The third of the Vite Ramen offerings. The first time around when I sampled the prototypes, this was my favorite – curious how I’ll like it this time around as full fledged version 1.0! I should mention that I hear that there will be an updated version coming soon – 1.1? 2.0? Not sure but definitely will be giving the three another go when they update them. Let’s get started.
Vite Ramen Vegan Mushroom Shio Instant Noodle Soup – United States
Here’s the back of the package (click to enlarge). Says it is Vegan on the packaging. To prepare, add noodle block to 2 1/2 cups water and cook 2 1/2 minutes. Add in sachet contents. Finally, stir and enjoy!
The noodle block – has a nutty scent to it.
A large dry soup base sachet (for more view of these sachets and their contents, watch the Instant Noodle Recipe Time episode below).
The ‘Noodtrients’ sachet – this contains all the protein and vitamins.
You guessed it – a wet sachet of canola oil.
A clear sachet of vegetables.
Finished (click to enlarge). Added fried tofu, Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, cilantro, and spring onion – oh and a dash of shichimi togarashi. Noodles are very hearty which I like a lot. Broth is as well – a kind of rustic tone to it which is like a lentil soup kind of hint to it. Really enjoy this one a lot. 5.0 out of 5.0 stars. No bar code.
A few months ago I did a Meet The Manufacturer series on Vite Ramen, but the packs I tried were prototypes and not this, the finished product for version 1.0 (version 1.1 will be coming soon and I’ll be giving that a try when it comes out). It’s a neat concept brought to life by Tim & Tom Zheng.
A lot of people found the idea of a healthy instant noodle very compelling – so much so that they netted a quarter of a million dollars on their Kickstarter campaign. What we have here is the culmination of lots of work by them.
These packs have a myriad of benefits, including lots of vitamins and minerals, 30g of protein, low sodium, low fat, and is an excellent source of fiber.
It also has something that’s hard for people to get – potassium. You can a decent amount in a banana, but eating enough bananas to meet the goal of potassium intake per day is going to have some side affects aside from the amount of sugar.This pack includes 25 percent of that.
As many of you know, I’ve been on a diet. I’ve been overweight most of my life. My doctor told me on October 18th, 2018 that I had high cholesterol, and pushed me to change my diet and exercise; something I’ve been told by doctors many times before. But I guess it was just the right time to do something about it. We got a jogging stroller and I started walking my daughter Miri on days my son has all day preschool. I also started using a fitbit and the My Fitness Pal app to track my intake and calorie burn.
I started slow; trying to get my step goal and trying to stay under the recommended calories for the day. It was hard at first, but I put myself in a good mindset and pushed forward. I started at 365lbs. I went back to the doctor on April 26th, 2019 – lost 65lbs and cholesterol is in check. I haven’t weighed myself, but I’ve gone down 6 pants sizes. I had to skip walking a couple days after last week too – Monday I walked 9.5 miles, Tuesday 10.5 miles, and Thursday I walked almost 15 miles and hit 30,000 steps. I guess I need to get some walking shoes that are better than the ones I get at Walmart in Richmond BC for $30CAD! I really jacked up my feet…
But in a couple weeks, I’ll find out how much I weigh at the doctor and report on that. I’m pretty stoked – I’m down to around 1200~1500 calories per day and it’s no problem at this point. As far as when I review, I have the tiniest amount of noodles and broth to sample – the rest goes down the drain. But I think today I’ll figure one of these packs into my regime and see how it goes. Let’s get started.
Vite Ramen Garlic Pork Instant Noodle Soup – United States
Here’s the back of the package (click to enlarge). Take a look at the nutrition facts panel – it’s pretty monumental. Contains pork. To prepare, add noodle block to 2 1/2 cups boiling water and cook 2 1/2 minutes. Add in sachet contents. Finally, stir and enjoy!
The noodle block.
Dry soup base powder. See contents in the video below.
The ‘Noodtrients’ sachet – this is where the protein and vitamins live.
