Today we have a Zenpop.JP variety – so what’s Zenpop? They’re a subscription service for all things Japanese! Definitely, check them out. By the way, use coupon code RAMENRATER to get $2 off! Here’s what they had to say about this one – ‘The original ‘CupStar Shoyu’ was released in 1975 (Showa 50), and is now back in your kitchen as a reprinted edition so you can try the original version. Toppings are scrambled eggs, kamaboko, shrimp, and scallion. The standard version today has minced pork, but the original version did not include it; instead, it has kamaboko (a type of cured fish paste). It is one of the simplest, yet most enjoyable instant ramens out there. Please enjoy the original version and explore a ‘back to the past’ experience!’
Nothing like a good shoyu – let’s give it a try!
Sapporo Ichiban CupStar Classic Shoyu – Japan
Detail of the side panels (click to enlarge). Contains prk and fish. To prepare, add boiling water to fill line and cover 3 minutes. Finally, stir and enjoy!
Loose seasoning and solid ingredients from the cup.
Finished (click to enlarge). Added spring onion, Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, egg, narutomaki, chashu,shichimi togarashiand sesame seeds. The noodles are of good quality, however the chewiness was kind of off-putting to be honest. I think they just seemed wrong for the gauge. The broth was nice though, with pleasant inclusions of egg and kamaboko, as well as decently sized shrimp. 3.25 out of 5.0 stars. JAN bar code 4901734037309.
Another one from the Real Canadian SuperStore! Man, I just ran my knee into a metal bar that supports my desk. That really hurt. I’ve been doing a lot of walking yesterday – on my birthday last week I did 18,000+ steps – yesterday I did over 15,000. I’m knee deep into trying to walk as much as possible. I think by the time this post comes out I’ll have lost a lot more weight. I started in November, 2018. I was wearing size 48 pants – yeah… It’s March and I’m down to 42, so we shall see where I’m at then… Been trying to stick around 1,200 calories a day too… I’m going to bake some chicken to go with this one. I like chicken. Let’s look at this one.
Rooster Chili Chicken Flavour Noodle Soup – Canada
Detail of the side panels (click to enlarge). Looks to be meat free but check for yourself. To prepare, add 280ml boiling water and sachet contents. Cover for 3 minutes. Finally, stir and enjoy!
Finished (click to enlarge). Added egg, chicken baked with Neo~Essence Pepper Salt & NuTek Salt For Life, spring onion, and Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts. Noodles are pretty good – nice gauge and hydrated well – not spongy. The broth has a satisfying chili flavor to it – not extremely spicy by any stretch. Works well. 4.0 out of 5.0 stars. UPC bar code 061483036801.
This is an interesting one. Made in China for the US market. I found this one at a Fred Meyer supermarket here in Lynnwood – the last place I’d expect to see something like this. Not a complaint by any means – nice to see more diversity at domestic grocery stores. Curious what vegetable this one will taste like – broccoli? Peas? Bell peppers? Let’s find out!
Jinmailang Cup Noodles Vegetable Flavor – United States
Detail of the side panels (click to enlarge). Looks to be meat free but check for yourself. To prepare, add in sachet contents and boiling water to line. Cover for 3 minutes. Finally, stir and enjoy!
Finished (click to enlarge). Added Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, tofu puff, scallion, and coriander. Noodles had a nice little fluff to them. Broth was rich and had a good kind of mixed vegetable taste to it. Warm and comforty for a vegetable variety. The inclusion of lots of vegetables like cabbage really bumped this one out. 4.0 out o 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 6921555527276.
Well look here something brand new from MyKuali! I think the last new thing they introduced was their fried noodle – their mee goreng. This one though – I’ve never heard of this before. Let’s look at Wikipedia and see what we can find –
Kaeng som or gaeng som[1] (Thai: แกงส้ม, pronounced [kɛ̄ːŋ sôm]) or Thai sour curry[2] is a sour and spicy fish curry or soup with vegetables popular in central Thailand.[3] The curry is characteristic for its sour taste, which comes from tamarind (makham). The recipe uses palm sugar (Thai: น้ำตาลปี๊บ, namtan pip) to sweeten the curry.
The versions using shrimp instead of fish are more popular; kaeng som with shrimp and cha-om omelet is now a standard dish in Thailand. Other types may include pineapple or seafood. The common point, however, is that coconut milk is not used in this sour curry.[7]
Wow this sounds very interesting – a sweet and sour kind of curry – I’m definitely interested. Let’s check out this new cup from MyKuali!
MyKuali Penang Gaeng Som Noodle – Malaysia
Detail of the side panels (click to enlarge). Contains fish and shrimp. To prepare, add in sachet contents and boiling water to line. Cover for 4~5 minutes. Finally, stir and enjoy!
Finished (click to enlarge). Added Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, coriander, shrimp, tofu puff. Noodles are thin and have a nice crumble. Broth is kind of like a tom yum, but then again not like a tom yum. Doesn’t seem to be sweet either as mentioned in the Wikipedia entry I read – all that being said, I really like it! I didn’t know exactly what to expect, but this works quite well. Sour, spicy and tasty. 4.5 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 9555655005807.
