Here’s another one I found over at Boo Han Market in Edmonds, Washington. This new O’Taste brand seems to be cropping up a lot lately. It’s interesting as it’s not exactly a Nongshim variety, but it’s Taekyung Food & Processing, and I’m unsure exactly how they fit in with the Nongshim corporate structure. Maybe I should find out.
Anyways, this isn’t the first Pho I’ve seen from a South Korean company. Nongshim’s Farmer’s Heart range (Farmer’s Heart is a translation of Nongshim) has one. Let’s give it a try!
O’Taste Pho Rice Noodle HOT – South Korea
Detail of the side panels (click to enlarge). Contains fish. To prepare, add everything to the cup and boiling water to the fill line. Cover for 4 minutes. Finally, stir and enjoy!
Finished (click to enlarge). Added pork, star anise, Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, red pepper flake, coriander, and sesame seeds. The rice noodles hydrated perfectly with a soft tooth that worked magnificently with the broth. Broth had all the hallmarks of pho and was believable. Impressed as I’ve never found an instant pho I truly enjoyed. 5.0 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 8809061676429.
Here’s one of the new ones from MyKuali. I’ve enjoyed MyKuali’s stuff for years, with multiple appearances on the top tens. Here’s a new flavor – gaeng som – and a little something from Wikipedia to explain –
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]
Sounds good – let’s give it a try!
MyKuali Penang Gaeng Som Noodle – Malaysia
Detail of the packaging (click to enlarge). Contains fish and crustaceans. To prepare, boil noodles for 5~6 minutes and drain. Add sachet contents to 380ml boiling water and combine. Add in noodles. Finally, stir and enjoy!
The noodle block.
A wet sachet of paste (see contents on the episode of Instant Noodle Recipe Time below).
Finished (click to enlarge). Added shrimp, Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, coriander, fried onion, and fried tofu. The noodles came out well, although a little on the softer side compared to their fried offerings. The broth has a sour and spicy bite to it somewhat like a tom yum of a different style. 4.25 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 9555655005852.
Hey look at this! What is it? Well, their standard Spicy Sakura Prawn has been ranked #2 on the 2018 and 2019 The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time lists. This one has two kinds of noodles – both air dried too so they’re healthier for you. I’m a big fan of prawn mee (that’s what they call it in Malaysia) and I’m ready to have a prawn freakout. Let do this!
Red Chef Spicy Sakura Prawn Soup Rice Vermicelli & Noodles – Malaysia
Here’s the back of the package (click to enlarge). Contains fish and crustaceans. To prepare, boil noodles in 400ml water for 2 minutes. Drain. Add sachets and noodles to 270ml boiling water. Finally, stir and enjoy!
Wheat noodles on the left, rice vermicelli on the right.
A dry sachet.
A light powder.
A wet sachet.
Has a strong and sweet prawn scent.
Another dry sachet – garnish this time.
Fried onions!
Finished (click to enlarge). Added soft egg, Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, fried tofu, shrimp, bbq pork, spring onion, and mint leaf. Wow. The combination of the two noodles here is masterful – and authentic as this is what you’ll find in hawker courts in Malaysia. Broth is strong, however just a tad less so than the standard pack version. Included crispy onion garnish is just so spot on it hurts. Prawn freak-out achieved. 5.0 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 9556145137015.
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 – ‘Chicken based shoyu ramen – the kind that makes you cherish your memory eating your first shoyu ramen. (natsukoshi roughly means nostalgic). This is like the ramen you see being waten at yatai food stalls set up on streets by characters in some anime. Chopped chashu (roast pork) goes well with this simple, most enjoyed ramen.’
As of late, I’ve really been into chicken. Baked chicken with some seasonings in particular. Let’s give this one a try…
New Touch Natsukashi Shoyu Ramen – Japan
Detail of the side panels (click to enlarge). Contains pork and chicken. To prepare, add 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, sliced chashu, soft egg, spring onion, sansyo, sesame seeds. Noodles come out very well – nice hydration and chew. The broth had a good shoyu character to it with chicken notes. Bits of vegetable and the odd shrimp floating about. 4.0 out of 5.0 stars. JAN bar code 4903088009537.