Canola oil (if there was any doubt).
A mixture of vegetables.
Finished (click to enlarge). Added Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, egg, spring onion, bbq pork, sesame seeds, and shichimi togarashi. Noodles are very hearty which I enjoyed. Broth has a nice homestyle kind of pork flavor to it, however is a little on the lass salty side. Vegetables jydrated well. An impressive feat achieved here. 4.0 out of 5.0 stars. No bar code.
Often I’m asked ‘do you know of any kind of healthy noodles out there?’ Yes I do – and these be them. These are full of protein, low in sodium, and have 25% of all your vitamins and minerals. Sound good? Let’s take a look!
A few months ago I did a Meet The Manufacturer series on Vite Ramen, but the packs I tried were prototypes and not this, the finished product for version 1.0 (version 1.1 will be coming soon and I’ll be giving that a try when it comes out). It’s a neat concept brought to life by Tim & Tom Zheng.
A lot of people found the idea of a healthy instant noodle very compelling – so much so that they netted a quarter of a million dollars on their Kickstarter campaign. What we have here is the culmination of lots of work by them.
These packs have a myriad of benefits, including lots of vitamins and minerals, 30g of protein, low sodium, low fat, and is an excellent source of fiber.
It also has something that’s hard for people to get – potassium. You can a decent amount in a banana, but eating enough bananas to meet the goal of potassium intake per day is going to have some side affects aside from the amount of sugar.This pack includes 25 percent of that.
As many of you know, I’ve been on a diet. I’ve been overweight most of my life. My doctor told me on October 18th, 2018 that I had high cholesterol, and pushed me to change my diet and exercise; something I’ve been told by doctors many times before. But I guess it was just the right time to do something about it. We got a jogging stroller and I started walking my daughter Miri on days my son has all day preschool. I also started using a fitbit and the My Fitness Pal app to track my intake and calorie burn.
I started slow; trying to get my step goal and trying to stay under the recommended calories for the day. It was hard at first, but I put myself in a good mindset and pushed forward. I started at 365lbs. I go back to the doctor on April 26th, 2019 – about 6 months afterwards for another blood test and cheup to see how I’ve done, and I think my doctor is going to be shocked. I haven’t weighed myself, but I’ve gone down 6 pants sizes. I had to skip walking a couple days after last week too – Monday I walked 9.5 miles, Tuesday 10.5 miles, and Thursday I walked almost 15 miles and hit 30,000 steps. I guess I need to get some walking shoes that are better than the ones I get at Walmart in Richmond BC for $30CAD! I really jacked up my feet…
But in a couple weeks, I’ll find out how much I weigh at the doctor and report on that. I’m pretty stoked – I’m down to around 1200~1500 calories per day and it’s no problem at this point. As far as when I review, I have the tiniest amount of noodles and broth to sample – the rest goes down the drain. But I think today I’ll figure one of these packs into my regime and see how it goes. Let’s get started.
Vite Ramen Soy Sauce Chicken Instant Noodle Soup – United States
Here’s the back of the package (click to enlarge). Take a look at the nutrition facts panel – it’s pretty monumental. Contains chicken. To prepare, add noodle block to 2 1/2 cups boiling water and cook 2 1/2 minutes. Add in sachet contents. Finally, stir and enjoy!
The noodle block.
A dry sachet.
The soup base.
A second dry sachet.
This is the ‘noodtrients’ powder. This is where the vitamins, minerals, and protein come into play.
A wet sachet.
Canola oil.
A clear garnish sachet.
A vegetable mixture with 8 different varieties.
Finished (click to enlarge). Added soft egg, Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, baked chicken, black sesame seeds, and spring onion. I’m definitely seeing a difference in this from the prototype. The noodle has a nice chew and texture – a unique one which worked well. The broth is on the light side; it’s not a salty bomb, however it has a good thickness and gives a taste of actual chicken broth that I liked. Very happy with the changes in addition to all the protein, low sodium, fiber, and vitamin benefits. Innovative and fresh. 5.0 out of 5.0 stars. No bar code.
