they had. Let’s check it out – by the was I went to Huaxi Night Market in Taipei. Just sayin’.
#4301: Gui Lin Fresh Rice Noodles Dry Mixing Vegetable Brine Flavor – China
I’ve seen these a few times and luckily, found them a bit cheaper the other day. This is a stir noodle – no broth. Sounds interesting and a lot of sachets to be sure. Let’s check it out!
#4298: Li Xiao Mian Er Lu Dou Pi Er – China
Found this during a special trek to find some varieties of instant noodles to review in Redmond, Washington at Asian Family Market. This is nothing like anything I’ve ever found – hopefully I can find enough info to do it justice. Let’s figure it out!
#4293: Baijia A-Kuan Instant Vermicelli (Hot & Sour) – China
Here’s the last of the three A-Kuan varieties. A while back they were called ‘Big Boss’ and had this guy on the packaging. This fellow looks to be pretty jovial – let’s give it a try.
#4288: Sichuan Baijia A-Kuan Big Boss – Instant Vermicelli Spicy Hot – China
Here’s another one of these varieties with a cartoon looking boss on the cup. I found this at 99 Ranch Market and while I’ve found quite of this style cup there that I’ve enjoyed, the last one I tried wasn’t my favorite. Let’s give this one a try!
#4283: Dragonfly Premium Hot & Sour Instant Vermicelli – United States
This one’s an interesting specimen . You might be a hardcore instant noodle fan and notice the font of ‘premium’ and the color scheme. Definitely might remind you of something completely different. This one’s definitely packaged for US sale. I’ve had quite a few varieties from Dragonfly and found them generally to be quite good. Let’s check it out!
#4278: Yumei Noodle With Peas And Miscellaneous Sauce – China
You know, my favorite foods always have ambiguous and generalisms in them. Well, not really, but my favorite titles do. Miscellaneous sauce? Could be assorted sauce? This is one where the distributor’s label has a bit of a translation error I’m guessing. But this is how you’ll find it if you get it here in the United States, so I’ll leave it. Anyways, let’s give it a try.
#4270: Sichuan Baijia A-Kuan Big Boss – Instant Vermicelli Spicy And Sesame Flavor – China
A while back I discovered some of this brand’s Big Boss varieties – and it looks like there are more now, so that’s neat. Spicy and sesame sounds good enough – let’s find out.
#4267: Hai Chi Jia Sour & Spicy Sweet Potato Noodle – China
Well, folks – this is it. The end of the road on these Hai Chi Jia varieties with Bobby Yip on them. At least the last one I’ve got. They’ve been pretty good – I get it. Definitely. Let’s check this last one out.
#4259: Hai Chi Jia Seafood Flavor Sweet Potato Noodle – China
This is the second of four varieties, very popular in China and now abroad. I still am not sure who the man on the packaging is just yet, but I will say the last one I tried was absolutely wonderful. Let’s give this one a try – everything I’ve found about it points to it having a clam flavor.
#4256: Hai Chi Jiao Ma Guo Ba Fen – China
Found a whole series of these locally at 99 Ranch Market (yeah that’s how you say it). They all have this fellow on them who I’m pretty sure is a comedian or a magician – I’m not sure. This one is immensely popular in China and features a mala (spicy) broth with chicken notes and special crisp rice. Let’s look within…
#4253: Mingzhu Konjac Spicy & Sour Noodles – China
I’m unsure where this one came from, but I’m going to make a guess that it came from an Exotic Noods subscription box. Ya should head over there and use the coupon code THERAMENRATER – he’s got some great subscription boxes and they represent many countries around the world – very much worth a look.
#4251: Sichuan Baijia Chengdu Sweet & Spicy Noodle – China
Went through my bins and found everything I’d not reviewed. Guess what? Only four things. Yep – I’ve all but caught up! Which is good because more should be here tomorrow with more on the way. I’ve been on a roll lately – really found my groove again. Here’s how my day goes (if anyone cares). Get up, get stuff ready for kids, get stuff ready for reviewing. Review. Get my boy on the bus. Have some oatmeal and peanut butter with my daughter. Edit images and video for the reviews I did. Do some walking back and forth in the apartment. Get my daughter ready. Get her on the bus. Walk ten miles. Get home and get my daughter off the bus. Then my son off the bus. Then start taking pictures of the stuff I’ll review the next day and get those posts ready. Then we get the kids dinner done, put em to bed, have our dinner, try not to fall asleep/wake up on the couch and then start the whole thing over. Today is a little different. Today is a new tradition I started a couple of weeks ago. It’s B-roll Sunday. What’s that you probably don’t ask? Well, I go out walking with my rucksack on my back with my monopod, the phone I use to shoot Instant Noodle Recipe Time, and a battery brick in search of benches that have decent views and shoot ten or more minutes of video to do time lapse videos. Today I walked to Seattle – and should have some good intros and outros in store for this and the next couple of episodes of the show. But enought about me and this behind the scenes look at things you probably aren’t interested in. Let’s try this one from China.
#4248: Dian Zun Crossing The Bridge Noodle – China
First, off a huge thanks to Kyle over at Mom’s Dry Noodle for help in translating this. According to him, this is a special dish – here’s what Wikipedia had to say about it –
#4247: Qinsheng Shaanxi Cold Noodle Sour & Spicy Flavor – China
This is a Shaanxi cold noodle. So, what’s that? Well, it’s from a region of China. It’s really quite good, but a bit of trouble to cook. But I’m going to cook it. You can always watch me battle with it in the episode of Instant Noodle Recipe Time at the bottom of this post. You can also subscribe to my YouTube channel as I have a new episode of the show every single day. Anyways, let’s give it a try!
King David Sends Non-Fried Noodle Samples!
A company I’ve seen for a few years called King David connected with me a while back about sending samples – and they did! These are special non-fried noodles in chicken and beef. It looks like King David does a lot of ‘private label’ products. So, say you had Joe’s Snacks To Go or something like that – you could contract with King David and they would put your logo on instant noodles and you’d be selling instant noodles now. It’s interesting stuff. Well, let’s crack this box open and have a look inside! Thank you!
#4217: Lin Jia Ya Tou One Noodle One Soup Spicy Noodle – China
One noodle, one soup. You get some dry noodle with sauce and a bowl of soup on the side – okay? This is the last of this series I found just before Lunar New Year. Let’s check it out!
#4215: Yuanxian Absolutely Yummy Hotpot Sweet Potato Noodle – China
Well, hello there! I haven’t been reviewing a lot lately – weather’s been nice and I’ve been walking a lot – did 22 miles last week – on Thursday! Luckily, I’m over a hundred reviews ahead so by the time you see this, it’s probably close to 4 months later than when I wrote this here. Anyways, this one came from Asian Family Market on Aurora a couple days before Lunar New Year. Let’s check it out!
#4209: Kings Noodle Hot & Sour – China
The last Kings Noodle variety I tried was absolutely phenomenal, so I’ve got high hopes for this one. This is a single serving variety with a whole lot going on in the box – let’s check it out!