This one was found up in Richmond, BC at the SuperStore. What’s funny about this one? Well, it shows chopsticks on the cup and has a fork inside. I’ve been given a ration of insults and criticism for using a fork. I really don’t understand why; I mean, here’s an Asian variety with a fork. I think it’s common for Westerners to immediately go to ‘Asian people use chopsticks and if you use them wrong you suck’ kind of thing. My logic is that if I’m in Asia, I’ll use a pair of chopsticks. In Thailamd they use a fork to push food onto a spoon and then eat it, so I did that while there. It really doesn’t matter what tool you decide to use, it’s about eating a meal, right?
Anyways back to more important matters. What’s pancit you ask? Here’s something from Wikipedia –
In Filipino cuisine, pancit are noodles. Noodles were introduced into the Philippines early on by Chinese Filipino settlers in the archipelago, and over the centuries have been fully adopted into local cuisine, of which there are now numerous variants and types. The term pancit is derived from the Hokkienpian i sit (Chinese: 便ê食; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: piān-ê-si̍t or Chinese: 便食; pinyin: biàn shí) which literally means “convenient food.”[1] Different kinds of noodles can be found in Filipino supermarkets which can then be cooked at home. Noodle dishes are also standard fare in local restaurants. Food establishments specializing in noodles are often referred to as panciterias.
Nancy Reyes Lumen of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism writes that according to food lore handed down from the Chinese, noodles should be eaten on one’s birthday.[1] They are therefore commonly served at birthday celebrations and Chinese restaurants in the Philippines often have “birthday noodles” listed on their menus. However, she warns that since “noodles represent long life and good health”, they must not be cut, as that would “corrupt the symbolism.”[1]
Pancit is a derivative of a type of noodle(s) that originated in China but pancit which is different in its own aspect originated in the Philippines. The fact that pancit is eaten and part of Filipino culture means that it was most likely brought over from settlers originating in China or East Asia.
Well, there you go – pancit means noodles. Let us begin.
Detail of the side panels (click to enlarge). Contains beef.. To prepare, add boiling water to fill line. Cover for 3 minutes. Drain. add in sachet contents. Finally, stir and enjoy!
The noodle block.
A dry and a wet sachet. No contents pics today – we got a few inches of snow last night and I woke up to a big flash and heard electronics clicking. I figure getting everything ready fast as possible’s probably a good plan.
Loose bits from the cup.
Finished (click to enlarge). Added roast beef lunch meat, Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, spring onion, and fried garlic. The noodles are slightly broader than others I usually see from the Philippines. They had a nice soft tooth and were of good character. The flavor was definitely on the Filipino side of the spectrum – nice beef with other flavors going on. This seemed more pancit than yakisoba and was pretty good. 3.75 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 4800016551871.
A lot of people enjoy visiting Trader Joe’s and trying their products. Actually, there aren’t many products if any that I think are actually ‘their’ products – they get companies who make a good product to do a ‘private label,’ often the same product or some with a couple tweaks and then packaged with Trader Joe’s graphics. I believe this one to be actually a cup of Mike’s Mighty Good Craft Ramen. Anyways, let’s check this new cup out!
Trader Joe’s Miso Ramen Soup – United States
Detail of the side panels (click to enlarge). Looks to be meat free but check for yourself. To prepare, add in sachet contents and add boiling water to fill line. Stir. Cover for 6 minutes. Finally, stir and enjoy!
Finished (click to enlarge). Added soft egg, spring onion, Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts , chashu and togarashi. The noodles are fascinating – kind of collapse instead of chew. They’re not mushy, but become so quickly in the mouth. The broth is definitely a red miso, and nori is rather prevalent. 3.5 out of 5.0 stars. UPC bar code 00604116.
Here’s one that was sent by James B. – thank you very much! What have we here? Well, it’s Thai flavor noodle cup action from the Netherlands! Thom Khakai is coconut chicken flavor. Let’s have a look!
Detail of the side panels (click to enlarge). Looks to be meat free but check for yourself. To prepare, add sachet contents and boiling water to fill line. Cover for 3 minutes. Finally, stir and enjoy!
Finished (click to enlarge). Added Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, soft egg, coriander, rool tofu and fried onion. The noodles came out pretty decent in the 3 minutes steeping time. The broth was kind of a combo of lime and chicken to be honest. It was definitely interesting. 3.0 out of 5.0 stars. 8711200858069>.
I know a lot of people are really into Trader Joe’s. What I’ve seen is that they find brands and products they think would be good with their packaging and then get the company that makes it to do a private label for them and sells it under their name. I think that’s what it looks like here. In fact, maybe these should be known not as Trader Joe’s but Trader Mike’s – as everything looks about the same as this one. Yup – I’m pretty sure these are made by Mike’s Mighty Good. Anyways, let’s have a look and give it a try!
