Tag Archives: dry noodles

Meet The Manufacturer: #3081: Fu Chung Village Dry Noodles With Sauce – Garlic & Sesame Flavor – Taiwan

We bid a fond farewell to Fu Chung today and I hope we will see more of their products in the future! Let’s try this one – sesame and garlic!

Fu Chung Village Dry Noodles With Sauce – Garlic & Sesame Flavor – Taiwan

Detail of the side panels (click to enlarge). Looks to be meat free but check for yourself. To prepare, add noodle block to a large pot of boiling water. After one minute, separate noodles gently. Continue cooking 5~6 minutes. Drain. Add wet sachet contents. Finally, stir and enjoy!

One of the four individual packs.

The noodle block.

A dark wet sachet.

Soy sauce going on in this one.

A light wet sachet.

A creamy looking liquid.

A clear wet sachet.

Oil.

Finished (click to enlarge). Added soft egg, baked chicken with NuTek Salt For Life, scallions, Fu Chung Spicy Chili Sauce, and sesame seeds. As always, the noodle are great – chewy and have a great mouthfeel. The flavor though was definitely a lot of garlic, however it was very bitter and I would have liked more saltiness in this one. Just not appealing to me. 1.25 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 4710887929900.

Lonely Planet Taiwan (Travel Guide)

Watch me cook this one up on Instant Noodle Recipe Time!

Meet The Manufacturer: #3080: Fu Chung Village Dry Noodles With Sauce – Basil & Clam Flavor – Taiwan

Meet The Manufacturer: #3080: Fu Chung Village Dry Noodles With Sauce - Basil & Clam Flavor - Taiwan

Here we have the second of three varieties from Fu Chung – a basil and clam flavor! Sounds interesting – let’s hit it up!

Meet The Manufacturer: #3080: Fu Chung Village Dry Noodles With Sauce - Basil & Clam Flavor - Taiwan

Detail of the side panels (click to enlarge). Looks to be meat free but check for yourself. To prepare, add noodle block to a large pot of boiling water. After one minute, separate noodles gently. Continue cooking 5~6 minutes. Drain. Add wet sachet contents. Finally, stir and enjoy!

Meet The Manufacturer: #3080: Fu Chung Village Dry Noodles With Sauce - Basil & Clam Flavor - Taiwan

One of the four packs.

Meet The Manufacturer: #3080: Fu Chung Village Dry Noodles With Sauce - Basil & Clam Flavor - Taiwan

The noodle block.

Meet The Manufacturer: #3080: Fu Chung Village Dry Noodles With Sauce - Basil & Clam Flavor - Taiwan

A wet sachet.

Meet The Manufacturer: #3080: Fu Chung Village Dry Noodles With Sauce - Basil & Clam Flavor - Taiwan

Seasoned oil.

Meet The Manufacturer: #3080: Fu Chung Village Dry Noodles With Sauce - Basil & Clam Flavor - Taiwan

A dry sachet.

Meet The Manufacturer: #3080: Fu Chung Village Dry Noodles With Sauce - Basil & Clam Flavor - Taiwan

Chili flakes and seeds.

Meet The Manufacturer: #3080: Fu Chung Village Dry Noodles With Sauce - Basil & Clam Flavor - Taiwan

Finished (click to enlarge). Added spring onion, Fu Chung garlic chili oil, Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, and soft egg. The noodles are great – gauge and chew are just perfect. I was surprised though; the basil and clam flavor were just destroyed by the overly spicy flavor. It just didn’t make any sense to me to do this. 1.0 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 4710887929122.

Meet The Manufacturer: #3080: Fu Chung Village Dry Noodles With Sauce - Basil & Clam Flavor - Taiwan

Taiwan: Taiwan Travel Guide: 101 Coolest Things to Do in Taiwan (Taipei Travel Guide, Tainan, Taichung, Taiwanese Food, Backpacking Taiwan, Asia Travel Guide)

Watch me put this together on an episode of Instant Noodle Recipe Time!

Meet The Manufacturer: #3079: Fu Chung Village Dry Noodles With Sauce – Spicy Sichuan Pepper With Vinegar – Taiwan

Here’s the first of a trio from Fu Chung – a spicy Sichuan variety with vinegar. No doubt this includes Sichuan pepper. Now, it’s not like a fleshy chili pepper – it’s a peppercorn. Here’s a little about Sichuan pepper flavor from Wikipedia –

Sichuan pepper’s unique aroma and flavour is not hot or pungent like black, white, or chili peppers. Instead, it has slight lemony overtones and creates a tingly numbness in the mouth (caused by its 3% of hydroxy alpha sanshool) that sets the stage for hot spices. According to Harold McGee in On Food and Cooking, they are not simply pungent; “they produce a strange, tingling, buzzing, numbing sensation that is something like the effect of carbonated drinks or of a mild electric current (touching the terminals of a nine-volt battery to the tongue). Sanshools appear to act on several different kinds of nerve endings at once, induce sensitivity to touch and cold in nerves that are ordinarily nonsensitive, and so perhaps cause a kind of general neurological confusion.”