Today I review the last of the three Vite Ramen varieties. The first two were quite good and actually quite fascinating! Definitely something different – and good different. Let’s check out the third variety from Vite Ramen – Soy Sauce Chicken.
Meet The Manufacturer: #3016: Vite Ramen Garlic Pork – United States
Here’s the information panel (click to enlarge). Note this was furnished by the company and not on the obverse side of the package shown above. Contains chicken. To prepare, add noodles to 2 1/2 cups boiling water and cook for 3 minutes. Add vegetables, seasonings and oil sachets and stir. Let soup cool to 160ºF (71ºC) then add the ‘Noodtrient packet’ for optimal nutrition. Finally, stir and enjoy!
The noodle block.
The soup base sachet.
Lots of powder.
A liquid sachet.
Canola oil.
A dry sachet.
Noodtrients!
The vegetables sachet.
A nice mixture.
Finished (click to enlarge). Added spring onion, Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, soft egg, and baked chicken with Salt For Life. The noodles again were very soft. What was disappointing this time around though was how bland things went with the broth. I should stress again that this is a prototype, so changes can always be made. 2.0 out of 5.0 stars. No bar code.
TO EVERYONE ASKING ABOUT THIS ONE – THIS PRODUCT WON’T BE COMING OUT. SORRY TO DISAPPOINT. SOMEDAY I’LL COME OUT WITH MY OWN INSTANT NOODLE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT.
Well folks, here it is. This is what I’ve been working on for over a year now. As you will see from a lot of the text on the package, it’s still has a couple of loose ends to tie up – a couple typos and the cooking instructions are a little off. It’s my fault really; I wish I spoke Chinese… Really should learn someday. But it’ll get there.
Also there’s the label on there that says it contains crustaceans – there’s no shrimp or prawn in it. Basically, I think this means that this would be suitable for vegetarians (correct me if I’m wrong) – which is an added bonus.
I should mention that this is really strange. I’ve reviewed a lot of instant noodles – 2,499 before this one. I really love how this tastes – it came out exactly as I wanted which is all I could ever ask for. I want to thank Steven Chong for working with me on this – it’s been a long year of trial and error until we got to this point – thanks for your hard work, bro!
So, you might have some questions – let me answer them for you, anticipating what they may be:
Q> Where can I get The Ramen Rater Select?
A> Yeah – I wish I had an answer for you today. I can say when I do I will absolutely let you know, but for now we have a little bit more to do. Not a lot. How it works is we get a product all ready and then the company will get orders from distributors. If they don’t buy it,. you won’t get to try it. So the more you yell and scream to get this, the faster it will be available.
Q> Okay great but will The Ramen Rater Select be in my country?
A> If you are in Southeast Asia, chances are that they will be too. As for North America, it may take a little longer, but seeing as these don’t contain any meat or fish, that should get it out even quicker. I’m hoping a distributor in the US will be interested in getting it on Amazon as well, which increases accessibility to everyone around here so that’s a plus.
Q> Who’s going to rate YOUR ramen?
A> This is one of my favorite questions I was asked – and I do have an answer! Samples are currently being sent to 4 reviewers – they’re in South Korea, Malaysia, Australia and Germany. I’ve asked them to be honest – these are all friends and I trust that they’ll be unbiased, but I figured I should mention that first. It’s pretty hard being an instant noodle reviewer and not knowing the other instant noodle reviewers – we have a kind of odd kinship; more like the fellowship of the noodles. This review you’re looking at of course is 5 stars – I love this stuff. However, it will never be on a top ten list as that would just be wrong.
Q> Can you make a Gluten Free/Non-Spicy/Low-Carb…
A> So to be honest, it takes a lot of time to make a change. Ingredients have to be sourced, packaging changed, etc etc etc. I would have thought the same thing – hey a little more of this – that’s no easy task when it comes to something mass-produced. But if you have any suggestions, I’d love to hear them.