Trader Joe’s Chicken Ramen Soup – United States
Detail of the side panels (click to enlarge). Contains chicken. To prepare, add in sachet contents and add boiling water to fill line. Stir. Cover for 6 minutes. Finally, stir and enjoy!
Okay so I’ve never seen a noodle block like this ever before – except in Mike’s Mighty Good products. The six minutes steeping time makes this one a dead ringer for sure – it’s a private label.
The soup base sachet.
A fluffy powder.
An oil sachet.
Has a sesame scent.
Finished (click to enlarge). Added soft egg, and cheese. The noodles were prertty good but did have a peculiar tooth to them. The broth was creamy which was unexpected. I really expected something very bland here but it was very tasty. 3.75 out of 5.0 stars. UPC bar code 00604109.
Here’s one from Wes up in north eastern Canada – thank you again! He has time and again sent really interesting varieties by Kinchan of Japan – really hard to find stuff. This one’s a shoyu tonkotsu – let’s check it out!
Kinchan Noodle Shoyu Tonkotsu – Japan
Detail of the side panels (click to enlarge). Don’t know for sure but guessing this contains pork. To prepare, add in sachet contents and boiling water to fill line. Cover for 4 minutes. Finally, stir and enjoy!
Finished (click to enlarge). Added scallions, soft boiled egg, and chashu. The noodles were a little on the spongy side, however when I had finished garnishing and taken pictures, they were quite good. Broth has a definite soy and pork bone hit to it and the included garnish was very nice with crisp veg and pork. 3.75 out of 5.0 stars. JAN bar code 4904760010353.
Today we have a Zenpop.JP variety – so what’s Zenpop? They’re a subscription service for all things Japanese! Definitely, check them out. By the way, use coupon code RAMENRATER to get $2 off! Here’s what they had to say about this one –
“Charumera is a musical instrument that used to be used by street ramen vendors. The savory soup is given an extra umami of…can you tell? It’s scallop. Though ojisan means ‘an old man,’ the ‘orisan naruto look really cute.’
I’m not sure who the girl is – possibly someone from AKB48? Anyways, let’s check out this neat looking cup!
#2885: Myojo Charumera Shio Ramen – Japan
Detail of the side panels (click to enlarge). Contains shrimp, pork, chicken and fish. To prepare, open lid halfway and add boiling water to line. Cover for 3 minutes. Finally, stir and enjoy!
Finished (click to enlarge). Added soft boiled egg, spring onion, chashu pork, sesame seeds, shichimi togarashi and Salad Cosmo organic mung bean sprouts. The noodles were good – nice gauge and chew and hydrated well. The broth had a very good shio flavor and a nice bit of scallop and seafood taste as well. Included garnish was comprised of wonderful cabbage and little fishcakes with character images on them which was nice. Very good! 5.0 out of 5.0 stars. JAN bar code 4902881400893.
Today we have a Zenpop.JP variety – so what’s Zenpop? They’re a subscription service for all things Japanese! Definitely, check them out. By the way, use coupon code RAMENRATER to get $2 off! Here’s what they had to say about this one –
“Although Sendai ramen is not the most famous kind of regional ramen, it is tasty and you’ll love it once you try it. The pork-based miso soup is zested up with chili pepper and you’ll be addicted to the combination of the rich miso taste and the hot chili.”
Spicy and zested up miso sounds good- let’s find out!
Acecook Sendai Spicy Miso Ramen – Japan
Detail of the side panels (click to enlarge). Contains pork and chicken. To prepare, open and take out liquid sachet. Add in boiling water and cover for 3 minutes. Add in liquid sachet contents. Finally, stir and enjoy!
Finished (click to enlarge). Added hard boiled egg, shichimi togarashi and spring onion. The noodles hydrated very well – very soft. The broth has a nice depth and taste to it. Not really something I’d consider as spicy though. Nice miso flavor and richness. Good oiliness. 4.0 out of 5.0 stars. JAN bar code 4901071239060.
Today, we have one that was part of Japan Crate’s Umai Crate. So Japan Crate is a subscription service which has all sorts of different options for you. pretty neat stuff from Japan! There’s a coupon code for you too – just use THERAMENRATER to get a special discount at check out.
So here’s what the folks at Japan Crate had to say about this variety – ‘Yuzu is a citrus fruit that looks similar to a lemon. Popular as a flavor in many Asian cuisines, the yuzu soup is partnered with white soy sauce to help the yuzu become more fragrant for your taste buds to enjoy.’
Alright – let’s give it a try!
Sugakiya Foods Small Yuzu Udon – Japan
Detail of the side panels (click to enlarge). Unsure whether it contains meat so check for yourself. To prepare, add in sachet contents and boiling water to fill line. Cover for 1 minutes. Finally, stir and enjoy!
Finished (click to enlarge). Udon is light and a slightly tinnier gauge than most that come in a pouch./ The flavor has a kind of fish taste to it which overwhelms the yuzu taste. This is alright though. Included bits are of good quality. 3.75 out of 5.0 stars. JAN bar code 4901677063373.
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