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.
Here’s another one sent by the company – thank you! I’ve had quite a few squid yakisoba varieties. This one though is by a different brand – all the others were by the same brand, so this should be a bit different. Having trouble thinking of what to say here; just had a hellstorm with a WordPress update and it’s fixed so feeling happy right now. Sorry! Anyways, let’s check it out!
Kinchan Squid Yakisoba – Japan
Detail of the bottom and side (click to enlarge). Contains squid. To prepare, add boiling water and dry sachet contents to bowl. Cover for 3 minutes. Drain using spout. Add liquid sachet contents. Finally, stir and enjoy!
Finished (click to enlarge). Added squid, soft egg, spring onion, and Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts. The noodles are just perfect in this one – just made to be enjoyed as an instant yakisoba. The sauce is just smackdown lovely. Great yakisoba flavor with garnish full of cabbage and decent sized squid pieces. 5.0 out of 5.0 stars. JAN bar code 4904760013767.
Check this out! Top Ten listers Mom’s Dry Noodles have collaborated iwth a Thai company to make a couple neat curry varieties! They’ve not done anything non-Taiwanese styled before, so this should be interesting – check out the unboxing video!
Today I’m reviewing the third iteration of this variety from Singapore. I really like good prawn flavor and hoping this one blows my mind like Prima Taste’s other varieties. Let’s give it a try!
Prima Taste Singapore Prawn Soup La Mian – Singapore
Detail of the package (click to enlarge). Contains prawn. To prepare, boil noodles in 500ml water for 5 minutes. Add in sachet contents and cook an additional 2 minutes. Finally, stir adn enjoy!
The noodle block.
Two identical wet sachets.
A liquid stock.
Finished (click to enlarge). Added Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, spring onion, shichimi togarashi, shrimp, and chicken baked with NuTek Salt for Life. Noodles are thick and chewy – absolute excellence. The broth seems to be about as prawny as can be – a very buttery kind of prawn hit is what I get from it, less so the sweet prawn of the north. Great stuff! 5.0 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 8886350068066.
Here’s a spin on the fire noodle – a cook in bag noodle with rice. Definitely something different, that’s for sure! I mean, it’s one thing to copy something, but this isn’t that – it’s unique and hopefully really good – let’s find out!
EasyBab Hot Chicken Flavor Noodles And Rice – South Korea
Here’s the back of the package (click to enlarge). Looks to be meat free but check for yourself. To prepare, remove sachet and fill to line with boiling water. Close for 2 1/2 minute. Drain using side tear. Add in sauce. Finally, stir and enjoy!
The inside of the bag – note the noodle block and rice.
The wet sachet containing the sauce. Watch the Instant Noodle Recipe Time video to see this being used.
Finished (click to enlarge). Added sesame seeds, spring onion, barbecue pork, and soft egg. Noodles and rice hydrate really well in 2 1/2 minutes and are of cook quality – not soggy or mushy. The flavor is a just slightly muted heat version of the fire noodle sauce and works incredibly well. Definitely one to garnish but without garnish it’s 3.75 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 8809275313028.
Here’s something new from MAma Pat’s – cups! I recently reviewed the chicken taco variety and was disappointed that they removed the vegetable sachets from their packs. Well, they’re still in these cups and that should be interesting. Let’s give it a try!
Mama Pat’s Chicken Fajita Flavor Instant Ramen Noodles – 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 fill line. Cover for 3~5 minutes. Finally, stir and enjoy!
Finished (click to enlarge). Added spring onion, grilled chicken, Cholula hot sauce and black sesame seeds. Noodles have a round shape and after 4 minutes we reasonably hydrated. They didn’t seem to work with the broth as well as I’d hoped. Broth has a chicken and smoky taste to it which was unique and interesting. Vegetables worked alright. 2.75 out of 5.0 stars. UPC bar code 757170500181.
