Found this one up in Canada at Foodyworld and it looks really neat! The kids are really interested in this one but I’m sure it’s definitely off the charts spicy for them. I’m always curious when I see a cartoon or comic character on a product. Definitely looks interesting, that’s for sure! Let’s crack it open!
Sichuan Baijia Big Boss Hot & Sour Sweet Potato Vermicelli – China
Detail of the side panels (click to enlarge). Looks to be meat free but check for yourself. To prepare, add in all sachets and boiling water to fill line. cover for 6~7 minutes. Finally, stir and enjoy!
Finished (click to enlarge). No garnish. The vermicelli hydrated well. Made a few crosscuts with a pair of kitchen scissors. The flavor was strong on the Sichuan pepper side and super strong otherwise. Super oily too. Lots of included garnish was neat but it had a very odd flavor – to me at least. 1.5 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 6926410338165.
Found this one up at Hen Long Market up in Canada recently. It was kind of spendy, actually and I remember seeing they had a miso variety too. These are made in Taiwan by Chering Chang- I had a little trouble figuring out what the brand was/what they’re called, but on a bar code search I found them on a Vegan website, so I’m guessing they may be Vegan friendly. Anyways, let’s take a look and give these a try!
Here’s the back of the package (click to enlarge). Looks to be meat free but check for yourself. To prepare, add noodles and sachet contents to 500ml boiling water and cover for 6~7 minutes. Finally, stir and enjoy!
A non-fried noodle block.
A liquid base sachet.
A strong black vinegar scent.
A dehydrated bits sachet.
Vegetables and bits of tofu./
Finished (click to enlarge). Added dehydrated chives, Chinese sausage, and Salad Cosmo organic mung bean sprouts. Noodles came out nicely – nice gauge and chew. They kind of had their own flavor and didn’t take up much during the steeping process; almost buttery which I found fascinating. The broth had a nice hot and sour flavor which was adequately strong. I really like black vinegar and so a little stronger would have been nice. Heat level was there but not deadly. The included veg and tofu did well. 3.75 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 4710589440604.
Today, we say goodbye to Meimen and their trifecta of instant noodle varieties as we take a look at their hot & sour variety. As I mentioned previously, all three are Vegan-friendly varieties. Let’s dig into this, the final noodle from Meimen for Meet The Manufacturer.
Meimen Hot & Sour Noodles Soup – Taiwan
Detail of the outer package (click to enlarge). Note: This is a four pack. States that it is Vegan-friendly on the packaging. To prepare, add noodles and sachet contents to a bowl and add 500ml boiling water. Cover for 6~7 minutes. Finally, stir and enjoy!
Finished (click to enlarge). The noodles had a wide and flatter gauge – really excellent. The broth was pretty good although I wish it had been stronger – may have been more to my liking with 100ml less liquid. The flavor of black vinegar and spiciness was there and in a good balance. The included vegetable and tofu was just right. 3.75 out of 5.0 stars.EAN bar code 4712931430219.
Here’s one that comes by way of a reader named Colin from Massachusetts – thanks again! So I’ve reviewed a slew of these packets of udon in the past. It’s been a while though – don’t know that I’ve ever seen this hot and sour either. Udon is a lot different when it comes to noodles than your standard instant – here’s a little from Wikipedia –
Udon (饂飩?, usually written as うどん) is a type of thick wheat flournoodle of Japanese cuisine. Udon is often served hot as a noodle soup in its simplest form, as kake udon, in a mildly flavoured broth called kakejiru, which is made of dashi, soy sauce, and mirin. It is usually topped with thinly chopped scallions. Other common toppings include tempura, often prawn or kakiage (a type of mixed tempura fritter), or aburaage, a type of deep-fried tofu pockets seasoned with sugar, mirin, and soy sauce. A thin slice of kamaboko, a halfmoon-shaped fish cake, is often added. Shichimi can be added to taste.
Hot and sour seems a definite departure from the more traditional udon. I could be wrong though – it does happen from time to time! Let’s take a look and give a try!
Myojo Udon Japanese Style Noodles With Soup Base Hot & Sour Flavor – United States
Here’s the back of the package (click to enlarge). Looks to be meat free but check for yourself. To prepare, add noodles to 1 1/2 cups boiling water and cook 2~3 minutes. Add in sachet. Finally, stir and enjoy!
The noodle pouch. These noodles don’t need to be refrigerated, although you will find them in the cold section often.
The seasoning sachet.
A granular powder.
