Tag Archives: cold noodles

#2328: Qin Zong Shaanxi Cold Noodle Hot & Sour Flavor

2 Replies

#2328: Qin Zong Shaanxi Cold Noodle Hot & Sour Flavor - China - The Ramen Rater - cold noodles

Another one from Colin – thanks again! Haven’t seen this brand previously. Always neat to start checking out a brand I’ve not reviewed after trying so many. But what’s Shanxi? Wikipedia, if you please:

Shanxi (Chinese: 山西; pinyin: About this sound Shānxī; postal: Shansi) is a province of China, located in the North China region. Its one-character abbreviation is “晋” (pinyin: Jìn), after the state of Jin that existed here during the Spring and Autumn period.

The name Shanxi means “West of the Mountains”, a reference to the province’s location west of the Taihang Mountains.[5] Shanxi borders Hebei to the east, Henan to the south, Shanxi to the west, and Inner Mongolia to the north and is made up mainly of a plateau bounded partly by mountain ranges. The capital of the province is Taiyuan.

Shanxi cuisine is most well known for its extensive use of vinegar as a condiment, as well as for a huge variety of noodle dishes, particularly knife-cut noodles or daoxiao mian (刀削面), which are served with a range of sauces. A dish originating from Taiyuan, the provincial capital, is Taiyuan Tounao (太原头脑, literally “Taiyuan Head”). It is a breakfast dish; a porridge-like stew made with mutton, Chinese yam (山药), lotus roots, astragalus membranaceus (黄芪, membranous milk vetch), tuber onions, and yellow cooking wine for additional aroma. It can be enjoyed by dipping pieces of unleavened flatbread into the soup, and is reputed to have medicinal properties. Pingyao is famous for its unique salt beef, while the areas around Wutai Shan are known for wild mushrooms. The most popular local spirit is fenjiu, a “light fragrance” variety of baijiu that is generally sweeter than other northern Chinese spirits.

Let’s check out this cold noodle from China!

Qin Zong Shaanxi Cold Noodle Hot & Sour Flavor – China

#2328: Qin Zong Shaanxi Cold Noodle Hot & Sour Flavor - China - The Ramen Rater - cold noodles

Here’s the back of the package (click to enlarge). Looks to be meat free but check for yourself. To prepare, add noodles and wheat gluten to a bowl. Cover with boiling water and let sit for 10-15 minutes to soften. Rinse noodles with cold water and drain. Add in liquid sachets. Stir and enjoy!

#2328: Qin Zong Shaanxi Cold Noodle Hot & Sour Flavor - China - The Ramen Rater - cold noodles

The noodle pouch.

#2328: Qin Zong Shaanxi Cold Noodle Hot & Sour Flavor - China - The Ramen Rater - cold noodles

The first of three liquid sachets.

#2328: Qin Zong Shaanxi Cold Noodle Hot & Sour Flavor - China - The Ramen Rater - cold noodles

Dark with sesame seeds.

#2328: Qin Zong Shaanxi Cold Noodle Hot & Sour Flavor - China - The Ramen Rater - cold noodles

Another liquid sachet.

#2328: Qin Zong Shaanxi Cold Noodle Hot & Sour Flavor - China - The Ramen Rater - cold noodles

A thin, clear liquid.

#2328: Qin Zong Shaanxi Cold Noodle Hot & Sour Flavor - China - The Ramen Rater - cold noodles

Another almost clear sachet.

#2328: Qin Zong Shaanxi Cold Noodle Hot & Sour Flavor - China - The Ramen Rater - cold noodles

Murky…

#2328: Qin Zong Shaanxi Cold Noodle Hot & Sour Flavor - China - The Ramen Rater - cold noodles

A sachet of…

#2328: Qin Zong Shaanxi Cold Noodle Hot & Sour Flavor - China - The Ramen Rater - cold noodles

…wheat gluten.

#2328: Qin Zong Shaanxi Cold Noodle Hot & Sour Flavor - China - The Ramen Rater - cold noodles

Finished (click to enlarge). Added Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts and fried tofu puff, The noodles had to soak for 10-15 minutes, so I went 15. Alas, they were very odd; Seems like they would’ve hydrated a little better but they just seemed kind of off. The flavor was pretty good – really oily, spicy and definitely Chinese.  Not my fave but looking forward eagerly to try more Shaanxi varieties from this brand – unique. 2.75 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 6925500714155.

