Here’s one the folksd at Samyang Foods sent along – thanks again! This is a bibimmyun – a cold noodle generally enjoyed during the hot summer months. I wasn’t sure what the difference was with this one was, but it appears this is a Chinese-style variety, so flavors are a little different. Awesome! Let’s give this one a try!
Samyang Foods Chinese Style Bibimmyun – South Korea
Here’s the back of the package (click to enlarge). Unsure whether this one contains meat – check for yourself. To prepare, boil noodles in 600ml water for 4 minutes along with flake sachet. Drain and rinse with cold water. Add in sauce sachet. Finally, stir and enjoy!
The noodle block.
The liquid base sachet.
Dark and thick.
The dry ingredients sachet.
Some little bits.
Finished (click to enlarge). Added soft egg, Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, fried onion and coriander. The noodles are slightly thinner than most Korean instants and lend themselves well to the dish’s cold nature. The sauce is sweet and spicy and also has a smoky element to it which was a little perplexing at first but grew on me. 3.75 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 8801073113954.
It’s been awhile! I did a Meet The Manufacturer series with Blount a while back. Well, they’ve got something new – pho! You can find it in the fresh (not frozen) section – more info at www.blountbowls.com. Very curious as to how it will be. Let’s find out!
Blount Beef Pho Vietnamese Style Beef & Noodle Bowl – United States
Here’s the back of the package (click to enlarge). Contains beef. To prepare, remove film from the bowl and add noodles from the pouch. Stir. Microwave for 2 minutes. Stir and microwave an additional minute or until hot. Finally, stir and enjoy!
The fresh noodle pouch.
The bowl – full of broth.
Finished (click to enlarge). Added coriander, Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts and jalapeno. Noodles are wheat and have a nice chew honestly – they work well with the soup. The soup has a nice beef and tang to it – maybe from the ginger? Slightly acidic – works very well. The included vegetables are nice and the beef is excellent. As far as being what I would compare to a pho I would get at a local restaurant? Worlds apart. But it’s quite good – happy about this one. 4.75 out of 5.0 stars. UPC bar code 077658313049.
I’ve been a tom yum fan for a while now, however in my very early days of reviews I wasn’t so much. It was either too spicy or too this, too that… But now I love the stuff. Here’s a little about it from Wikipedia –
Tom yum or tom yam (UK: /ˌtɒmˈjæm/ or /ˌtɒmˈjʌm/; US: /ˌtɑːmˈjɑːm/;[2]Thai: ต้มยำ, RTGS: tom yam, pronounced [tôm jām] (listen)) is a type of hot and sour Thai soup,[2] usually cooked with shrimp (prawn).[3] Tom yum has its origin in Thailand. In recent years,[when?] tom yam has been popularised around the world.
The words “tom yam” are derived from two Thai words. Tom refers to the boiling process, while yam refers to a Thai spicy and sour salad. Indeed, tom yum is characterised by its distinct hot and sour flavours, with fragrant spices and herbs generously used in the broth. The basic broth is made of stock and fresh ingredients such as lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal, lime juice, fish sauce, and crushed chili peppers.
Commercial tom yum paste is made by crushing all the herb ingredients and stir frying in oil. Seasoning and other preservative ingredients are then added. The paste is bottled or packaged and sold around the world. Tom yum flavored with the paste may have different characteristics from that made with fresh herb ingredients. The soup often includes meats such as chicken, beef, pork, or shrimp.
Sounds good to me – it’s been a little while since I reviewed a tom yum – let’s check it out!
Here’s the back of the package (click to enlarge). Removed color in order for easier reading – apologies for the clipping. Contains shrimp. To prepare, add everything to a bowl and add 360ml boiling water. Cover for 3 minutes. Finally, stir and enjoy!
The noodle block.
The soup base sachet.
A granular powder.
A liquid base sachet.
An oily paste.
Finished (click to enlarge). Added Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, tomato slices, 31-40ct shrimp, and coriander. The noodles are thin and have that brittle goodness that Thai noodles often have. The broth is a nice full tom yum – lemongrass and spiciness are well represented. A tasty bowl. 3.75 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 8852018102014.
Here’s one I found up in Canada at Osaka Market in Yaohan Centre, which is in Richmond, BC. Sometimes they’ll have a bunch of interesting varieties that are there for a short period and this is one of them./ Let’s see what’s going on here – wasn’t able to find a whole lot about this one. At least I know how to cook it, right? Let’s begin!
Acecook Chinese Style Yakisoba – Japan
Detail of the outer wraps (click to enlarge). Guessing this contains meat and fish. To prepare, add in vegetable sachet and boiling water to fill line. Cover for 3 minutes. Use spout to drain. Add in liquid base sachet contents. Finally, stir and enjoy!
Finished (click to enlarge). Added Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts. The noodles came out well – nice gauge and chew. The flavor was a kind of overly salted one with a lots of greasiness. Not to say it was bad though – I liked it. The included vegetables were pretty good as well. 3.5 out of 5.0 stars. JAN bar code 4901071207410.