Finished (click to enlarge). Added spring onion, Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, shichimi togarashi and 31-40ct shrimp. The udon came out as expected – thick and chewy. The broth has a hot and sour taste. It leans towards the black vinegar kind of sour but not overly so. Moreover it has a bit of a bright crispness to it as well. Finally, the heat level is on the moderate end of the stick. 3.75 out of 5.0 stars. UPC bar code 011152036281.
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:
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
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!
The noodle pouch.
The first of three liquid sachets.
Dark with sesame seeds.
Another liquid sachet.
A thin, clear liquid.
Another almost clear sachet.
Murky…
A sachet of…
…wheat gluten.
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.
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.
Here’s another one sent by Jen from Australia – thanks! Although not an Australian brand, the distributor’s sticker mentioed Australian distribution and so here we are. Sounds good – been reviewing quite a few beef ones lately it seems. Let’s check it out!
Here’s the back of the package (click to enlarge). Looks to be meat free but check for yourself. To prepare, add noodle block and sachet contents to 500ml boiling water. Cook for 3-4 minutes. Stir and enjoy!
The noodle block.
The dry base sachet.
A fine powder with some herbs here and there.
A paste sachet.
Maybe the spicy element?
Hey – an old clay pot!
Pickled mustard greens!
Finished (click to enlarge). Added Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, coriander, chilli flake, red bell pepper, carrot and broccoli. The noodles came out nicely – and a great quantity as well. The broth was really great – a nice sour and spicy taste to it I really enjoyed. The pickled mustard stems however were an element that kind of mussed it all up though – just think that I would have liked it better without the mustard greens. 3.75 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 6921555509982.
Wow – review #1800. I must admit my surprise on how quickly I’m closing in on #2000. I haven’t reviewed one of these Crystal Noodle varieties in quite a while. I was talking to a friend of mine about instant noodles we weren’t particularly fond of and he mentioned his wife really liked these. We both agreed that Crystal Noodle was one of our least favorites. I figure though hey, you never know. This might be the one I really like! Let’s have a look.
Detail of the side panel (click image to enlarge). Looks to be meat free but check for yourself. To prepare, add in contents of sachet and fill to line with boiling water. Cover and let steep 3 minutes. Stir and enjoy!
Here are a scant few of the mung bean threads. They look very interesting.
The soup base sachet – almost the size of a snack noodle sachet.
A little freeze-dried block that should spring to life once the boiling water starts to meld with it.
Here’s a side shot so you can see the mung bean thread.
Finished (click image to enlarge). This is a tough one. The clear as glass noodle hydrated very well and they have a slightly jelly-like consistency. The flavor block hydrated perfectly as well. The vegetables were everywhere and of decent quality. What was absent was much flavor. So much so that I felt the need to add some salt or soy sauce. It just really doesn’t work for me; kind of like Kool-Aid without sugar, or a grilled cheese without a bread element. 0.25 out of 5.0 stars. UPC bar code 186190000218.
So to start things off, I thought this looked like an interesting cup. I had one that had a smiliar design quite a while back – and it ended up on the Top Ten Spicy list for 2015! So, I’m wondering how this one’s going to be – spicy? I’m going to bet it’s spicy. Let’s open the lid and look within!
Detail of the side panels (click image to enlarge). Contains meats. To prepare, add contents of sachets to cup and add boiling water to inside line and cover for 3 minutes. Stir and enjoy!
Detail of the lid (click image to enlarge).
An included fork!
The noodle block.
A dry seasonings sachet.
Has a kind of pork scent.
A liquid sachet.
Has a hot and sour scent.
A special sachet.
Smells spicy and pickled.
Finished (click image to enlarge). Added beef, broccoli and white onion. The noodles are rounded and of a standard gauge. They have a slight crumble and softness which is enjoyable. The broth has a nice bite of heat and good pork flavor and tanginess which is just excellent. The pickled vegetable bits are a very nice addition and they are nice and fresh. 4.5 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 6921555591352.
I thought this one interesting; it says hot and sour chicken, but those are shrimp on there too. I decided I’d walk to the store and try something new. Fish balls! I’ve had them in hot pot before, but thought I’d get some golden fish balls with shrimp for this one. Let’s check it out!
The distributor sticker (click image to enlarge). Contains shrimp and chicken.
The back of the package (click image to enlarge). To prepare, boil 400ml water. Put all contents of pack into a bowl. Add water and cover for 3 minutes. Stir and you’re ready to eat.
The noodle block.
A little bag of sachets.
Soup base sachet.
A very light powder.
A seasoned oil sachet.
Little crunchy bits.
Finally, the vegetable sachet.
Mostly green onion.
