Tag Archives: tempura

#3204: Nissin Edo Soba – Japan

#3148: Nissin Edo Soba - Japan

Here’s one from Japan Ramen Box – a subscription service out of Japan. Here’s what they have to say about this Nissin variety –

‘This Nissin Edo Soba features 71 grams of straight buckwheat soba that are just itching to slide right down your throat do the Nissin brand proud. Combining yaizu processed bonito flakes with 100% pure round soybean sauce, Nissin Edo Soba tastes like it has the same traditional Kanto style soy sauce with chili in it. Included in the dish are tempura, fish cakes, and spring onions.’

Cool – let’s give it a looksie!

Nissin Edo Soba – Japan

#3148: Nissin Edo Soba - Japan

Detail of the side panels (click to enlarge). Contains fish and pork. To prepare, add boiling water to fill line. Cover for 3 minutes. Finally, stir and enjoy!

#3148: Nissin Edo Soba - Japan

Detail of the lid (click to enlarge).

#3148: Nissin Edo Soba - Japan

The noodle block.

#3148: Nissin Edo Soba - Japan

Loose seasoning from the cup.

#3148: Nissin Edo Soba - Japan

Tempura and kamaboko loose in the cup.

#3148: Nissin Edo Soba - Japan

Finished (click to enlarge). Added spring onion, Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, and soft egg. The soba was of a nice quality and the gauge was a little thicker than other cup versions. The broth did indeed have a nice sweetness to it and wasn’t too fishy. Included tempura was delicious and kamaboko prevalent. 3.75 out of 5.0 stars. JAN bar code 4902105238332.

Watch me cook on Instant Noodle Recipe Time!

#3119: Daikoku Tempura Soba – Japan

Today, we have one that was part of Japan Crate’s Umai Crate. So Japan Crate is a subscription service which has all sorts of different options for you. pretty neat stuff from Japan! There’s a coupon code for you too – just use THERAMENRATER to get a special discount at check out.

So here’s what the folks at Japan Crate had to say about this variety -“Full of flavor and bite with its bonito fish dashi soup stock and crunchy tempura pieces, enjoy the taste of traditional Japanese flavor with this convenient bowl of combo wheat and buckwheat noodles.”

Will do! Let’s get to it!

Daikoku Tempura Soba – Japan

Detail of the side panels (click to enlarge). Contains fish. To prepare, add boiling water to fill line along with dry sachet and cover for 3 minutes. Top With tempura and enjoy!

Detail of the lid (click to enlarge).

The noodle block.

A dry sachet.

A light powder.

A disc of tempura.

Finished (click to enlarge). Added sesame seeds and spring onion. The noodles were interesting – hydrated welland had a kind of dough-y texture to them. The broth was a sweet bonitor, which worked well. 4.0 out of 5.0 stars. JAN bar code 4904511604039.

Daikoku My Friends Big raccoon noodles 100g ~ 12 pieces

Watch me cook this on Instant Noodle Recipe Time!

#3113: Itsuki Ebi Tempura Udon – Japan

#3113: Itsuki Ebi Tempura Udon - Japan

Today, we have one that was part of Japan Crate’s Umai Crate. So Japan Crate is a subscription service which has all sorts of different options for you. pretty neat stuff from Japan! There’s a coupon code for you too – just use THERAMENRATER to get a special discount at check out.

So here’s what the folks at Japan Crate had to say about this variety -“A fan of seafood? This hot udon soup is for your with its shrimp tempura and notes of seaweed and bonito (tuna) infused in the broth.”

Actually, I’m a big fan of seafood! Let’s see what’s inside.

Itsuki Ebi Tempura Udon – Japan

#3113: Itsuki Ebi Tempura Udon - Japan

Detail of the side panels (click to enlarge). Contains shrimp. To prepare, add noodle pouch and boiling water to bowl for 1-2 minutes. Separate noodles. Drain. Add boiling water and sachet contents. Finally, stir and enjoy!

#3113: Itsuki Ebi Tempura Udon - Japan

The two sides of the lid (click to enlarge).

#3113: Itsuki Ebi Tempura Udon - Japan

The udon pouch.

