Tag: Ramen

#1943: New Touch Sugomen Niigata Seabura Shoyu Ramen

Here’s the last of the January box that was sent to me by Javier over at Box From Japan – thanks! Box From Japan is a subscription service – you can get a box sent to you every month with some great noodles within! This one looks really fancy – I like the pic on the bowl with that nice looking broth! Let’s have a closer look! ...see full post

A Long Time Travelled Package From Japan

Today I heard a beep and then a knock at our door. The beep usually is the postman about to knock and then ask for my signature. Today, I received a package from Wesley of Japan! This is something he shipped back on December 18th, 2015 (it’s February 11th, 2016 today) and we weren’t sure it would ever make it here. But it did! Let’s have a look! ...see full post

#1921: Nissin Cup Noodles Ramen Noodle Soup Chicken Flavor [New Package]

Hey check it out – Nissin Cup Noodles got a big facelift.

Here’s how they used to look – cardboard outer packaging is now gone. Less packaging and different materials have been used to make them more environmentally friendly. Also, they’re now microwavable! Yes, I’m sure many of you microwaved them before, but you weren’t supposed to. The new cups also have a little extra room so you can add veggies and meats or whatever you want to oomph up your noodles! Let’s check this new cup out! ...see full post

The Ramen Rater’s 5th Annual Momofuku Ando Day: #1911: Nissin Emergency Chikin Ramen

Every January 19th for the past 5 years, I’ve done a special post in homage of Momofuku Ando. Who was he? Just the guy who invented instant noodles in 1958. If it weren’t for him, my world would be a whole lot different – and many other people’s as well. Actually, I should thank Mr. Ando’s wife as well – the story is that he was attempting to make an easily prepared, shelf stable instant noodle, but couldn’t figure out how. He tried many different techniques, but it was when he saw his wife making tempura in the kitchen one night that it dawned on him – fry the cooked noodles. This leaves holes in the noodles and extrudes the water. Not only that, the oil keeps the noodles shelf stable for a long time. His vision of a way to create and easy way to feed the masses has been a huge success and considered one of the great innovations of the 20th century. I think he deserves a day in his honor, and that day is today, January 19th. ...see full post

#1872: Itsuki Hakata Ossyoi

Here’s another one I got from Casey in Hong Kong – thank you! This one’s going to be interesting – not only because I like Hakata varieties, but because I’m videotaping the creation of this review. There’ll be a full video of the beginning to end of my review, editing and presentation process! Hope you enjoy! Let’s have a look at Itsuki Hakata Ossyoi! ...see full post

#1864: Nissin Raoh Ramen Noodle Soup Umami Tonkotsu Flavor

I got some new samples from Nissin USA a few weeks ago (thank you!) of some varieties of Nissin’s Raoh from Japan that are now available in the USA. Raoh (meaning King( is a premium line. At this point, you can only get them on Amazon. Not sure if that will change though. So Umami. This is something interesting – first, let’s have a look at what wikipedia has to say about umami – ...see full post

The Ramen Rater: How I Review Instant Noodles

Here’s a video of me reviewing an instant noodle for an upcoming review. I did it for a TV show in Japan, but they didn’t want to use it so I made them another one. This is the beginning to end of a review – I do this pretty much the same way every time, although it’s a little different when it comes to cups and bowls – I either take pictures of the sides if they’re not able to be removed or scan them, as well as the lid. Hope you find this interesting and enjoy it! ...see full post

#1855: Daraz Negi Man Ramen

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No. It’s a superhero which is a leek. Leeks, negi and Welsh onion – they’re all the same thing. I got this one from my friend Shinichi – he’s working with Mr. Yamato of Yakantei, a purveyor of very unique instant noodles to bring the harder to find tastes of Japan to your door! Very excited to try these hard to find varieties! Thanks, Shinichi for bringing noodles over to my apartment! Everybody – go and check out Ramen Mania! ...see full post

The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Spiciest Instant Noodles Of All Time 2015 Edition

As many might know, I started The Ramen Rater (click to see the old site) in 2002 and did about 60 reviews. Then, I turned my attention to spicy hot sauces with The Sauce Rater. In 2010, I resumed my instant noodle reviewing. I’ve long been a fan of the spicy side of things – strong heat and good flavor are a couple of my favorite things. Let’s have a look at the absolutely hottest varieties I’ve found in my over 1,700 reviews of instant noodles from around the world in this year’s The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Spiciest Instant Noodles Of All Time 2015 Edition. ...see full post

#1643: emart Dare You! Habanero Jjajang Ramen

This was sent to me by Anders E. from South Korea – thank you very much! I was aware of the regular habanero ramen – the one that’s been #1 on my spicy list for a while now. But this one – jjajang ramen – it sounds pretty dang spicy. Especially if it’s anything like the other Dare You! ramen. For those of you not familiar with jjajang, here’s what wikipedia has to say about it: ...see full post