Finished (click image to enlarge). Added chicken, green onions and Golden Fish Balls With Shrimp Eggs. The noodles were disappointing; very crumbly and even with extra time seemed a little underdone. The broth was nice though – a bit if spicy, some nice flavors there. 2.0 out of 5.0 stars.UPC bar code 8934561251170.
Here’s what the fish balls are all about (click image to enlarge). The outside is a kind of rubbery bit reminiscent of calamari except in that it is not tough but satisfying. The innards of this particular fish ball were a surprise; the little sign at the seafood counter just said Golden Fish Ball With Shrimp. The receipt said with shrimp eggs though and it was correct. Said these were imported from Taiwan and wow were they good! I highly recommend trying fish balls if you haven’t and you have access to them. I didn’t even know our 99 Ranch Market had them; I always thought they came in a can or frozen. Always something new to learn!
Time for breakfast! Been waiting to try this one for just the right day. Just look at those enormous shrimp on that package! Jeez! I’m sure this will make for a good breakfast. Got this one at the local H Mart. By the way – today is a holiday – check out what Wikipedia says about it:
The law establishing the holiday was created in 2004 with the passage of an amendment by Senator Robert Byrd to the Omnibus spending bill of 2004.[3] Before this law was enacted, the holiday was known as “Citizenship Day”. In addition to renaming the holiday “Constitution Day and Citizenship Day,” the act mandates that all publicly funded educational institutions provide educational programming on the history of the American Constitution on that day.[4] In May 2005, the United States Department of Education announced the enactment of this law and that it would apply to any school receiving federal funds of any kind.[5] This holiday is not observed by granting time off work for federal employees.
So happy Constitution Day! Happy Citizenship Day! Noodle time!!!
The back of the packaging (click to enlarge).
This is a big noodle block!
Here’s the dry seasoning.
A fine powder.
Liquid base.
Has a strong lemon scent – very tom yum.
Veggies!
Nice mixture.
Finished (click image to enlarge). Added some veggies, two fried egg with Krazy Mixed Up Salt and some Crystal Hot Sauce. The Noodles are excellent – buttery and plentiful. Nice chew. The broth has a great citrus and spicy taste – very much like tom yum soup. I’m always impressed by the quality of these; they’re inexpensive and really good! 4.0 out of 5.0 stars! UPC bar code 721557450925 – get it here!
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Evan Osnos talks about a viral video that made Chinese citizens stand up; Nigeriatown in Guangzhou; and other signs of a new China. Chicago, May 1, 2009.
Here’s a new one – sounds good to me – kind of funny having two instants that are ‘hot and sour’ flavored in a row…
The label around the side! Click to enlarge!
Hey – a new fork!
The noodle block.
Powder seasoning.
Slightly granular in nature.
There are two liquid packets.
Dark and thick.
This is a seasoned oil.
Looks interesting…
The veggie and seafood packet.
I must say – I’m quite impressed with the variety here.
Finished (click image to enlarge). Added some bell pepper, onion, broccoli, odeng (Korean fish cake), hard boiled egg with Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning and a few squirts of Huy Fong Sriracha chili sauce. The noodles are thin, tasty and buttery – exceptional. The broth has a nice spicy, sour and tasty flavor. The vegetable/seafood mixture wasn’t bad; I would say it adds more to the broth than as something that stands out on its own. This was really quite good – 4.25 out of 5.0 stars – I’m impressed. UPC bar code 8934563501167 .
A Vina Acecook promo video.
My lady also finds this to be very amusing as do I
Here’s an interesting one. This one’s got bean thread, something I am not usually thrilled with. Let’s see what happens.
Here’s the side panels – click to enlarge.
The lid is clear so you can see inside!
The bean thread whorl. I think it’s probably a nest or something; I don’t know what the correct term is.
The seasonings come in their own fancy packet – as a block.
I decided this morning to make some banana bread with chocolate chips. Actually, this is the seasoning block! Crazy looking, eh?
Finished (click image to enlarge). Added some baked chicken breast and a little Sylvia’s Queen of Soul Food hot sauce. Okay so the noodles aren’t too bad – not my favorite though. they’re clear and hard to break apart with the lips. The broth is pretty good – definitely a nice hot and soup soup flavor. The veggies and bits aren’t bad – they really go nicely with the hot and sour flavor. 3.5 out of 5.0 stars. Probably one of the best bean thread soups I’ve had yet. UPC bar code 086190000102 – get it here.
This is a wacky one!
A Monster Named Nian – The Story of Chinese New Year
47.810652-122.377355
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