#3113: Itsuki Ebi Tempura Udon - Japan

A dry sachet.

#3113: Itsuki Ebi Tempura Udon - Japan

A powder flecked with dark bits.

#3113: Itsuki Ebi Tempura Udon - Japan

A disc of tempura.

Finished (click to enlarge). Added Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, sansyo pepper, and spring onion. The udon is the standard pouch udon – thick and chewy. The broth really hits me more as a bonito broth than a shrimp one, however the tempura disc has a nice shrimp taste to it which when sopped up with the broth lends itself nicely. 3.5 out of 5.0 stars. JAN bar code 4901726010549.

#3113: Itsuki Ebi Tempura Udon - Japan

ITSUKI Ramen Spicy Curry Tonkotsu 115g×5 pieces

Watch me put this together on Instant Noodle Recipe Time!

#2929: Daikoku My Friend Big Tanuki Soba

Today, we have one that was part of Japan Crate’s Umai Crate. So Japan Crate is a subscription service which has all sorts of different options for you. pretty neat stuff from Japan! There’s a coupon code for you too – just use THERAMENRATER to get a special discount at check out.

So here’s what the folks at Japan Crate had to say about this variety -“This soba made of buckwheat noodles is accompanied by tenkatsu, fried tempura batter, to make a great pairing and a filling meal.“

Alright – let’s give this one a try!

Daikoku My Friend Big Tanuki Soba – Japan

Detail of the side panels (click to enlarge). Probably contains fish. To prepare, add in sachets and boiling water to fill line. Cover and let steep for 3 minutes. Finally, stir and enjoy!

Detail of the lid (click to enlarge).

The noodle block.

The soup base sachet.

A light monotone powder.

The solid ingredients sachet.

Lots of tempura!

Finished (click to enlarge). Added Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, spring onion, chashu pork and egg. The noodles were pretty good and of an ample quantity. The broth while usually not my favorite had a nice sweetness and wasn’t overly salty. Tempura was decent. 3.5 out of 5.0 stars. JAN bar code 4904511001654.

Daikoku My Friends Big Gomamiso ramen 105g ~ 12 pieces

This is a prime example of how instant noodles are viewed in the United States – a very confused view. I’m going to see what happens when I share this inn my favorite instant ramen group from Japan – should be interesting

#2809: Acecook Shrimp Tempura Soba

#2809: Acecook Shrimp Tempura Soba

Here’s another neat one from Zenpop.JP. Thank you! So Zenpop has all sorts of monthly boxes including ramen boxes. Nine instant ramen in one box for a good price – check ’em out! Here’s what they had to say about this one – ‘This healthy soba is low in sodium and moreover, it contains GABA, which helps lower the blood pressure, reduce the stress, and make you relaxed. Of course, it’s tasty too. Katsuo (bonito) dashi and shrimp adds a delectable flavor to it.’

Wow it almost makes it sound like it’ll mellow you out! Curious about this GABA stuff… I looked it up on Wikipedia –

GABA is gamma-Aminobutyric acid (γ-Aminobutyric acid). It is a neurotransmitter in the central nervous system of mammals. It is an inhibiting neurotransmitter. Normally, when a neuron receives an impulse, it will make the signal stronger. In the case where there is an inhibiting neurotransmitter, the cell will no longer get the impulse, and the signal as a whole will be weakened.

GABA regulates how much neurons in the central nervous system will be stimulated in humans, and other mammals. It plays a role in regulating neuronal excitability throughout the nervous system. In humans, GABA is also directly responsible for the regulation of muscle tone.^[1] In insect species GABA acts only on excitatory nerve receptors.

Even though chemically it is an amino acid, GABA is rarely referred to as such in the scientific or medical communities. The term “amino acid,” used without a qualifier, refers to the alpha amino acids, which GABA is not. GABA is also not incorporated into proteins.

Whoa – in instant noodles? Well, let’s see if I get my mellow on with this one!

Acecook Shrimp Tempura Soba – Japan

#2809: Acecook Shrimp Tempura Soba

Detail of the side panels (click to enlarge). Contains shrimp. To prepare, add boiling water and sachet contents and cover for 3 minutes. Finally, stir and enjoy!