Q> Will this be on your Top Ten?
A> No. Reviewing my own noodles and saying they’re the best – I mean I think they are but will let you be the judge.
It’s time. The Ramen Rater Select is gets it’;s first look today! Let’s have a peek at this dream and give it a thorough view!
Ramen Rater Select Supreme Creamy Tom Yum Noodle – Malaysia
Here’s detail of the box (click to enlarge). Looks to be meat free but check for yourself. To prepare, add noodle block to a pot of boiling water and cook for 7 minutes. Drain, saving 300-380ml water (less water, thicker and stronger, more water thinner but still strong). Return water and noodles to pot. Add sachet content and cook 1 minutes. Finally, stir and enjoy!
I recorded this cooking video over the weekend in the frontyard of my childhood home in Anacortes, Washington. I thought that it would be neat to do the video up there since that’s where my whole noodle journey began! Lot of little things getting in the way though – first off it was windy and that made for things falling over a lot! Second, the sun kept moving (or rather the Earth did) causing shadows to run amok. I’m thinking I’ll probably do another video as time goes on. I think I’ll be doing another video and showing garnish I’ll add to it in the near future. I want to thank Susan Lienesch (my sister) and Andy Lienesch (my son) for all the help making this video
The noodle block. Non-CMO, non-fried organic low-fat noodles. That’s a mouthful!
The dry base sachet.
Has a sweet coconut scent.
The tom yum paste sachet.
Thick and oily with a really nice scent.
The solid ingredients –
Tofu puff and long bean. Tofu puff has a lot of protein.
Finished (click to enlarge). Added 31-44ct shrimp, Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts and coriander. These noodles are chewy and thick. They are a lot like the standard yellow noodle you’d find in a hawker stall in Malaysia, however chewier and slightly lighter gauge. The broth is thick – the coconut milk powder marries to the tom yum paste in such a way that you get many elements – sweet, spicy, lemongrass and more. The long bean and tofu come out very nice – all around a filling bowl of noodles I’m proud to call The Ramen Rater Select on. 5.0 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 9555851500076.
Here’s another brown noodle variety from ATF. Rumpum is the flagship product for them. Let’s check it out.
Here’s the back of the packaging (click image to enlarge). Looks to be meat-free.
A neat little surprise – a little trading card to collect!
The brown noodles.
The dry seasonings – soup base on left and chilli powder on the right.
Chilli powder atop the seasoning base.
Onion flavored oil.
Has a nice onion scent.
Finished (click image to enlarge). Added peas, carrot, broccoli, red, orange and yellow bell peppers, Walla Walla sweet onion, sliced grape tomatoes, cardamom (cilantro) and jalapeno. The noodles are chewy with a little crumble and a nice thickness. The broth has one of the best vegetable flavors; it’s very rich and flavorful with nice notes of masala. 4.25 out of 5.0 stars.UPC bar code 9504000021320.
Here’s another one that was sent in by Michelle L. of New York, New York – thanks again! TVP? What’s TVP? Well, I’ve had it quite a few times before. TVP stands for ‘textured vegetable protein’ and is basically fake meat. Usually you couldn’t get pork in a packet coming from Thailand into the states – fake pork on the other hand is doable.
The distributor’s label with nutrition facts.
A side panel – click to enlarge.
Part of the noodle block.
Powdered seasoning packet.
Powdered seasoning with what look to be bits of vegetables strewn in there.
The contents of the oil packet. Forgot to take a picture of the oil packet – it was clear and had the same triangle pattern as the powder packet.
In this big metallic packet is the textured vegetable protein.
I know, but you put ANYTHING in a clear bowl like this and it looks like cat food. It actually smells quite nice.
Finished (click image to enlarge). Added some mixed veggies and a little kizami shoga (pickled ginger). The noodles are interesting; the word bulbous comes to mind. They’re a little wider with an interestingly puckered texture. Different and good. The broth has a nice pork taste and is reminiscent of a duck flavored instant I had before. The textured vegetable protein chunks are abundant and not too shabby, although they have a little more sponginess than I expected. Again, the duck I had before was closer to a real piece of meat than this was. All in all, not bad – quite a big bowl of noodles for a $1.59 cup! I liked it. 3.5 out of 5.0 stars. UPC bar code 4710249000841 .
