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. It’s nice to see stores expanding these kinds of things. Let’s give it a try!
Jinmailang Cup Noodles Chicken & Mushroom 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!
An included fork!
The noodle block.
A dry soup base sachet.
A wet seasoned oil sachet.
A vegetables dry sachet.
Finished (click to enlarge). Added soft egg, baked chicken, sansyo, Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, and spring onion. The noodles were on the spongy side which was unfortunate. The broth had a slight chiekn flavor that was overridden by funky mushroom. Not among my favorites. 1.0 out of 5.0 stars. UPC bar code 6921555527252.
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.
Okay so this one is interesting to me. First, I thought the name Cup Noodles was a Nissin thing? But then I thought Jinmailang was owned by Nissin, but then not anymore? I should note Jinmailang is most definitely a Chinese company, but it’s pretty obvious from the labeling that this is specifically for the United States. Interesting. Also, the nutrition facts seem a little interesting to me. It’s a pretty big cup – is everything actually doubled in reality? Unsure. Either way, I found this at Fred Meyer, a chain of grocery stores in Washington, Oregon, Alaska and Idaho. Was surprised to see this brand there! Anyways, I’ve found a couple varieties there recently I’ve not seen elsewhere. Curious. Let’s check this one out!
Jinmailang Cup Noodles Slow Roast Beef Flavor – United States
Detail of the side panels (click to enlarge). Looks to be meat free but check for yourself. To prepare, add sachet contents and water to fill line. Microwave for 3 minutes and let sit for an additional minute. Finally, stir and enjoy!
Finished (click to enlarge). Added Salad COsmo mung bean sprouts, scallions, soft egg, pepper flake and fried onion. The noodles didn’t work all that well in the microwave scenario. I think although it says high heat this might fare better at 800W rather than the standard of 1000W most microwaves in the US run at. The noodle returned very weak, and furthermore the broth was a bit on the bland side. It tasted good, just could have used more flavor. It’s a kind of braised beef taste with a little nudge of Sichuan pepper. 2.5 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 6921555527238.
These came by way of Snackoo – a company that supplies you with great snack boxes, containing all sorts of fascinating things as well as ramen noodles. Why not check them out?
So Jinmailang (or JML) is a Chinese company which has a big footprint in the instant noodle universe. I heard once that one of every four instant noodles produced on the planet are produced by Jinmailang. That’s a lot of noodles! This one sounds particularly tasty – sweet and sour pork ribs. Let’s take a look!
Jinmailang Yakisoba Sweet & Sour Pork Ribs Flavor – China
Detail of the lid (click to enlarge). Looks to be meat free but check for yourself. To prepare, add the vegetable sachet content and boiling water to fill line. Cover for 3~4 minutes. Use drain spout in the lid to drain carefully. Add the liquid base sachet. Finally, stir and enjoy!
Included chopsticks!
The noodle block.
The liquid base sachet/.
The vegetable sachet.
Finished (click to enlarge). Added spring onion, fried pork and Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts. The noodles came out with a decent backbone and gauge I found very nice. The flavor was kind of what I expected. You see, sweet and sour in the United States is better called sweet and sweeter. Often in Chinese cuisine, sweet and sour has sourness from black vinegar – which actually I find to be more tart than sour. Regardless, it was a really good balance and I liked it. 4.0 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 6921555500057.
I’ve been doing a lot of spicy noodle videos on YouTube recently. There’s a particular one that I tried and just couldn’t handle. The main reason for this is that first off, it’s ultra spicy. The second was that I attempted it when I was sick with the flu. I mean hey – it was from Japan and I thought I should be able to handle it; never run into any spicy noodle from Japan that I found too spicy to eat.
I remember having this one a few years back and in the interest of ‘training’ for this one, I thought it deserved a re-review. It was on my inaugural to ten spicy list I think, so that’s saying something. As years went by, hotter ones pushed it off. You’ll notice on the package’s lower right – see the chilli peppers and the little peppercorns? Spicy hot beef has both aspects to fire it up. Let’s give this one another look. I’ll be doing a video on YouTube for this one as well. I’ve decided this is worthy of a new number as far as reviews go. I mean, this is going to be interesting and all…
JML Instant Noodle Artificial Spicy Hot Beef Flavour – China
Here’s the back of the package (click to enlarge). Looks to be meat free but check for yourself. To prepare, add everything to a bowl and add 500ml boiling water. Let steep covered for 3 minutes. Finally, stir and enjoy!