Firstly, thanks to Bobby Y. with help on this variety’s translation! So I found this one up in Canada at a big Asian supermarket a month or so ago. It was at the height of pre-mid-Autumn festival, and mooncakes were in full force. I mean, this place had the biggest display of mooncake I’ve ever seen – even had special display mooncakes that were at least 2 feet across and!
This is a Yinbin-influenced spicy noodle – here’s a little about Yibin from Wikipedia –
Its population was 4,471,840 inhabitants according to the 2010 census of whom 836,340 lived in the built-up (or metro) area made of Cuiping District.
Human habitation of Yibin dates back at least 4,000 years. Yibin was established as a county in the Han dynasty (206 BC − AD 220). Under the Ming and Qing, the town and its hinterland was known as XuzhouCommandery(t敘州府,s叙州府,pXùzhōufǔ), which was variously romanized as Suifu, Suifoo,[citation needed] and Suchow.[2] Its population around 1907 was estimated at 50,000.[3]
There are several hot springs near Yibin, plus many other tourist attractions. Such attractions include the Bamboo Sea in Changning County and the Xingwen Stone Forest. Cuiping mountain in the centre of the city provides wonderful views of Yibin. Yibin is also the confluence of the Min and Jinsha Rivers, which together form the Chang Jiang as the Yangtze River is known in Chinese from Yibin to Shanghai.
Anyways, this one looked interesting and I thought it could be good, so let’s check out this big tray style variety.
Chuanbei Sichuan Yibin Style Spicy Noodles – China
An import/distributor’s sticker (click to enlarge). Like many from the region, these are hard to unstick!
Detail of the lid (click to enlarge). Unsure if it has meat so check for yourself. To prepare, open lid partially and remove sachets. Add in boiling water to fill line and cover 3~5 minutes. Drain. Add in sachet contents. Finally, stir and enjoy!
An included fork!
The large noodle pouch.
The sauce sachet.
Beans and other vegetables.
Finished (click to enlarge). Added Salad Cosmo organic mung bean sprouts and spring onion. The noodles are great – nice gauge and chew and not mushy. The flavor is a salty and spicy one augmented by beans and some other vegetable. Honestly, not much here – but it works rather well. 4.0 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 6943767201065.
Well, this is something completely different. Definitely a departure from their usual line . Maruchan’s Instant Lunch range is very popular in the United States. The flavors are generally in the domestic flavor profiles ranging from your standard chicken to California Vegetable to Cheddar Cheese.
This product, however, is new and comes at a time when they’re expanding their more regional varieties. Udon is Japanese as well as ramen, but soy sauce udon – this is more like what sounds like a shoyu ramen but with a thicker noodle. I’m very curious about this one – so much so I emailed Maruchan and they sent these samples! Thanks!
Anyways, let’s try out this newest comer to the Instant Lunch range.
Maruchan Instant Lunch Udon Style Soy Sauce Flavor Ramen Noodle Soup – United States
Detail of the cardboard outer (click to enlarge). Contains beef. To prepare, add boiling water to fill line. cover for 3 minutes. Finally, stir and enjoy!
Finished (click to enlarge). Added Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, narutomaki, spring onion and shichimi togarashi. The noodle is broad and thick. Derfinitely much heartier and hydrated very well. The broth is definitely a nice shoyu with a lightness to it and an interaction with the noodle which is very good. Included bits were of good quality. 4.0 out of 5.0 stars. UPC bar code 041789001697.
This one was sent by Javier over at Box From Japan. Box From Japan is a subscription service and every month, you get 4 great new instant ramen bowls from Japan! Definitely worth a look! This one, of course, is from Japan and is kitsune udon! What’s that? 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 tofupockets 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.
The flavor of broth and topping vary from region to region. Usually, dark brown broth, made from dark soy sauce (koikuchi shōyu), is used in eastern Japan, and light brown broth, made from light soy sauce (usukuchi shōyu), is used in western Japan. This is even noticeable in packaged instant noodles, which are often sold in two different versions for east and west.
Kitsune udon: “Fox udon”. Topped with aburaage (sweetened deep-fried tofu pockets). This originated in Osaka.
Alrighty! Let’s check out this kistune udon.
Myojo Western Style Kitsune Udon – Japan
Detail of the side panels (click to enlarge). Contains fish. To prepare, add in sachet contents and boiling water to fill line. Cover for 5 minutes. Finally, stir and enjoy!
Finished (click to enlarge). Added spring onion and shichimi togarashi. The udon hydrated well. I generally like my udon with a little more backbone and of the round style, but these flat soft ones did the trick very nicely. The broth has a light taste to it not jockeying for flavor over the tofu, which was soft and supple with a very good sweetness and flavor. 4.0 out of 5.0 stars. JAN bar code 4902881429566.