#2809: Acecook Shrimp Tempura Soba

Detail of the lid (click to enlarge).

#2809: Acecook Shrimp Tempura Soba

The noodle block.

#2809: Acecook Shrimp Tempura Soba

Loose bits from the cup.

#2809: Acecook Shrimp Tempura Soba

The soup base sachet.

#2809: Acecook Shrimp Tempura Soba

A light powder.

Finished (click to enlarge). The noodles re kind of funky – they’re buckwheat soba which I’m generally not a huge fan of. The broth is overly salty. The bits of kamaboko were so-so. I this is karma – yesterday I did three reviews that all got 5 stars and were really great. Today we have two I abhor. 0.5 out of 5.0 stars. JAN bar code 4901071245085.

#2809: Acecook Shrimp Tempura Soba

Acecook noodle vermicelli 1/3 days worth of vegetables Chanpon taste 43gX6 pieces

This guy talks about GABA a little bit…

#2805: Maruchan Umaitsuyu Tempura Soba

#2705: Maruchan Umaitsuyu Tempura Soba - zenpop zenpop.jp japan ramen

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 variety:

Buckwheat noodles with shoyu soup flavored with bonito and kombu (kelp) broth, and it’s also low-sodium. Age-tama (fried wheat flour) and tiny shrimp make the soup even more savory. Add the bag of flavor magic after the noodles cook for 3 min.

Here’s a little about tempura soba from Wikipedia –

Tempura soba 天麩羅蕎麦: Topped with tempura, a large shrimp frequently is used, but vegetables are also popular. Some of soba venders use kakiage for this dish and this often is called Tensoba.

Alrighty then! Let’s check out this tempura soba and see how it goes.

Maruchan Umaitsuyu Tempura Soba – Japan

#2705: Maruchan Umaitsuyu Tempura Soba - zenpop zenpop.jp japan ramen

Detail of the side panels (click to enlarge). Contains shrimp and crustacean. To prepare, add boiling water to fill line and cover for 3 minutes. Add in liquid sachet contents. Finally, stir and enjoy!

#2705: Maruchan Umaitsuyu Tempura Soba - zenpop zenpop.jp japan ramen

Detail of the lid (click to enlarge).

#2705: Maruchan Umaitsuyu Tempura Soba - zenpop zenpop.jp japan ramen

The noodle block.

#2705: Maruchan Umaitsuyu Tempura Soba - zenpop zenpop.jp japan ramen

Loose seasoning and garnish from the cup.

#2705: Maruchan Umaitsuyu Tempura Soba - zenpop zenpop.jp japan ramen

A liquid base sachet affixed to the top of the cup on the lid.

#2705: Maruchan Umaitsuyu Tempura Soba - zenpop zenpop.jp japan ramen

Has a slightly sweet scent.

Finished (click to enlarge). Added nanami togarashi and Salad Cosmo organic mung bean sprouts. The noodles are thin and a little on the soft side. The broth is salty and full of bonito taste for sure. Included garnish of kamaboko, spring onion and tempura was pretty good. I liked how the broth had a good level of thickness to it. 3.75 out of 5.0 stars. JAN bar code 4901990336338.

#2705: Maruchan Umaitsuyu Tempura Soba - zenpop zenpop.jp japan ramen

Maruchan Midori Tanuki Soba, 3.49-Ounce Units (Pack of 12)

I’m unusre but I think this guy does a periodic run-down of the new instant ramen in Japan

#2753: Maruchan Tempura Udon

Today, we have one that was part of Japan Crate’s Umai Crate. So Japan Crate is a subscription service which has all sorts of different options for you. pretty neat stuff from Japan! There’s a coupon code for you too – just use THERAMENRATER to get a special discount at check out.

Here’s a little something from Wikipedia about udon –

Udon (饂飩, usually written as うどん) is a type of thick wheat flour noodle of Japanese cuisine. It is similar to Italian vermicelli, a wheat flour noodle of similar size.

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 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.

Alright – let’s crack open this cup from Japan!