The Noodle Block.
A dry base sachet.
A light powder.
A liquid base sachet.
A spicy looking paste.
A clear sachet.
Some vegetables.
Finished (click to enlarge). Added egg, Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, spring onion, and beef. The noodles were pretty good – a slight bit on the soggy side. The broth has a nice combination of chilli pepper and Sichuan pepper spiciness which works well together. The broth also has a good oiliness and the vegetables hydrated well. Beef taste? Yep – definitely tastes like a spicy beef broth. 3.75 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 6921555595664.
Recently we headed up to Canada for a nice meet up with new friends and to find some noodles. This one spoke to me and said ‘Halloween’ – I mean, bone soup made from boiling pork bones is a very traditional kind of thing – heck, it could be also seen as something Thanksgiving style where after the meal the carcass of the turkey is boiled to pull out all of that great flavor. But the black and green big letters and all just kind of screamed skeletons! Trick or treat! Spooky!
The packaging you see here is definitely what you would see as one made for export to another country. While made in China, this is definitely for Canada. French and English on the front. Really love the graphic on this one too. I’m sure it ‘s totally different in the local Chinese version and also has a bit of pork in it as well as this one looks to be all artifically flavored due to the import restrictions on pork, chicken and beef usually found from Asian countries into the west. Let’s have a look at this bone soup and see what’s inside.
#2590: JinMaiLang Bone Soup (Spare Ribs Flavour) Noodle – China
Here’s the back of the package (click to enlarge). Looks to be meat free but check for yourself. To prepare, add sachets and noodle block to 500ml boiling water and cook for 3 minutes. Finally, stir and enjoy!
The noodle block.
The dry base sachet.
A fine powder.
The oil sachet.
A thick paste.
The vegetables sachet.
Lots of little bits and pieces.
Finished (click to enlarge). Added Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, spring onion and thin sliced pork. The noodles are thin and light. They have a subtle bounciness and seem a slight bit on the mushy comfort side of the spectrum. The broth is a kind of pork happening – artificial, yes. It’s got a nice oiliness to it and a good character. It’s tasty. The supplied vegetable garnish went well. The only downside was the saltiness which seemed a little out of hand. 3.25 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 6921555587652.
The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodle Bowls Of All Time 2017 Edition is a list of the best bowls I’ve tried of the over 2400 reviews posted to date. Bowls are interesting insofar as they often contain extra things, since there is more room for sachets, spoons, fork, etcetera. As always, I implore instant noodle manufacturers to contact me – I would love to review your products and all it costs is sending some samples and your time! So sit back, grab a bowl, some hot water, peel back the lid, stir – and enjoy!
The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodle Bowls Of All Time 2017 Edition
A video presentation of the list.
#10 – JML Spicy King Bowl Noodle Spicy Chicken Noodle – China
The noodles as usual plumped up nicely as they engorged themselves on the broth. good gauge, good chew. The broth is definitely strong and worthy of the top ten spicy list – it means business! Sichuan chilli heat is abundant. The oiliness is great and the hydrated vegetable bits are good as well – a tasty spicy bowl. Original review
#9 – Seven & I (Nissin) Gold Sumire Ramen – Japan
The noodles are thick and chewy – very premium. The broth has a very rich miso flavor that had a little thickness and a nice oiliness. The vegetables and bits hydrated perfectly – nice bits of ground meat and menma float happily about and are of good quality. Original review
#8 – Tokushima Seifun Yakibuta Ramen – Japan