It’s funny how much my wife and I enjoy saying ‘HooRooRook!’ I wonder what it means though… Well, after some research, it came to my attention that it is the sound of slurping noodles.
Here’s the back of the package. Notice it’s made in Seoul – so this is Seoul food! Click image to enlarge.
The noodle block. Thin, delicate and light.
The powder base.
It’s really light and powdery.
The veggie flakes.
I really like the little thin long shreds of seaweed – those make me happy.
The soup paste.
It says to add this after cooking and mix it in. So I did.
Finished (click image to enlarge). I added some Fresno peppers, green bell pepper, onion, snap peas and a coupAlso, I found that there were not only the long, thin noodles but very short slightly wider ones – interesting to see dual gauge noodles in a single block. le florets of broccoli. I really liked the broth – it was light and mellow – not to say I all of a sudden don’t like spicy and deep broth, it’s just nice for a change of pace. In the commercial and from other sources, I see that they’re saying it has some spiciness to it but it is very light. The noodles are good too – they remind me slightly of the Nongshim Hearty Beef rice noodles but a much thinner gauge. Thing is though that these aren’t rice noodles at all. What’s also nice is that the whole pack has a gram of fat, 8g protein and slightly lower sodium than others. Bottom line here is that it’s a nice, light and friendly soup that would make most people who only think instant noodles are unhealthy, cheap nasty things change their tune. 4.0 out of 5.0 stars. UPC bar code 0311461548300 – get it here.
Here’s the HooRooRook commercial with subtitles, starring K-Pop star IU.
Here’s a video on how you can make homemade knife-cut noodles.
Let me make a disclaimer before you read this post. I am not a doctor or health official, and I dont hold a doctorate. The information I am providing you here is through my own research – though all major health agencies have made statements that agree with the facts that I will present to you here. This is the best information that is available at the time of this post. If new things should be discovered in the future, this information may change.
MSG. Monosodium Glutamate. What is this substance, and what is the controversy surrounding it? What does it do, and why do manufacturers add it to products? Can it hurt me? Isnt that stuff toxic?
These are all valid questions the layman might ask. This is relevant to ramen noodles since just about EVERY noodle manufacturer adds it to their product (it also extends to MANY of the products you eat as well).
Lets start with the simple question:
What is MSG?
Wikipedia says: Monosodium glutamate, also known as sodium glutamate or MSG, is the sodium salt of glutamic acid, one of the most abundant naturally occurring non-essentialamino acids.[1] It has been classified by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as generally recognized as safe (GRAS) and by the European Union as a food additive. Industrial food manufacturers market and use MSG as a flavor enhancer because it balances, blends and rounds the total perception of other tastes.
Okay. So MSG enhances the taste of foods. It doesn’t really have much of a taste all by itself, but when added to other foods, it enhances the taste.
Lets move on to the next question:
Can it hurt me? Isn’t that stuff toxic?
To answer this question, we should first know what MSG actually is. Monosodium glutamate. What does that actually mean? When MSG touches your tongue, it essentially becomes dissolved into two things: regular old sodium, and glutamic acid. I think everyone can agree that sodium is safe (in normal amounts). The content of sodium in MSG is only 12% versus table salt (sodium chloride) which has a 39% sodium content.
Lets move onto the other part – glutamic acid. Is this some toxic, green, bubbling toxic waste produced by nuclear plants in some underground dungeon? As it turns out, it certainly isn’t. Its an amino acid, and it’s essential for human life. So essential, in fact, that without it you wouldn’t be able to sustain life. The human body creates about 50g of free glutamate daily – all by itself. The amount of glutamic acid (the glutamate part of monosodium glutamate) consumed in a regular meal is far lower – the most you would probably consume is only a few grams at best.
