Tag: vegetarian

#1824: Nongshim Soon Veggie Noodle Soup

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I’ve seen this one online a few times recently, but never in the store – until a couple of weeks ago, that is! I really liked the pack version of this one – made the 2014 Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time list – the first vegetarian one to do so. The pack was made in South Korea – but this cup is made here in the United States at Nongshim America down in sunny Rancho Cucamonga, California. I went and visited Nongshim America in 2012 – was really neat – big factory and nice people! Let’s check out this cup and see how it compares to the pack version. ...see full post

#1817: Hao Way Penang Vegetarian Prawn Instant Bowl Noodles

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Prawn Mee as it is called in Penang, Malaysia is a very popular dish. Mee means noodles by the way. A broth that’s sweet and absolutely jam packed with prawn flavor is the norm, but in this one, we have a vegetarian option. Let’s see how well vegetarian elements can come together to mimic a full-bodied prawn mee! ...see full post

#1808: MAMA Vegetarian Instant Cup Noodle Tofu & Shiitake Flavour

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This is one I saw posted on facebook by one of the nice folks I met at MAMA in May. I was very curious about it and so I asked if I could get some samples – thank you! This one and the vegetarian tom yum are made specifically for October. Why? Well, there’s a special Vegetarian Festival in Thailand during October! Here’s a little about it: ...see full post

#1798: iMee Instant Noodles Vegetable Flavour

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Here’s another one that was sent to me by James B. from The Netherlands – thanks! So this one is made in Thailand for the Dutch market. Vegetable flavor can be interesting; there are so many vegetables and so many takes on what ‘vegetable’ flavor is. Some taste like mushroom predominantly while other have a strong broccoli flavor. Some even taste like butter! Very curious to see what kind of vegetable flavor this one has – let’s find out! ...see full post

#1729: Vedan Zan Vegetarian Instant Noodle Series Shiitake Mushroom Flavor

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Here’s one we found up in Canada during my birthday trip earlier this year. This one’s a little tricky to figure out; the distributor/import sticker mentioned shiitake, but another site I saw mentioned carrot, and indeed there’s a carrot on the package. Anyways, this one looked kind of interesting so let’s have a look. ...see full post

#1712: Sakurai Foods Organic Miso Ramen

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Wow it’s Summer here today! Just hit 90 degrees and the clouds are rolling in – hoping for a nice lightning storm to watch tonight. I’m still reviewing instant noodles in this weather though – it’s 83 degrees in our apartment right now. Wish we had air conditioning! It rarely gets this warn in Western Washington though. Anyways, I thought some miso might be a good one to try today, and an organic one at that. The packaging has a Vegan logo on it, but I think I might add some meat in with it. Let’s have a look at this organic miso ramen! ...see full post

#1673: Lishan Food Manufacturing Black Cock Brand Vegetarian Chicken Noodle

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Some days are tougher than others. This is one of them. This has been the focus of my ire for the past hour or so. I have been trying to figure out what it’s called exactly, and hoping to find an ‘official’ website for it. No dice. I asked some people on facebook and got a little help, though. The brand is 力山食品工廠. From what I gather, you steep these, but with how much water I am unsure. It’s also got some other interesting things inside, aside from the swastika on the package and twin dragons. The swastika isn’t a reference to Nazi Germany, however to Buddhists who are vegetarian, as well as not allowed to eat ‘fetid’ vegetables like garlic or shallots. Anyways, let’s look inside this unique Taiwanese variant! ...see full post

#1638: A-Sha Veggie Noodle Tomato Noodle With Vine Ripened Tomato Sauce

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Got this sample recently and been really wanting to try it. Well, today’s the day. They told me that it has a very strong tomato flavor and is ‘robust.’ I have been asked by people quite a few times ‘so whatever happened to the tomato flavor instant noodles? They were really good!’ I’ve never really figured out what the heck they were talking about, guessing that they were referring to a domestic brand most likely. Well, let’s check out A-Sha’s take on tomato! ...see full post

#1574: Chering Chang Steam Vegetarian Flavor Noodles

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In last year’s Top Ten Taiwanese Instant Noodles Of All Time 2014 Edition, Chering Chang was second place with their Curry La-Men – excellent stuff! What is interesting is that that was the only variety they make that I’d tried. I’m very curious how this one fares – vegetarian. Vegetarian instant noodles can be all sorts of different things; bland, bitter, full of vegetables, focused on mushroom; it’s such a broad flavor that can be interpreted masterfully or poorly. I have high hopes that this will be another excellent offering from Chering Chang. Without further adieu, let’s have a look inside. ...see full post