#2328: Qin Zong Shaanxi Cold Noodle Hot & Sour Flavor - China - The Ramen Rater - cold noodles

SHAANXI COLD NOODLE

Years of training have provided this cook in northwest China with the skill of bouncing endless noodles in a quite bizarre style into the boiling water.

#1562: Koka Purple Wheat Noodles Soy & Vinegar Flavor

1 Reply

I must admit that in the past I haven’t been entirely fond of noodles with different colors. Not because I dislike the color (actually I find that fascinating), but because they tend to have an off taste to them and just seem kind of ‘gimmicky.’ It’s been about 300 or so reviews since I tried the Aglio Olio variety of this line. Let’s see how this Soy & Vinegar one goes!

 Here’s the back of the package (click image to enlarge). To prepare, add noodle to boiling water and cook for 4 minutes. Add contents of sachets to 75ml of warm water and stir to make sauce. Drain noodles and rinse with cold water. Mix noodles with sauce. Enjoy!

The purple wheat noodle block.

A dual sachet.

A powdery seasoning.

A sesame oil scented oil.

 

Finished (click image to enlarge). The noodles were very chewy and hard to break by pursing the lips. This is something I didn’t care for. The flavor was a soy, sesame and light vinegar taste and was rather odd but kind of good. 2.75 out of 5.0 stars.EAN bar code 8888056832026.

 Here’s the Chili & Lime flavor – haven’t tried it yet.

A TV ad for Koka purple wheat noodles.

Meet The Manufacturer: #1384: Takamori Hiyashi Udon Bonito Sauce

Comments

This is another cold noodle dish. Bonito is a fish that is used to flavor broths quite often in Japanese cuisine. The last Takamori cold noodle variety I had was one of the best I’ve ever had – let’s see how this one fares!

Here’s the back of the package (click image to enlarge). Not sure but probably contains fish. To prepare, add the sauce sachet to 60ml cold water and combine. Set aside. Put contents of one noodle sachet in a shallow dish and add 2cm of water. Microwave for 2 minutes 20 seconds at 500 watts or 2 minutes at 600 watts. Drain and run cold water over the noodles. Plate the noodles and pour sauce and water mixture. Enjoy!

One of the two included noodle pouches.

The liquid base.

Has a nice fish scent.

Finished (click image to enlarge). Added egg, Kizami Shoga (pickled ginger), green onion and cabbage. The udon noodle is very good cold – they remain moist. The sauce has a nice bonito flavor which is rich and enjoyable. 3.0 out of 5.0 stars. UPC bar code 4901959100413.

The process in which bonito is smoked and cooked and finally becomes shaved katsuobushi.

#1105: Nongshim Doong Ji Authentic Korean Cold Noodles With Chili Sauce

1 Reply

Here’s one that I’ve waiting to review for a while. This is a variety specifically marketed for the summer months – cold South Korean noodles! Thought I’d consult Wikipedia to give some more information on South Korean cold noodle dishes:

Bibim guksu, a cold dish made with very thin wheat flour noodles called somyeon with added flavorings, is one of the most popular traditional noodle dishes in Korean cuisine. It is also called guksu bibim or goldong myeon, all of which literally mean “stirred noodles” or “mixed noodles”. [1] The dish is especially popular during summer.

There are many kinds of cold noodle dishes in Korea, including one made with cold beef broth; however, spicy cold noodles have historically been appreciated by spice-loving people in Korea and recognized internationally. What makes this dish so distinct from other cold noodle dishes from different cultures is the strong spicy flavor produced from the combination of red pepper powder, gochujang, and minced garlic, along with a sweet-and-sour flavor created by vinegar and sugar. Most spicy cold noodles are prepared with haszing duu and a slight touch of sesame oil to enhance the richness of its flavor.

Typically the dish would be prepared by stir frying diced beef, julienned pickled cucumbers, and mushrooms in sesame oil, which is all mixed together with the cooked noodles, soy sauce, sesame oil, sesame seeds and sugar. Garnishes placed on top and around the spicy noodles include hard-boiled eggs, pickled mu, dried gim strips, sliced cucumbers, and sometimes sliced Korean pear or tomato.[1][2]

Sounds like something that’d be great today – supposed to be pretty warm! Let’s give it a try.

Here’s the back of the package (click image to enlarge). Contains wheat, soybean and pollock.