There has never been any rigorous double-blind, placebo controlled study that has shown any significant harm done by MSG. You may have heard the term “neurotoxin” thrown around. This stems from a study done on rats where they fed the rats enormous amounts of MSG and observed the changes. A human couldn’t mimic such a diet. The same goes for any substance – salt, sugar, and water. Too much of anything can be deadly. Some experts agree that a very small percent of the population is sensitive to MSG, but there are no known lasting harmful effects. In one study, people who claimed to be MSG sensitive had more reactions when exposed to the placebo then the actual MSG!
“But Eric! I’m still uncomfortable about consuming MSG! I get reactions from eating it, honest!”
Some people take this position. If you think you are sensitive to MSG, I challenge you to look in your cupboard and look at the ingredient label. Did you know glutamates are in many foods, naturally? Here’s a chart of foods where free glutamates are contained naturally.
In addition, MSG and its similar forms goes by many different names, and is even included in products which claim to have no MSG. While they are “technically” not lying, they DO include essentially the same exact thing in a different name. Theres no avoiding it. Heres a list:
Glutamic acid (E 620)2, Glutamate (E 620)
Monosodium glutamate (E 621)
Monopotassium glutamate (E 622)
Calcium glutamate (E 623)
Monoammonium glutamate (E 624)
Magnesium glutamate (E 625)
Natrium glutamate
Yeast extract
Anything “hydrolyzed”
Any “hydrolyzed protein”
Calcium caseinate, Sodium caseinate
Yeast food, Yeast nutrient
Autolyzed yeast
Gelatin
Textured protein
Soy protein, soy protein concentrate
Soy protein isolate
Whey protein, whey protein concentrate
Whey protein isolate
Anything “…protein”
Vetsin
Ajinomoto
Conclusion: There is no way of avoiding glutamates in your food. There has never been a scientific study involving humans that has shown it to be harmful. Stop worrying about it and start worrying more about the things proven to harm you – fat and sodium. MSG can actually lower the need for so much salt. If more MSG was added to foods, maybe we’d see less heart disease.
Stop worrying and enjoy your food.
Heres a video thats worth watching by a favorite youtuber of mine:
So the idea of a seafood noodle soup with fake seafood has been kind of daunting for the past couple months. However, today was the day. I must fear no ramen! So, here we have some seafood tom yum from Thailand.
Nice earthy colors from left to right: dry seasoning powder, seasoned oil paste and finally chili powder.
Then we’ve got a retort pouch!
It’s full of fake seafood – looks like it’s made from tapioca and other things. There appear to be mushrooms in there too according to the ingredients.
Wow now that’s a crazy looking pile of packet contents. Should be interesting…
Click image to enlarge. Added a couple fried eggs. So here we are. The noodles are of a wider gauge – broad and flat and actually quite good. The broth is flavorful – spicy and lemonny. As for the fake seafood, it’s not bad. However the mushrooms are kind of funky – I had one larger piece that was almost the consistency of a carrot. So this was pretty good stuff I’ll admit and I’m kind of pleased I have two of them. Giving this one a 3.0 out of 5.0 stars. Get it here.
So here’s another of the big ole Little Cook bowls. I would like to say first that curried chicken is one of the favorite things of mine. Let’s see if it’s good.
Here’s the side – yeah its big.
A little packet with some curry soup base seasoning.
Hooray for retort pouch! Full of sauce and vegetables!
Revolutionary and amazing!
Here’s the block of noodles with the curry soup base.
Click image to enlarge. The finished product. Okay first off the pouch contained some interesting stuff. It looks like those little brown round things are supposed to be chicken chunks, although its gotta be textured vegetable protein. The broth is excellent – nice curry flavor for sure. The noodles aren’t bad – nothing special. The veggies are okay too but kind of wish there had been more. Long story short, I liked it! 4.0 out of 5.0 stars.
Jamaican Curry Chicken! Next, your weird video of the day…
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