I think this is a very apt description of what Sichuan pepper is like. Let’s give this a try!

Fu Chung Village Dry Noodles With Sauce – Spicy Sichuan Pepper With Vinegar – Taiwan

Detail of the side panels (click to enlarge). Looks to be meat free but check for yourself. To prepare, add noodle block to a large pot of boiling water. After one minute, separate noodles gently. Continue cooking 5~6 minutes. Drain. Add wet sachet contents. Finally, stir and enjoy!

One of the four included packages.

The noodle block.

The first of two wet sachets.

A dark liquid.

The second of two wet sachets.

A seasoned oil with a Sichuan peppery scent.

Finished (click to enlarge). Added Fu Chung Minced Pork & Scallion Sauce, scallions, Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, and soft egg. The noodles are just great – flat, broad, just right. An apt balance in the flavor as well – not overuse of anything – works very well. 4.5 out of 5.0 stars. As for the sauce, I’m really happy with that – meaty and savory – if I were to score it I’d give it a 5.0 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 6710887929894.

Home Comforts Peel-n-Stick Poster Taiwan Tainan Children Strawberry Ice Summer Poster 24X16

Watch me make this on Instant Noodle Recipe Time!

Meet The Manufacturer: Interview with Fu Chung – Taiwan

Interview with Fu Chung * Product Samples from Fu Chung * Fu Chung Village Dry Noodles With Sauce – Spicy Sichuan Pepper With Vinegar * Fu Chung Village Dry Noodles With Sauce – Basil & Clam Flavor * Fu Chung Village Dry Noodles With Sauce – Garlic & Sesame Flavor

Was contacted in October 2018 by a company in Taiwan interested in having me sample their products. I accepted and today we start the review series! We start with an interview with Gary Ma of Fu Chung.

Interview With Fu Chung – Taiwan

THE RAMEN RATER> Thank you for agreeing to this interview! To start, can you tell my readers about the history of Fu Chung?

FU CHUNG> Fu Chung was founded by the well known Taiwanese producer, Wang Wei-Chung and his
sister Wang Rong Rong in 2012. The goal was to continue Taiwan’s unique ‘juan cun’ cuisine and culture. ‘Juan cun’ were temporary villages built in Taiwan for the Nationalist soldiers and their dependents after they retreated from the mainland in 1949. The sister Wang Rong Rong was an expert at ‘juan cun’ cuisine because the family has lived in a juan cun for many years. She published three related cook books (see pictures below). Juan cun cuisine is so special because when the nationalist party retreated, the temporary villages were occupied by people from many different provinces in China. The variety of taste and recipes came together to form the very unique Taiwanese juan cun culture.

TRR> What was the first product you made?

FU CHUNG> The first product was a home recipe of a spicy chili sauce, would happy to mail you a sample of it.

TRR> Your company is located in Taiwan. Can you tell us a little about your country?

FU CHUNG> Taiwan is an island with high mountains and beautiful coastlines. Approximately 23 million people live on this island South East of China. Taiwan often leaves an impression of being a country that is known for its good food, especially street food like boba tea, beef noodles, and fried chicken.

TRR> Can you tell us about the varieties of noodles you make?

FU CHUNG> Our noodles are a type of traditional Taiwanese noodle, they are thick and wide cut with a big knife.

TRR> What does the name ‘Fu Chung’ mean?

FU CHUNG> ‘Fu’ in Chinese means luck and fortune.
‘Chung’ in Chinese means honesty and loyalty.
‘Chung’ was part of the founder’s name and we hope to add in the ‘Fu’ to give the
name a symbol of luck and happiness.

TRR> In what countries are your products available?

FU CHUNG> Our products are available in Taiwan, US (H-Mart or some Asian markets), Hong Kong, Australia, China.

TRR> How does your noodle making process differ from other instant noodle manufacturers?

FU CHUNG> Our noodles contain wheat, salt, and water only. They are without a lot of common seasonings and oil found in instant noodles. It is actually a very traditional way of Taiwanese noodle-making. The dough is repeatedly massaged and dried naturally with sunlight. This way the noodles can be cooked for a long time without falling apart, and they are thicker and juicer.