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

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The Ramen Rater’s top Ten South Korean Instant Noodles Of All Time made it’s debut last January and I thought this would be a good day to release the new one for 2015! South Korean instant noodles (known as ramyun) are characteristically thicker and chewier than most instants. Spiciness is a common trait as well as beef flavors. Here are my top picks of the South Korean varieties I’ve reviewed of my 1,573 reviews to date. ...see full post

#1489: Maggi Vegetable Multigrainz Noodles Spice Remix

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Haven’t had one from India in a while! These Maggi noodles were found at a little market here on Highway 99 called Imran’s Market. I had wanted to check it out for a couple years, but when I used to ride the bus I would see it, and when riding in the car I couldn’t. It’s kind of weird. Perhaps the height of the bus? I dunno. But finally made it there a couple months back thanks to my pal Matt B. and found some interesting stuff. Let’s have a look at these Maggi Multigrainz noodles! ...see full post

#1463: Maruchan Instant Lunch California Vegetable Ramen Noodles With Vegetables

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I want to send a special thank you to Craig Y. over at Maruchan for facilitating the process of getting Instant Lunch California Vegetable into my hands! Much appreciated! I hunted high and low for these and couldn’t find them! There are lots of products sold around the United States – and some do better in some areas than others. A good example would be the King Cake. Most people where I live don’t know what a King Cake is, however folks in Louisiana definitely do – it’s a special cake enjoyed around Mardi Gras. Here’s what Wikipedia has to say about King Cakes: ...see full post

#1405: Maggi Masala Dumdaar Noodles

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My friend Matt B. and I hit up a small Indian grocery the other day and found these. I thought the name sounded interesting. I haven’t reviewed a huge amount of instant from India, which surprises me as they”re very popular there. Well, I don’t know if this is remotely correct, so if someone out there wants to correct me, feel free! I looked around on the Internet and read that Dumdaar is a variety of biryani – Hyderabadi biryani. I kept finding a film actor named Dumdaar repeatedly which didn’t help. Anyways, I found a few recipes and thought I’d try and take some bit and pieces from them to do this instant justice. So again, if you can give me any info about what Dumdaar is, please feel free to comment and I’ll eventually insert your comments here. With that, let’s have a look at this unique one from India. ...see full post

#1403: Tesco Everyday Value Chicken & Mushroom Flavour Noodles

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Here’s one that Joe B. and Sarah B. sent me from Nottingham, UK – thanks! Tesco’s a big grocery store chain in England. One thing I’ve found that is a little difficult are European nutrition facts on instant noodles. It’s odd; they like to do a per 100g showing, then a per serving. The number often seem ridiculously off; a lot of the time it’s a calorie vs joule issue (yep – they use a different measure of energy over there too). Let”s see how this chicken and mushroom flavor cup goes! ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #1353: Mamee Instant Noodles Vegetarian Flavour

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Today we have a bright green package – vegetarian flavor. It seems most product lines have at least one variety that’s vegetarian. The approximations of what a general ‘vegetable’ tastes like however has differed from brand to brand, from the vile to the exalted tasty treat. This one’s made with the ‘Mi Tarik’ technology at Mamee’s factory. This is where they emulate the technique of hand-pulling noodles with their equipment. Hand pulling noodles is interesting; the chef starts with a long thick roll, doubles it up, flours it, then swings it around a bit. This is repeated, doubling the amount of strands every time until there are a couple hundred noodles. I’ll put a video at the end showing someone doing this. Anyways, let’s give these vegetarian noodles a try! ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #1345: Lotus Foods Forbidden Rice Ramen

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Today’s the last day of this awesome Meet The Manufacturer, and I wanted to save the one I found most curious for the end. I’ve NEVER seen anything like this before. These noodles are dark – almost black! They’re made from Lotus Foods’ Forbidden Rice – something I’ve enjoyed for a long time. Forbidden Rice was originally served to Chinese emperors – who resided in the Forbidden City. ...see full post

Meet The Manufacturer: #1344: Lotus Foods Millet & Brown Rice Ramen

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Here’s the second of three varieties of this new ‘Rice Ramen.’ This one is a bit different than the last as it boasts a red miso and uses millet and brown aspects for its noodle. What’s really great about these new products is that they’re Vegan friendly and gluten free – lots of people have asked me about gluten and vegetarian instants and I’m thinking these might be a nice one for those folks to try. Let’s check this one out! ...see full post

#1308: Nongshim Soon Veggie Noodle Soup

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Here’s a new one from Nongshim for the vegetable crown. At first, I thought it would be a tofu based variety; the reason was that I’ve gone to a local Korean restaurant and ordered ‘Soon Tofu’ a few times, which is a spicy soup with tofu in it. Well, ‘soon’ translates to ‘soft.’ Well, tofu is a vegetarian friendly construct, so I thought I’d give it a try today with this new one. A few people have been asking about this one, so with that, let’s check it out. ...see full post