Maruchan Tempura Udon – Japan

Detail of the side panels (click to enlarge). Contains fish. and possibly pork. To prepare, add boiling water to fill line and cover for 3 minutes. Add in liquid base. Finally, stir and enjoy!

Detail of the lid (click to enlarge).

The noodle block.

Loose bits from the cup.

A liquid base sachet affixed to the lid.

Has a sweet and soy scent.

Finished (click to enlarge). Added kamaboko, Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts and spring onion. The noodles are as most instant udon – broad and flat. They definitely weren’t spongy – something I liked. The broth is a kind of sweet soy and fish flavor. The tempura was here and there. 3.5 out of 5.0 stars. JAN bar code 4901990330961.

Maru-chan delicious soup Tempura U d o n 68g ~ 12 meals

Super classy TV spot

#2731: Nissin Donbei Wasabi Tempura Udon

Found this one at Uwajimaya a few months back. We decided to go down to a dim sum restaurant nearby called Ocean Star. It used to be Sun Ya – a place I went to growing up and I hadn’t been back since they changed hands a couple years back.

I really was a bummed – I miss the way that Sun Yan was before – food was hotter, etcetera. I should note though that we got to Ocean Star later in the day so it was definitely after prime time for dim sum, so definitely will give it another chance.

So this one has nothing to do with dim sum – that’s something I should make clear right off the bat. Dim sum is a Chinese thing – not Japanese. But Uwajimaya is nearby and has good parking in the Seattle International District, so we park there and then walk around and come back, spend a bit at Uwajimaya and get our parking validated. I’ve been a fan of wasabi for a while – however, I didn’t know exactly what this variety was when I got it that day. I thought ‘hey – this isn’t one I’ve reviewed’ so I picked it up. Let’s check out this wasabi infused tempura udon!

Nissin Donbei Wasabi Tempura Udon – Japan

The distributor/import sticker (click to enlarge).

Detail of the side panels (click to enlarge). Contains seafood, I wager. To prepare, add in sachet contents and boiling water to fill line. Cover for 5 minutes. Finally, stir and enjoy!

Detail of the lid (click to enlarge).

The block of thick udon noodles.

A dry base sachet.

A lot of powder.

A solid ingredients sachet.

Tempura with seaweed.

Finished (click to enlarge). Udon hydrated pretty well in 5 minutes. The broth has a kind of bonito and wasabi flavor to it that was kind of strange to me. The tempura was nice and crisp – nice with the seaweed back. 3.5 out of 5.0 stars. JAN bar code 4902105241288.

Nissin Hokkaido Gentei KITA no DONBEI Tempura Udon 12capsx1case

A Nissin Donbei TV spot

#2706: GGE Ramen Snack Tempura Flavor

Went to the new Daiso over in Lynnwood, Washington this weekend. I used to get lots of neat bowls from there but unfortunately, those days are over. This was one of the larger Daiso places I’ve seen but unfortunately, they had the crummiest selection of bowls. Makes me bummed out as they had super awesome ones in the past.

Anyways they had a lot of GGE snacks which kind of surprised me as these aren’t Japanese but Taiwanese. Hmm. Anyways, let’s give this one a try.

GGE Ramen Snack Tempura Flavor – Taiwan

Here’s the back of the package (click to enlarge). Looks to be meat free but check for yourself. TO prepare, open bag, grab content, place in the primary facial hole. Finally, masticate, salivate and ingest!

Interesting – short little strips of three noodles.

Finished (click to enlarge). The little strips are literally three noodles wide and about an inch or two at most in length. They have a very agreeable crunch and mouthfeel. What I like as well is the flavor – kind of a sweetness to it that’s very addictive. Very. Addictive. For a snack, I give this one 5.0 out of 5.0 stars. UPC bar code 074410679460.

GGE Noodle Snack 2.82 oz per Pack (2 Pack) (Tempura)

Well this is odd

#2517: Ikeda Shoku Nabeyaki Tempura Udon

Here’s one sent by the guys over at ExoticNoods.com. Thanks! They have a monthly subscription box you can get! So this is nabeyaki udon – let’s see what Wikipedia has to say –

Nabeyaki udon: A sort of udon hot-pot, with seafood and vegetables cooked in a nabe, or metal pot. The most common ingredients are tempura shrimp with mushrooms and an egg cracked on top.