Buckwheat gives these noodles their dark brown color. Usually when you order naengmyeon, another cold noodle dish, it is served at a restaurant with a pair of scissors to cut the noodles into manageable lengths – works well here as well.

The veggies and solid ingredients.

The larger bits are the Korean pear.

The chili sauce packet.

Nice color and a spicy scent.

Finished (click image to enlarge). Added green onion, hard boiled egg, roast beef and a little sliced kimchi on the side. The noodles are nice – they have a chewiness you can only get from buckwheat and chillling them makes their texture tighten up – only words I can think to describe. The flavoring is great – spicy and slightly sweet – and there more than enough of the sauce to coat all the noodles. The pear is great too – chewy and flavorful. All in all quite nice! 5.0 out of 5.0 stars. UPC bar code 031146158164.

Gol Bim Men Recipe – Paldo Bibim Men with Bai-Top Shell

Comments

Today, I’m trying a new recipe sent to me by the folks at Paldo! Summer is right around the corner and this cold noodle dish is great to enjoy during the warmer months of the year. It was first introduced on a South Korean TV show on the KBS network called ‘Happy Together’ (click here to see the video). It uses some ingredients I’ve never heard of before, but I’m sure the folks in South Korea are very familiar with them – Cho Gochujang and Bai-Top Shell. Cho Gochujang is a gochujang infused with vinegar. But what’s bai-top you ask? Sea snails! Never had snails from the sea or otherwise before. Thank you to Moses over at Paldo America for sending me everything to make this! Always excited to try something new.

Here’s a video I made of how to create this simple and refreshing dish.

Gol-Bim-Men (골빔면)

Ingredients:

  • Paldo Bibim Men
  • Bai-Top Shell (in the recipe I’m using a can of Dongwon Canned Bai-Top Shell (hot))
  • Cucumber
  • 1 tsp Cho Gochujang (I’m using Ottogi)
  • 1/2 tsp Sesame Oil

Directions:

  1. Prepare the cucumber, slice into long pieces
  2. To prepare the Bai-Top Shell, slice into thin pieces. 5 prepared Bai-Top per pack of Bibim Men works here.
  3. Combine cucumber, sliced Bai-Top Shell, Bibim Men Sauce Pack, Cho Gochujang, Sesame oil.
  4. Add the mixture to the noodles and stir well. Enjoy!

Here’s the finished product (click image to enlarge). This is really quite good! The Bai-Top shell was extremely good – I hadn’t a clue that I would like sea snail! Also commonly known as whelk, it has a chewy texture not unlike clams. These canned ones were in a slightly spicy sauce which was really good. Paired with the cho gochujang, I devoured the leftovers of the can after the video.The sweet and spicy flavors along with the coolness of cucumber and texture of the bai-top all melded together very nicely. Give it a try!

#979: Meet The Manufacturer – Sun Noodle Nama Soba Buckwheat Noodle

1 Reply

First off, I’d like to wish everyone a wonderful Lunar New Year! Here’s another one from Sun Noodle! This one is served either hot or cold, and I thought I would try it cold.

Here are the ingredients and instructions (click image to enlarge).

The noodles. Notice how they are of a different gauge and color.

The liquid seasoning.

Finished (click image to enlarge). Added green onion, hard boiled egg slices and Urashima Sesame & Salt furikake. The noodles are interesting; they definitely have their own flavor of buckwheat and are sturdy and chewy. The liquid has a very light flavor – this reminds me of a salad dressing but exceedingly light in flavor. This was good stuff – never been a huge fan of cold noodles until the last year and really like these. 4.0 out of 5.0 stars.UPC bar code 085315122333.

Talking ramen with Keizo Shimamoto of GoRamen.com

Meet The Manufacturer #887: Yamachan Ramen Cold Noodles With Lemon Soy Dressing

1 Reply

I’ve had a few cold noodle varieties from South Korean manufacturers, but never any Japanese cold noodles. Let’s have a look at this one!

Here’s the back of the package (click to enlarge). Notice the different cooking instructions.

The noodle blocks.

This is the dressing; you don’t dilute it.

Finished (click image to enlarge). Added green bell pepper, yellow onion, broccoli, green onion, oven baked chicken, hard boiled egg and Ajishima Kimchi furikake. The noodles are just as good cold as hot – they are nice and fresh and chewy and wonderful. The dressing is very delicate and light. It goes very well – has a light lemon taste which is nice. Good stuff! 4.0 out of 5.0 stars. UPC bar code 767921019404 .