The broth has a nice saltiness and soy flavor with just a little touch of sweetness. The pork flavor finds it’s way into the broth as well which is spectacular. The pork has a nice sweetness and ‘fall off the bone’ texture to it which is pure delicacy. The army of decent sized slices of narutomaki were amazing, and the spring onion and bamboo shoots were perfect. A bowl of amazing taste and quality. Original review
#7 – Nissin Raoh Rich Soy Sauce Flavor – Japan
Raoh’s noodles are great – premium and chewy. The broth is thick and rich with a strong shoyu taste which satisfies. The garnish includes a nice slice of chashu pork. Original review
#6 – Uni-President Man Han Feast Braised Pork Flavor Instant Noodles Bowl – Taiwan
First, the noodles have a little bit thicker a gauge than most instant varieties. Indeed they are premium although a slight bit softer than one might expect. The broth is a sea of rich pork flavor – different than many. As a matter of fact, this really REALLY has a nice pork flavor; most pork varieties don’t have a great pork taste as the pork taste they do have get overshadowed by saltiness. The vegetables hydrated well and the pork was very good. Original review
#5 – Uni-President Man Han Feast Super Hot Pot Beef Flavor Instant Noodles – Taiwan
So the noodles are broad and flat with a light chew and an excellent quantity. The broth is a tour de force of beef taste. It has a good thickness/oiliness to it as well as a good flavor. Indeed as expected, there’s a decent punch of spiciness. Indeed, the chunks of beef are of good size and quality. Moreover, the liquid with the beef in the retort pouch add depth to the broth. Finally, little rings of chilli pepper are here and there, joining the party. Original review
TTL stands for Taiwan Tobacco & Liquor and indeed there’s a sachet of rice wine in here! Add to that a big retort pouch full of decent sized chunks of chicken, good noodles and garnish, This is definitely a bowl to seek out and try. Original review
#3 – Choripdong Hurricane Rice Cake Topokki – South Korea
It’s red. It’s got a thick spicy and sweet sauce. Chewy ramyun noodles. It’s got topokki. This was a real find – Just looking at the picture makes me want some right this instant. One of the most wonderful bowls of noodles I’ve ever had. Slipping from first place last year. Original review
#2 – Nissin Gyoretsu-no-Dekiru-Mise-no-Ramen (Shrimp Tantanmen) – Japan
Talk about amazing. Now, on most of these bowls, you’ll notice I’ve added my own garnishes. I don’t count them in my reviewing – everything is reviewed prior to any additions I make. This is one where I’ve added nothing and just look at it! This one had very good noodles to start off. The broth was a very thick prawn infused decadent flavor spectacle. Then there’s the little crunchy topping and the other garnish they provide and this is just amazing stuff. Wow. Floored. Original review
#1 – Little Cook Thailand Green Curry Instant Noodle – Taiwan
Wow – I’m so freaking impressed with this one. First, there are two bowls. Peel back the lid of the first bowl and add boiling water. After a short time, you poke holes in the lid and drain the liquid into the second. A sachet of soup base is added and you have a soup with lots of corn and herbs. Next, a huge sachet with chicken and vegetables boasts a great spicy green curry flavor which mixes with the noodle. A really amazing product. Original review
恭喜发财 and Happy Lunar New Year to all! I had a look at my lists I hadn’t updated in a while and saw it was in January of 2014 last I did a top ten Chinese list. Why so long? Well, I like to have done quite a few reviews in a year when it comes to country lists for that specific country. If I’d done only two and there weren’t any big changes, I’ll kind of let it go until the next year. This one seemed ripe and ready for a new version. Of the almost 150 reviews I’ve done of Chinese instant noodles, these are my favorites. I should mention that if you are an instant noodle in mainland China and interested in having me review your products, please contact me to set up a review series. With that, let’s have a look at The Ramen Rater’s top Ten Chinese Instant Noodles Of All Time 2017 Edition.
The Ramen Rater’s top Ten Chinese Instant Noodles Of All Time 2017 Edition
A video presentation of The Ramen Rater’s top Ten Chinese Instant Noodles Of All Time 2017 Edition.