I was contacted by Red Chef and told they have changed their recipe for this one and that they’d like to send samples. Well, here’s one of them! Really curious how it will be. But first thing s first – what’s pandan? Here’s a bit from Wikipedia –
In India and Sri Lanka it is called Rampé and in Bangladesh it is called pulao pata (পোলাও পাতা ), along with the other variety of pandan there (Pandanus fascicularis), and is used to enhance the flavor of pulao, biryani and sweet coconut rice pudding, payesh if basmati rice is not used. It acts as a cheap substitute for basmati fragrance as one can use normal, non-fragrant rice and with the help of pandan the dish tastes and smells like basmati is used. It is called Ambemohor pat in Marathi; Ramba in Tamil, Biriyanikaitha in Malayalam, pandan wangi in Indonesian, hsun hmway (ဆွမ်းမွှေး) in Burmese, pandan in Visayan languages and Tagalog, ใบเตย bai tooey in Thai, rampe in Sinhala, ស្លឹកតើយ sleuk toi in Khmer, Daun Pandan in Nonya cooking,[3] Dứa thơm/lá nếp in Vietnamese, 七葉蘭 (Pinyin: Qi Lan Ye) in Chinese and बासमतिया पौधा ([bɑːsmət̪ɪjɑː pɑʊd̪ʱɑː]; “fragrant plant”) in Magahi and Bhojpuri due to its fragrance.
The leaves are used either fresh or dried, and are commercially available in frozen form in Asian grocery stores of nations where the plant does not grow. They have a nutty, botanical fragrance that is used as a flavor enhancer in Indian, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, Burmese, Chinese, Vietnamese, Khmer, Laotian, Thai, Singaporean, Bruneian, Malaysian, Indonesian and Filipino cuisines, especially in rice dishes, desserts and cakes.
The leaves are sometimes steeped in coconut milk, which is then added to the dish. They may be tied in a bunch and cooked with the food. They may be woven into a basket which is used as a pot for cooking rice. Pandan chicken, (Thai: ไก่ห่อใบเตย, kai hor bai toei), is a dish of chicken parts wrapped in pandan leaves and fried. The leaves are also used as a flavoring for desserts such as pandan cake and sweet beverages. Filipino cuisine uses pandan as a flavoring in buko pandan fruit salad, as well as rice-based pastries such as suman and numerous sweet drinks and desserts.
Alright – let’s give this pandan white curry new recipe a go!
Red Chef Pandan White Curry Noodle (New Recipe) – Malaysia
Here’s the back of the package (click to enlarge). Contains crustaceans and fish. To prepare, add noodle block into 400ml boiling water and cook for 3 minutes. Add sachet contents. Finally, stir and enjoy!
The noodle block.
A dry sachet.
Soup base seasoning.
Another dry sachet.
A dry powdered non-dairy creamer.
A wet sachet.
The pandan white curry paste.
Finished (click to enlarge). Added Dodo fish ball, Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, coriander. Noodles are very good – nice tooth to them and really take on the flavor of the broth. Broth has a lot of elements – pandan, spicy, curry, hearty – it’s very full and flavorful. Impressive! 5.0 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code EAN bar code 9556145231010.
Here’s the last of the Sakurai Foods varieties I was recently sent. The other two were really great – especially the spicy one! Let’s see how a Vegan friendly tonkotsu tastes!
Sakurai Foods Vegetarian Tonkotsu Noodle – Japan
Detail of the packaging (click to enlarge). Has a Vegan logo on the pack. To prepare, boil noodle block in 500ml water for 2~3 minutes. Add in sachet contents. Finally, stir and enjoy!
The noodle block.
A dry sachet.
Powder base.
Finished (click to enlarge). Added chashu, soft egg, Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, spring onion, habanero togarashi and black sesame seeds. Noodles came out nice – good softness and gauge. The broth was a buttery tonkotsu, almost like a cross between a tonkotsu and a shio and it was absolutely warm and comfort foody and tasty. 4.0 out of 5.0 stars. JAN bar code 4960813312942.
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