The Yamachan Ramen noodle factory!

This looks really cool – I think I’ll see what my son thinks of it. He’s seen all of the Star Blazers (Space Battleship Yamato) and we’re checking out Robotech currently;y.

#845: Nongshim Doong Ji Authentic Korean Cold Noodles in Chilled Broth

1 Reply

Well, time for another try with cold noodles! Been really enjoying them recently – curious how these will fare – look pretty fancy!

Here’s the back of the package (click image to enlarge). So it’s a little different cooking this one, but shouldn’t be too tough.

Buckwheat noodles!

This is one big packet – won’t fit into one of my little cups.

Veggies!

An interesting looking mixture.

This is put on at the very end. Interesting…

Another one of the new bowls from the President of Nongshim America! Thank you again! I decided it would only be right to try each one out the first time with a Nongshim product.

Finished (click image to enlarge). Added a little roast beef and some hard boiled egg with Krazy Mixed Up Salt. Okay first things first… A while back, I tried Naengmyeon at a Korean restaurant and really didn’t like it. The noodles were really very hard to eat. I read about it on Wikipedia and it mentioned that a lot of times the servers would use big scissors to cut the noodles into shorter more manageable lengths. As I took the first bite of these noodles, I found myself in the same situation, so I tried the scissors – big difference! With that out of the way… The noodles are thin and have an almost gel-like coating. I don’t like this when it comes to bean thread, but it’s different here. The broth is sweet and tasty. No heat like a ramyun – it’s more of a sweet and refreshing flavor. The mustard is different; very interesting! The veggies are good – cucumber and other bits you’d commonly find served cold in there. All in all, I’m really impressed; this was really comparable to the noodle dish I got at a Korean restaurant. 4.25 out of 5.0 stars! UPC bar code 031146158171 – get it here.

A Nongshim Doong Ji TV commercial

Sorry, couldn’t resist…

Re-Review: Meet The Manufacturer: Paldo Bibim Men Oriental Style Noodle

1 Reply

It’s been quite a while since I’ve had this one – thought it’d be a good one to finish Meet The Manufacturer: Paldo with. Hot day, cold noodles. I should also mention the last time I had this was review #118 – over 700 packs ago – and my tastes have changed a bit. I’m happy to say I like cold noodles nowadays.

Back of the package (click image to enlarge). Note the instructions on this one.

The noodle block – they look thinner.

Here’s the soup base you mix in.

Finished (click image to enlarge). Added some chicken, Fresno chile peppers, a hard boiled egg and some Krazy Mixed Up Salt. Noodles are nice and are indeed thinner than the usual fare. The flavoring of the meal is great – sweet and spicy with a good flavor. Much more enjoyable this time around. 3.75 out of 5.0 stars.UPC bar code 648436100057 – get it here.

Old Bibim Men commercial

Korean baseball fight is what it says – I think they’re taunting eachother

#618: Pulmuone Cold Noodle By Dad

Comments

Happy New Year! Let’s start things off a little different with some cold noodles – or should I say cold noodle Regardless, in the past I haven’t been a great fan of cold noodles, but hey, new year, new noodle. Let’s give it a try.

The package back (click image to enlarge). Notice the zero fat in this one. Almost 3 grams of sodium though – 114% of RDA! Wow, starting things off with a massive coronary here. Don’t think I’ll eat all of this one.

So inside is a tray which contains four packets. First, here’s the packet of noodles. These are fresh and have wheat, buckwheat, black rice and acorn flour in them! Surprisingly, no fiber in this pack of noodles; acorn flour just sounds a little skritchy.

Now we have the flavorings. Top left is the spicy sauce and lower left is the cold noodle broth. To the right is the veggie packet.

Finished (click image to enlarge). The noodles themselves aren’t bad. The broth has an interesting flavor. The thing I didn’t think I’d like was that it was served cold. I tried it warm and it wasn’t bad and then let it get cold and still, not too bad. The flavor and texture altogether isn’t really my cup of tea. I think I’ll have something else for breakfast. Gotta give this one a 2.75 out of 5.0 – unique and interesting but just not that wonderful.

Pulmuone ad.

1983: KISS takes off their makeup on MTV. Anticlimactic.