#1621: Myojo Men White Creamy Tonkotsu

A while back I reviewed the Myojo Men Black Seafood Tonkotsu. Well, this is the white creamy variety. Tonkotsu is usually made from pork bone broth – pork bones and boiled for quite a while to pull out the flavor, and it gets a milky color. This one’s manufactured in the United States by Myojo, and so pork products are present. Let’s see how this creamy tonkotsu variety stacks up/. ...see full post

The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time Hong Kong 2015 Edition

I thought to myself recently that it would be great to end 2014 and start 2015 with a new top ten list – but from where? A couple places came to mind, and Hong Kong sounded like a good one. I’ve found a lot of excellent instant noodles that have been from Hong Kong. Been hoping to see more arrive here in the United States, but many of the ones on this list I’ve found up in Canada. I would definitely like to reach out to instant noodle companies in Hong Kong to take part in Meet The Manufacturer; there’s not been a Hong Kong participant yet! With that, here’s the top ten instant noodles of Hong Kong – the best and most memorable – from the last 1,553 reviews. Enjoy and Happy New Year, Hong Kong! ...see full post

The Ramen Rater’s Ten Facts About Instant Noodles 2014

I’ve recently seen a whole lot of misinformation being spewed lately about the instant noodle. Why do I care? Well, primarily because I’m really into instant noodles. I’ve been a fan of them since a child and been reviewing them since 2002. A kind of strange obsession, but there are definitely stranger ones out there. What gets me is information that is presented by news and social media sources often is really quite inept; lack of research and frankly poor quality journalism on their parts. So, I’ve decided to come out with an annual list of ten facts about instant noodles starting today! Ready? Well, here you go. ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #1457: Nissin Chu Qian Yi Ding Sesame Oil Flavour Instant Noodles With Soup Base

Many of you familiar with the sight of this package may say – hey waitta minute – what are you calling this? In fact, this is known by a few names! Here in the United States, it’s called Nissin Demae Ramen. In Japan, the four characters in big print translate to Demae Iccho. In Singapore however, Chinese is often spoken, and they translate to Chu Qian Yi Ding. I’m pretty sure it means something like delivery boy’ or something – the little guy on the package. Anyways, this is pretty easily gotten the world over, however this is the Singaporean made one! Let’s check it out! ...see full post

#1438: Maruchan Old Style Miso Ramen

Most of us in the United States are familiar with Maruchan’s ramen packs and ‘Instant Lunch’ cups. However, most of us aren’t familiar with Maruchan’s popular products overseas in Japan. Miso is a fermented soybean paste – it’s good stuff, with a kind of musty scent. Notice on the front of this one: it’s also saying that it’s lower calorie. Let’s have a look inside. ...see full post

Ramen Fads: My Public Facepalm Manifesto

I guess I have come to the point where my crankiness has pushed me beyond the edge. What’s more, I think it’s a sign of my impending doom as someone who is getting older and coming to the point of no return: the cranky rant. Strangely enough, my love for instant noodles has influenced me to put pen to paper, or in this case, fingers to keyboard. ...see full post

Re-Review: The Rapid Ramen Cooker

After almost two years since I first found out about this neat invention, I thought it time to give it another look. The Rapid Ramen Cooker was invented by a fellow named Chris Johnson. It’s a tool that allows you to cook instant noodles in the microwave in four minutes. What’s great is that it also lets you use only half of the seasoning sachet, cutting sodium by half for those with sodium intake concerns. What’s also nice is that you use it, and then can eat out of it, toss it in the dishwasher, and you’re done. I love this thing – so does my son, who doesn’t like a lot of broth (you only use 1 cup of water as opposed to the usual 2 cups with domestic instant noodles). As far as ramen kitchen accoutrements go, this gets 5.0 out of 5.0 stars easily. Hope you enjoy the video and if you”re interested, here’s my original review of The Rapid Ramen Cooker which includes an interview with Chris and a test with quite a few instants. Also, here’s a video of as Chris Johnson’s appearance on the ABC show ‘Shark Tank’ where he gets a deal with Mark Cuban for The Rapid Ramen Cooker! By the way – tomorrow I’ll use The Rapid Ramen in an instant noodle review, not only to cook the noodles but as the bowl they will be eaten out of. Stay tuned! ...see full post

#1397: Wu-Mu Steam Seafood Flavor Ramen

Here’s something from Taiwan. These noodles aren’t fried – they’re steamed. This lowers the fat content by quite a bit, although they will break your teeth if you try eating them like snack noodles! Most of Wu-Mu’s products are this way and they’re usually pretty good. This is a four pack – you get four of everything! Let”s have a look inside. ...see full post