Sounds good – let’s check it out!

Ikeda Shoku Nabeyaki Tempura Udon – Japan

The import/distributor sticker (click to enlarge).

Detail of the lid (click to enlarge). Looks to be meat free but check for yourself. To prepare, add in contents and 300ml boiling water. Cook for 3 minutes. Finally, top with tempura – stir and enjoy!

The udon pouch.

The liquid base.

Has a sweet scent.

The tempura disc.

Finished (click to enlarge). Added Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts and spring onion. The udon is interesting – not a round gauge but thick, and a little wider. The broth has a nice sweetness to it I enjoyed. The tempura is great when it soaks up the broth – very tasty. 4.5 out of 5.0 stars. JAN bar code 4970083061594.

SPJ: DONABE Japanese Style Earthen Casserole Hot Pot Serves 1-2 persons

Cooking With Dog shows you how to make some at home!

#2371: Daikoku Tanuki Soba Cup

This is second of two cups I found at Uwajimaya. Similar graphics on them, the other is Kitsune Udon, this one is Tanuki Soba. So, what is a tanuki anyways? Here, we have some info from Wikipedia:

While tanuki are prominent in Japanese folklore and proverbs, they were not always clearly distinguished from other animals with a similar appearance. In local dialects, tanuki and mujina (狢, kyujitai: 貉) can refer to raccoon dogs or badgers. An animal known as tanuki in one region may be known as mujina in another region. In modern Tokyo standard dialect, tanuki refers to raccoon dogs and anaguma refers to badgers. Regional dishes known as tanuki-jiru (“tanuki soup”) do not contain actual tanuki. Some northern, very rural communities may eat tanuki stew (tanuki shichuu).^[1]

So there’s no tanuki in this cup either. What you will find in tanuki soba is tempura in some way shape or form. Let’s look inside and see what we have here.

#2371: Daikoku Tanuki Soba – Japan

This is a distributor’s sticker (click to enlarge).

Detail of the side panels (click to enlarge). Porbably contains fish. To prepare, add boiling water to fill line. Let steep covered for 3 minutes. Finally, stir and enjoy!

Detail of the lid (click to enlarge).

The noodle block.

Here we have some of the seasoning and garnish from inside the cup. As you can see, it’s quite granular.

Here we have a tempura coated piece of seaweed.

Finished (click to enlarge). Added spring onion and Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts. First, the noodles are this and flat. Also, there’s quite a quantity of them. Second, the broth has an interesting taste. For example, it’s got a kind of sweetness as well as a saltiness that bounces back and forth with a fish taste. Finally, the tempura is a different kind of deal in this one. It is stuck to a piece of seaweed, so there’s seaweed taste. Overall, it works pretty well. In conclusion, I enjoyed this one much more than the kitsune udon by the same brand. 3.5 out of 5.0 stars. JAN bar code 4904511006079.

Daikoku My Friends Big source chow mein 120g ~ 12 pieces

A trip to 7-Eleven in Japan!

#1631: Nissin Donbei Tempura Soba Mini

It might be hard to tell from this image, but this is a very small bowl from Nissin’s Donbei line. I’d say it’s about 1/3 the size of a normal bowl. Kinda cool – a mini bowl! Let’s have a look.

Detail of the side panels (click image to enlarge). Contains egg and seafood. To prepare, remove tempura disk and empty sachet into bowl. Add 190ml boiling water and re-cover for 3 minutes. Stir. Garnish with tempura disk and enjoy!

Detail of the lid (click image to enlarge).

The noodle block.

The soup base sachet.

Has a kind of sweet scent to it.

The tempura disk!

Finished (click image to enlarge). Added spring onion. The noodles are really great – great chewiness, great texture. The broth compliments them nicely – a salty and sweet affair. The tempura adds a crispy treat of it’s own and it quite nice when it soaks up broth as well. 4.0 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 49698527.

You can purchase the kitsune udon cup here on Amazon.

A Nissin Donbei TV commercial featuring Gundam!