TRR> Are noodles the only products you make?

FU CHUNG> We also have sauces and jerky.

TRR> A lot of people are concerned with their sodium intake. How would you recommend people enjoy your product as part of a healthy meal?

FU CHUNG> We source natural produce from Chinese and Taiwanese farmers, our products do not contain any harmful chemicals so the consumers can eat with a peace of mind.

TRR> Are you involved in in your local community or participate in charities?

FU CHUNG> We periodically send our products to veterans and elders who need help.

TRR> Are there any new products coming soon?

FU CHUNG> We’re looking to launch new products in the first quarter of 2019. Will love to get your insight on them.

TRR> When you make noodles for yourself, what do you like to add to them to make them extra special?

FU CHUNG> We recommend adding some thin slices (strings) of cucumber, carrots, and adding a fried egg.

THE RAMEN RATER> Thank you very much for this opportunity to learn about Fu Chung and your products!

#2917: Kiki Noodles Mixed With Aged Vinegar

The last time I reviewed Kiki noodles was quite a while agoi. I remember that I really enjoyed them quite a bit – high quality noodles and good tasty flavor. Well, now they’ve come out with two new dry varieties – this one is aged vinegar and the other has a young vinegar. Sounds interesting to me – let’s give it a try!

Kiki Noodles Mixed With Aged Vinegar – Taiwan

The import/distributor’s sticker (click to enlarge).

Detail of the package (click to enlarge). Looks to be meat free but check for yourself. To prepare, add noodles to a pot of boiling water and cook for 3~5 minutes. Drain. Add in sachet contents. Finally, stir and enjoy!

One of the five individual packs.

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

The dry noodles.

The first of two sachet.

Dark stuff.

The second liquid sachet.

Dark stuff – slightly lighter than the first dark stuff.

Finished (click to enlarge). Added scallions. The noodles were very good – great gauge and excellent chewiness. The flavor was very much black vinegar with a spiciness. The heat didn’t come from Sichuan pepper, I should add. The flavor was augmented with a soy sauce hit as well. Nicely rounded and tasty. 4.75 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 4713302680042.

Rilakkuma Pottery Ramen Noodles Bowl W/ Spoon

Watch me conquer a plate of these noodles!

Meet The Manufacturer: #2887: Three Meters Noodles Shallot Taste

Shallots are one thing I have always enjoyed. Kind of like an onion, really oily and strong flavor. This one says it’s got shallot flavor to it – and I’ve had a lot of shallot flavored Taiwanese varieties to date. Let’s see how it is!

Three Meters Noodles Shallot Taste – Taiwan

Detail of the side panels (click to enlarge). Looks to be meat free but check for yourself. To prepare, cook noodles in 1000ml boiling water for 4 minutes. Drain. Add in sachet contents. Finally, stir and enjoy!

Thin noodles.

A liquid sachet.

Thick and oily.

Finished (click to enlarge). Added fried egg, scallions, fried onion , sesame seeds and chashu pork. The noodles came out extremely well. Nice gauge and light chew. The flavor was just mind blowingly good and I am thoroughly excited about this one. The shallot flavor is just right – not too salty, not too pushy – just exactly perfect. Wow! 5.0 out of 5.0 stars.

Lonely Planet Taiwan (Travel Guide)

Harvesting shallots

Meet The Manufacturer: #2858: Wu-Mu Man Dashi Noodle Master Fuzhou Sauce Dry Noodles

Today I try a straight dry noodle in the Man Dashi (mian da shi) range . The name translates to ‘noodle master.’ Here’s a little info from Wu-Mu about this one –

The shape of the noodle is fine and round, and the taste is delicate and smooth.
●The Black rice vinegar is made of the carefully selected 100% glutinous rice and 18 natural ingredients such as vegetables, fruits, oranges, carrots, garlics…etc.
●Sweetness, saltiness and light spiciness blend perfectly, creating distinctive tastes.
●Rich fragrance creates easily the flavor of cooking master.

Sounds good – let’s give it a try!

Wu-Mu Man Dashi Noodle Master Fuzhou Sauce Dry Noodles – Taiwan

Here’s the back of the two serving package (click to enlarge). Unsure whether it contains meat. To prepare, boil noodles for 4 minutes and drain. Add in sachet contents. Finally, stir and enjoy!

The bundles of noodle.

One of the two liquid base sachets.

Smells good!

