
In this box are two different varieties of ramen – one miso, one shoyu. The noodles appear to be the same, just the sachets are different. Let’s kick off this short Meet The Manufacturer series with some miso!
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In this box are two different varieties of ramen – one miso, one shoyu. The noodles appear to be the same, just the sachets are different. Let’s kick off this short Meet The Manufacturer series with some miso!

For this short form series, Nishiyama Seimen sent a single box which contains 4 servings. Two of the servings are miso, and two are shoyu, depending on the soup base sachets used. Let’s check it out!

Found this one at the Asian Family Market on 130th & Aurora in Seattle. They’ve got a lot of premium varieties – this one is in a little box which is pretty neat. I’ve had some from this brand in the past I really didn’t like but I’m hopeful – I mean, they’re mentioning night market in the title and night markets are really, really cool – at least when I visited Taiwan. Let’s check it out!

I have this and one more fresh variety that I need to cook up of these great Myojo USA refrigerated varieties – they’ve been extremely good! My wife has been a fan of yakisoba for a long time as have I, but my daughter could be heard while I was finishing up the reviews that day I tried the savory miso version. ‘Mama, can I have another bite?’ She’s definitely one for repetitiveness, and like a happy broken record, I want to say I heard her say it a good couple dozen times. Curious how they’ll like this one – I think they will!

Well, didn’t I just hit one of those big numbers a few weeks ago? Well, much earlier than I hit my 4000th review, the video at the bottom of this one got published. See, my episodes of Instant Noodle Recipe Time come out sooner that the posts they’re for. It’s nice having things staggered a bit to be honest. Well, the epiosde at the bottom of this review is my 1200th episode of Instant Noodle Recipe Time! A couple interesting things about this episode are the fact that I’m sure the kitchen will be incredibly hot – tomorrow (I get the posts ready for the review the night before) is probably going to be the last ultra hot day of the summer (if we’re lucky. Today it got up to 93F here if not hotter. It’s also kind of humid. We also have a lot of smoke from forest fires. So, I’ll be slaving away in a hot kitchen tomorrow – I wouldn’t have it any other way. Thank you for watching the show.

Here’s one that came in a Zenpop.jp box – use coupon code THERAMENRATER for a groovy discount!

Another one of the fresh varieties sent directly by Myojo USA – thank you very much! I was curious about what I saw on the package insofar as how to garnish it. Looks to be pork belly and rice cake from what I’m reading – the fish cake is fried. Hmmm… I do have some kamaboko I could fry. Yeah – I’ll try that. Let’s check this one out!

I recently got couple more varieties from Aces of their Sriracha Ramen Noodle Soup range – this lobster and an extra spicy! First, the lobster. Let’s check it out!

Here’s one that came via Exotic Noods – check ’em out and use coupon code THERAMENRATER for a discount!

Another one from the guys in California. You don’t often see revision numbers on food products, but these guys put them on there. To me, it shows they’re always striving to improve on products and upgrade them when possible. Pretty cool! Let’s give this new version a try!

Here’s one that came in a Zenpop.jp box – use coupon code THERAMENRATER for a groovy discount!

Saw there was some neat new things going on over at Myojo USA so I contacted my friend Taku-san and he sent some great fresh varieties! I’ve had a ton of different yakisoba varieties but never have I seen a miso flavored one. Let’s give it a try!

I thought hey – it’s the last day of November – perhaps I should do a roundup of subscription boxes I regularly test out with prices and coupon codes – maybe people would like that. Well, let’s find out! I regularly get samples of four different boxes. The prices listed in the video are a snapshot from November 28th, 2021 and so could change. You can use the coupon code THERAMENRATER on any of these for a discount. If you’d like me to check out other subscription boxes that you know of, drop them a line and tell them to contact me!

Are you a slacker? Can’t think of getting your friends and family for the holidays? Well, this might save you from wanton regret and inaction that may cost you dearly… Check it out! It’s Exotic Noods! A box every month of absolutely awesome noodles from around the world! Use the coupon code THERAMENRATER for a discount!

Some neat stuff here from Vietnam! I spoke with this company about nine years ago and they got back with me recently! Better late than never – they’ve got some really interesting varieties! Let’s check them out.

If you like noodles to be wide, this is for you! Biang Biang noodles are like belt noodles – very wide and have a very nice texture. Worth a look if you can find them. These came direct to me from Taiwan – let’s have a look!

The day before Thanksgiving I didn’t have anything ready to go for review, so I decided why not crank out a loaf of bread? I used Lai Noodle, a product from Hi-Lai Foods of Taiwan. They’d just sent a ton of great samples and so I thought it would be interesting to try. Here we go!

There’s a new variety of Hi-Lai noodles that just came out – Sesame Paste flavor. They sent samples of it, as well as the variety which is on this year’s Top Ten Taiwanese Instant Noodles Of All Time list, their original Lai Noodle. Both varieties are Vegan friendly as well! Let’s have a look.

Formerly the Made In The USA list, The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten American Instant Noodles Of All Time still is comprised only of varieties manufactured in the United States. This year’s list is comprised of all the best varieties from the United States in my reviews up to number 3,950. These varieties are mostly easily found as they’re not imports. Lots of great stuff to try here as well as links to find it on Amazon. I’ve also included some announcements at the bottom so make sure to check those out as well. With that, let’s check out The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten American Instant Noodles Of All Time 2022 Edition!

I’ve never made a pie before. I know they make pie crusts you don’t have to make yourself. My mom used to get them and put pudding in them and they ended up really good. I thought I’d try my hand at making a pie, but of course it’s not going to be that.