So The noodles are very broad and hydrated well. They have a nice chewiness to them. The flavor is excellent – a nice oily spiciness, a slight sweetness and a kind of puckery taste as well. The vegetable hydrated very well. Original review here
#9: Master Kong Tomato Sauce Instant Noodle
The noodles are about double the width of a standard instant noodle and flat. Very floppy but very nice in this application. The broth is indeed tomato flavored, and has a nice tomato taste at that. The included vegetables hydrated perfectly – all the way down to the peas. Original review here
You might be thinking ‘sauerkraut?’ But actually, pickled cabbage as well as other vegetables are quite popular throughout Asia. The noodles are a little wide and flat. The are really very good and there’s a lot of them. The broth has a rich flavor – the sauerkraut’s bitterness is there, but also a kind of artificial meat flavor that works well. Also, there’s a little spiciness to it which was great! Original review here
#7: JML (Jin Mai Lang) Spicy King Spicy Beef Instant Noodle
The noodles are perfect – plump and plentiful. The broth is wonderful – perfect oiliness and heat and beef flavor. The heat tastes like it’s coming from Sichuan peppers. The vegetables in the powder sachet hydrated very well. The supplied seaweed is perfect. Original review here
The noodles have a standard instant gauge. They have just the right backbone to them – good texture and chew. The broth is extremely good – a tart beef flavor with good oiliness to it. The carrot and beef are excellent! Like a gourmet vegetable beef noodle. Original review here
#5: Sichuan Baijia Chongqing Noodles Spicy Hot Flavor
The noodles are thin and flat with a medium width. They really work well here. The broth is a very spicy beef with a Sichuan pepper hit among others. There are sesame seeds throughout and the bits of vegetables in there were great. Original review here
#4: JML (Jin Mai Lang) Spicy King Spicy Chicken Instant Noodle
The noodles came out very nicely – lots of them and of good texture and chew. The broth has a great spiciness – still worthy of the top ten spicy list. Sichuan pepper for sure. Nice color and oiliness in the broth as well. Original review here
I mean wow! I wasn’t sure of what to expect here, but this is really great! The noodles are extremely plentiful and really soft and floppy. This is perfect as the seasonings and liquids combine with them very well. The flavor is like an almost beefy and tasty lasagna but with Sichuan pepper and other spices going on. Moreover, the more you eat, the spicier it gets – heat, upon heat, upon heat! The pain! I really expected this to probably be really salty and have a strong vinegar taste but I was completely mistaken. I love this. Original review here
#2: JML (Jin Mai Lang) Spicy King Spicy Pork Instant Noodle
The noodles came out nice and plump and there’s a good amount of them. The broth has a fiery spiciness and great flavor to it. I really have to say the red chillies add a very nice hit of spice and vegetable elements. Original review here
The noodles, made from purple potatoes have a nice texture to them – a little sturdier than your garden variety instant and they were very nice to chew. The broth is a thick beef and tomato affair, with a very luxuriant and rich texture to it – almost creamy in a way. The inclusion of large pieces of tomato and real beef brisket in there was admirable and very enjoyable. Premium bowl of noodles. Original review here
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.
Purple! Nothing like purple. Purple crayons, The Color Purple, Purple Rain… Actually, I’m not really a fan of any of those; but when I see the color of purple on an instant noodle package, especially from Taiwan, Hong Kong or China, it usually denotes something pickled. Indeed, here we have sour pickled cabbage. This isn’t quite like sauerkraut but kind of like it. Anyways, let’s crack into this one – another kindly send by colin. Thanks again!
Here’s the back of the package (click to enlarge). Looks to be meat free but check for yourself. To prepare, add everything to a bowl. Pour 500ml boiling water over everything and cover for 3-4 minutes. Stir and enjoy!
The noodle block.
The soup base sachet.
A light powder with fleck in it.
An oil sachet.
Looks thick and possibly spicy.
The pickled cabbage.
Quite a bit of it!
Finished (click to enlarge). Added coriander, spring onion and Chinese sausage. The noodles are light and almost fluffy; definitely on the plentiful side as well. The broth was very good – a salty and beefy excursion with sour notes and a light spiciness. The pickled cabbage has a very nice acrid nip to it I enjoyed. 4.0 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 6921555509982.
Every year, I review a ton of instant noodles – and every year I come out with quite a few lists. This list tends to change the least of all my lists – I’ve had a lot of spicy instant noodles in my time and just seems like nobody’s getting any spicier products to market. Could be that they don’t want to melt people’s faces off perhaps. Anyways, here’s this year’s list – the spiciest varieties out of over 2,100 reviews. Enjoy – if you dare!
A video presentation of The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Spiciest Instant Noodles Of All Time 2016 Edition.