Finished (click to enlarge). Added spring onion, cucumber and Sichuan pepper flake. The noodles are thin with a light chewiness which was enjoyable. The flavor had a kind of sweet and vinegar hit to it which was quite good as well. 4.5 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 4710175567913.

Taiwan: A New History (East Gate Books)

A short film about friendship.

#2851: Vedan Jhen Mian Tang Dry Noodles With Basil

Here’s one sent by a fellow named Jay from Taiwan – thanks! I did see these and another variety at Uwajimaya in Beaverton, OR on our way back from California a couple of months ago. So these are dry noodles. Dry noodles are prepared by cooking, draining, then adding sauce and stirring. Pretty easy to do. These sound interesting – basil! Let’s have a look and give these a try.

Vedan Jhen Mian Tang Dry Noodles With Basil – Taiwan

Here’s the back of the package (click to enlarge). Unsure whether it contains meat. To prepare, add noodle block to 600ml boiling water and cook 4 minutes. Drain. Add contents of sachet. Finally, stir and enjoy!

Noodles in their own clear packaging.

A liquid base sachet.

Smells tasty!

Finished (click to enlarge). Added scallion and chashu pork. The noodles are broad and thin with a slightly thicker vein in the center. The flavor is almost a kind of spicy basil hit which works well, but I found a little saltier than necessary. 4.25 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 4710110232463.

Home-Style Taiwanese Cooking

A TV spot fir this range

#2844: Vedan Jhen Mian Tang Dry Noodles With Soy Bean Sauce

With the advent in the popularity of the Taiwanese dry noodles sector, larger companies have entered the fray. For those of your that don’t know, dry noodles basically are noodles with a sauce – dry meaning that they do not include a broth. They’re also not fried but either air or sun dried. They’re gaining popularity – let’s have a look at this mainstream Taiwanese brand’s take on a standard dry noodle variety.

Vedan Jhen Mian Tang Dry Noodles With Soy Bean Sauce – Taiwan

Here’s the back of the package (click to enlarge). Unsure whether this contains meat. To prepare, add noodle block to 600ml boiling water and cook for 4 minutes. Drain. Add in contents of liquid sachet. finally, stir and enjoy!

The noodle block.

The liquid base sachet.

A thick sauce.

Finished (click to enlarge). Noodles are nice – broad and very thin – thinner than most dry noodles I’ve had. They have a nice chew, but in all honestly almost a slight leathriness to them. The flavor is very much on point though and works nicely. Would love to see a noodle like this in a broth – some kind of beef noodle with real meat capacity. Tasty! 4.0 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 4710110232029.

Home-Style Taiwanese Cooking

A video for Lunar New Year from Vedan

Unboxing Time: New Products From KIKI Noodles Of Taiwan

Unboxing Time: New Products From KIKI Noodles Of Taiwan

You’re probably thinking ‘dang dude, you sure get a lot of samples coming from Taiwan.’ Well, you’re right! The competition in Taiwan is extremely fierce, and people know who I am there, so it makes sense. This box has some tape from TATLTOB, aka ‘the agency that likes to open boxes that aren’t theirs.’ Hopefully all is intact! Let’s find out!

New Products From KIKI Noodles – Taiwan

A package full of interesting things! Thank you very much – looking forward to trying them!

Unboxing Time: Guanmiao Noodle Samples From A-Sha Of Taiwan

Unboxing Time: Guanmiao Noodle Samples From A-Sha Of Taiwan

five years ago, there was a big kerfuffle involving myself and the entire island of Taiwan. They weren’t on the Top Ten 2013 Edition and they were angry – to put it mildly. I decided that a little noodle diplomacy was the ticket here and so put out a call for Taiwanese companies to contact me, send me samples and see how it goes. A-Sha was the first company to come calling and since then they’ve kept me updated on their new offerings – let’s have a look at their new Guanmiao noodle!

Guanmiao Noodle Samples From A-Sha – Taiwan

These new varieties will be available in the United States come May! Thanks to the folks down at A-Sha Dry Noodle USA in California!

Meet The Manufacturer: Product Samples From Mr. Noodle

A box arrived from Taiwan. These are product samples from Mr. Noodles – a company I met at the Taiwan International Food Show in November 2017. They offered to give me samples then and there, but I had to decline as my luggage was already packed with noodles.

Product Samples From Mr. Noodle – Taiwan

A video unboxing from the Unboxing Time With The Ramen Rater series

Here we have six different varieties that will be reviewed sequentially starting today! Thanks to Isaac from Mr. Noodle for getting these to me!