I gota ride to 99 Ranch yesterday from my sister – thanks! So I was looking for mung bean sprouts, however I found this one when we went through the store. I did a Meet The Manufacturer with Takamori Kosan a few years back and really been hoping I’d get another chance to try some more of their products. Well, this is one of them! Here’s a little about udon 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 an add on.
The flavor of broth and topping vary from region to region. Usually, dark brown broth, made from dark soy sauce (koikuchi shōyu), is used in eastern Japan, and light brown broth, made from light soy sauce (usukuchi shōyu), is used in western Japan. This is even noticeable in packaged instant noodles, which are often sold in two different versions for east and west.
I think I’m going to let my son Andy give these a try today. Let’s check it out!
Takamori Hearty Japanese Style Curry Udon – Japan
Here’s the back of the package (click to enlarge). Contains fish products. To prepare, add udon to 250ml boiling water and cook for 2 minutes. Add in sachets contents. Finally, stir and enjoy!
The pack contains 3 servings – here’s one of the pouches of udon.
A powder base sachet.
Smells like a nice curry.
Finished (click to enlarge). Added yaki kamaboko. The udon’s perfect – great gauge and chew. The broth is more like a gravy or sauce. It’s a rich, mild curry full of flavor. I you like that House Golden Curry, you will totally love this. I do. 5.0 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 4901959100826.
Another one sent by Colin. I haven’t had any of this brand in quite some time! I should also say I’ve not had an onion flavor instant in quite a while too. Very curious about this one – let’s have a look! NOTE – I just was looking for info on this one and as it turned out, I reviewed it in 2010! It was review #99. I’ll still slap a new number on this one though. What’s funny is if you look at the packaging on it from back then, it says ‘New.’ It still says new! I’m sorry, but this isNOT new.
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 a bowl and add 400ml boiling water. Cover for 3-5 minutes. stir and enjoy!
The noodle block.
The dry base sachet.
A powder flecked with herbs.
An oil sachet.
Has an onion scent.
Finished (click to enlarge). Added spring onion. The nice and comfortable – pretty good. The broth was a definitely onion flavored one – and it really is strong onion. Kind of like I said in a previous review – this is like Funyuns soup! On this go around over six years later, the package still says new and the flavor seems a bit better. 3.5 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 4710008211686.
Here’s one my sister brought me back from Canada – thanks again! Ah, Walmart. They’re probably the biggest store around and there are lots of them. What’s funny is that these are made in the United States and sold in Canada – but you can’t find them at Walmart store in the United States. Let’s check out the elusive Walmart Great Value cup noodle!
Detail of the side panels (click to enlarge). Looks to be meat free but check for yourself. To prepare, add boiling water to the fill line and cover for 3 minutes. stir and enjoy!
Some vegetables and loose seasonings from the cup.
Finished (click to enlarge). Added Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, spring onion and beef sauteed with soy sauce. The noodles were kind of on the blah side; nothing remarkable. The broth was salty and had a beef taste. Vegetables hydrated. 2.75 out of 5.0 stars. UPC bar code 628915231731.
It’s kind of neat – this is the first Meet The Manufacturer I’ve done with only rice noodle varieties! Today, it’s Phnom Penh style. Phnom Penh is the biggest city in Cambodia and this variety purports to take the flavors of the place and bring them to the rice noodle. Let’s give it a try!
Here’s the back of the package (click to enlarg). Contains shrimp. To prepare, add everything to a bowl and add 360ml boiling water. cover for 3 minutes. Stir and enjoy!
The noodle block.
The dry base sachet.
A powder and herbs.
A liquid sachet.
A seasoned oil.
A vegetable sachet.
Shallot and cabbage, perhaps?
A chilli powder sachet.
Spicy stuff!
Finished (click to enlarge). Added Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, Dodo fish ball, shrimp, fried garlic and coriander. The vermicelli hydrated very well and was enjoyable in it’s gauge and texture. As usual, I made a couple cross cuts with a pair of kitchen scissors to make the vermicelli more manageable. The broth was quite nice; very oily and a kind of light heat to it. The flavor also has a sweet and kind of eggy taste which was quite good. 3.75 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 8851876001453.
My sister got these for my birthday up in Canada – thank you! I’ve wanted to review some Walmart branded instant noodles for years; just seems fitting that Walmart would have instant noodles. These were bought in Canada, however they’re made in the United States. However, I’ve never seen instant noodles with the Great Value brand inside the United States… Anyways, let’s crack this open and see how this one fares.
Here’s the back of the package (click to enlarge). Looks to be meat free but check for yourself. To prepare, add noodle block to 2 cup (500ml) boiling water and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and add contents of seasoning sachet. Stir and enjoy!
The noodle block.
The soup base sachet.
A chicken scented powder.
Finished (click to enlarge). Added chicken and processed cheese. The noodles have a decent gauge and chew to them I liked. As for the broth, this was decent – not bland and had a good chicken flavor. 3.5 out of 5.0 stars. UPC bar code 628915231687.
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