#10: Nongshim Jinjja Jinjja – South Korea
While still not available in the United States, Jinjja Jinjja is back in South Korea! This one packs a serious punch of heat along with pork, peanut and black sesame seeds. Original review here
#9: JML Emperor Instant Noodles Spicy Chicken – China
I wasn’t expecting this one to be extremely spicy at the outset and then was in for a ride. Very very hot – augmented with a large sachet of coarse chilli peppers. Original review here
#8: emart Dare You! Habanero Jjamppong – South Korea
Extreme heat is paired with nice bit of seafood broth and lots of bits of seafood. All the fire and flavor melded together with thick ramyun noodles make it hot as well as delicious. This one comes in at 1,960 SHU (Scoville Heat Units). Original review here
#7: MyKuali Penang White Curry Noodle – Malaysia
MyKuali’s new recipe added a big punch of heat to their already amazing and groundbreaking Penang White Curry Noodle. Thick almost saucelike broth fires up the palate and includes a generous amount of garlic this time. Original review here
#6: Ching’s Secret Hot Garlic Instant Noodles – India
When I found this one at a local Indian market, I was very enthused. I thought to myself ‘hey, I like garlic!’ I kind of expected a salty, buttery and almost fettucini kind of thing. But no – this innocuous looking plate of noodles was violently spicy! Super hot garlic spiciness just builds and builds! Original review here
#5: Mi E-Zee Perisa Kari Mi Segera – Malaysia
The noodles plumped up well and were nice and springy. The broth – ah, the broth. Here’s the improvement! The curry taste is much stronger (the old version called for 450ml water and this one calls for 400ml) – not only that, the little sachet of chilli pepper flake just puts it over the top. It’s hot – real hot – like walking around the living room as my mouth and lips are burning saying ‘ooh’ repeatedly hot. Original review
#4: Paldo Teumsae Ramyun – South Korea
On the list for four years now! Another South Korean ramyun with serious kick to it. This isn’t to be trifled with! Teumsae has restaurants in South Korea which serve up some seriously spicy fare. I really like the text underneath the word Teumsae which reads, ‘Flavor. Culture. Human’ Original review here
#3: Samyang Foods Buldak Bokkeummyeon – South Korea
I would say that I’ve seen dozens of videos on YouTube showing people competitively eating this one. This stuff is extremely hot. Another brothless variety and it really packs a punch as well as has a nice taste to it. Thick ramyun noodles round everything out nicely and will transmit the spicy sauce to your tongue. Original review here
#2: Paldo Bulnak Bokkummyun Spicy Fried Octopus Ramyun – South Korea
See that little octopus on the package with the smile on his face? He’s laughing. Laughing as he watches you sweat as you eat this ultra spicy ramyun! I’m not kidding this one was over the top spicy! Bring a fire extinguisher. Original review here
#1: emart Dare You! Habanero Ramyun – South Korea
For the fourth year running, this stuff tops the list. Despite a packaging design change, you should still heed the warnings; habanero pepper top right corner, temperature gauge and screaming person, black packaging… Yeah – it’s not one to underestimate; this is violently hot. The broth just keeps delivering the heat and it’s just insane. Try licking a lit candle – I swear this stuff is hotter! Original review here
Today, we come to the end of this Meet The Manufacturer. On a side note, I reviewed one that has the exact same packaging that I received from a reader in Scandinavia a while back. I asked if it was the same as this and was told it is a little different. sometimes companies will change levels of different ingredients depending on where they’re sold. Anyways… Lots of interesting new things in this one – lots of great flavors as well! I want to thank Alvin Leung for all his help with making this happen! Let’s have a look at the package version of JML’s Spicy King Spicy Chicken!
Here’s the back of the package (click image to enlarge). Contains chicken. To prepare, bring 550ml of water to the boil and add noodles. Add contents of sauce, seasoning, vegetables sachets and stir. Cook for3-4 minutes and ready to serve!
The noodle block.
The dry seasonings sachet.
Has a nice spicy scent.
A liquid sachet.
A bright colored paste.
A special sachet.
Chilli powder!
Finished (click image to enlarge). Added baked chicken with chilli powder and Lindberg Snider Porterhouse and Roast seasoning, mung bean sprouts and lime. The noodles came out very nicely – lots of them and of good texture and chew. The broth has a great spiciness – still worthy of the top ten spicy list. Sichuan pepper for sure. Nice color and oiliness in the broth as well. Couldn’t tell a difference between this and the other which is fine – they’re both excellent. 5.0 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 6921555593363.
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