The reactions I’ve seen to this stuff range from curiosity to disgust. Personally, I find it to be something really awesome. You see, I spend a lot of time with instant noodles. A lot. When I see something like this, I see something that’s a shift. This really is a risky proposition, but the reward is high. Look at SPAM – they did pumpkin spice SPAM. Is it good? No clue – but I do have one my wife got me. This however is good and very easily obtained if you want to do the legwork. But not for long – this is only available at Walmart stores – specific ones – and so if you get on it quickly, you can enjoy some – or not. What’s nice is they’re only 88 cents apiece which is very reasonable, especially for a limited edition specialty item. Rest assured though – people will sell them for a great deal more on eBay once they disappear.

In August, Nissin announced that they would be producing a pumpkin spice flavored Cup Noodles product. This is really quite daring; very different and out of the norm, but a risk worth the reward. Pumpkin spice is an extremely popular flavor, and even for those who abhor it, it gives them reason for tantrums. Such an emotional response to something like this is worth a lot. ‘You hear they made a pumpkin spice Cup Noodles?’ ‘What? That’s ridiculous!’ Then they tell someone who tells someone – that’s gold right there. As Momofuku Ando once said ‘when you hear what consumers are saying, you’re hearing the voice of God.’

Alright – so the Nissin Cup Noodles Pumpkin Spice Flavor is now appearing exclusively at Walmart stores around the country. People’s reactions have been ranging from inquisitiveness to utter disgust. If you’re inquisitive, I’ll tell you right now you should go out and get some because they’re not going to be around for long. I asked for some samples and Nissin USA sent me one. Just one. They were apologetic, but they didn’t have many left – it’s a very limited run.

I often get samples of www.japancrate.com’s Umai Crates – they’re boxes full of Japanese ramen and extras – and one of those extras are recipe cards. I thought hey – here’s an interesting one and decided to share it today. By the way if you want to get an Umai Crate, check out the Japan Crate site and use THERAMENRATER as a promo code at checkout for a discount! These would make really great holiday gifts for people who are into Asian food and culture – lots of neat stuff to find in these boxes.

It’s been a really interesting week for me! Foremost, I hit my 4000th review. Then, while I sort of expected the Top Ten Taiwan list to make the news over there, what happened is that the Taiwanese media has gone crazy with my annual global top ten list – which came out in April! Well, two Taiwanese varieties made that list and this is one of them – ultra premium tasty stuff! Let’s check it out!


This review is dedicated to my mother, whom we lost since review 3000. She is missed every day.

Now I know what you’re thinking. ‘He’s gone mad, The Ramen Rater, he has.’ Not in the slightest. No more than usual, at least. I thought I would try something and see what would happen. Making bread is a lot of fun and I’ve never made any kind of really sweet sugary bread before and kimchi ramen would have a tangy and acidic bump to it, right? Well, so here we are. Tons of candy in the house and a bread machine wanting to make ramen bread. Let’s give it a try!

Well, shoot. This was going to be super awesome – at least that was the plan. I had a box of nice Aces Sriracha Ramen Noodle Soup bowls and I thought hey – let’s make some flour out of the noodles and a neat load of pure #ramenbread. Well, it didn’t work out and when I realized that, I started adding things…

I’ve known about this one for a while, but I was finally able to score some – and what better time to roll it out than for Halloween! I’m hpoing it’s good – I mean, when you look at this, your first thought (at least mine) is gimmick – but then again what we find inside looks fascinating – blue noodles! Let’s take a look and see how it tastes!

I figured I needed something scary for this pairing of Halloween varieties and so here’s something scary. I have no clue how truly spicy this one might be. I’m hoping it’s not going to kill my gut. This will have not only the cooking video at the bottom but the mukbang where I scarf the whole thing down if I can. Well, let’s see if I can handle it.

I thought in honor of the spooky holiday Halloween, I’d do a little roundup of images and videos from past and present involving things that seemed fitting. Eat, drink and be scary!

Thanks again to James from Lakeside, California for sending over some great varieties to review! He’s always looking through the Big List for stuff I’ve not tried and found some really neat new stuff – check it out!

After our last bread experiment went horribly wrong, I decided to regroup and make something that seemed like it could not go wrong. Also, it’s curry. Curry bread! This is going to be good, right? It must be!

So. If the noodle is fried, an emulsifier is needed to release the oil from the noodle. However, if they’re air dried… Hmmm. Let’s see, then we… wouldn’t? Let’s make this stuff into bread!

I’m a little vexed as shortly the holiday season will be upon us. IT’S ALL HAPPENING TOO FAST!!! Well, if you’re ready to start shopping for your loved ones, this is a great idea for a gift for the holidays! These subscription boxes come straight to your door and have some neat stuff inside! Check out www.japancrate.com and use the coupon code THERAMENRATER to score a sweet discount and get some neat noodles! Here’s the latest unboxing of the November 2021 Umai Crate!

It’s time to unbox a Zenpop.jp box – you get seven varieties of instant noodles to try! I would say that almost every time I’ve gotten one of these, I’ve never tried any of them before which is really awesome. The holidays are quickly coming our way, and these make a great gift for the ramen aficionado! Use coupon code THERAMENRATER for a groovy discount! Let’s check it out!

I’m a little vexed as shortly the holiday season will be upon us. IT’S ALL HAPPENING TOO FAST!!! Well, if you’re ready to start shopping for your loved ones, this is a great idea for a gift for the holidays! These subscription boxes come straight to your door and have some neat stuff inside! Check out www.japancrate.com and use the coupon code THERAMENRATER to score a sweet discount and get some neat noodles! Here’s the latest unboxing of the October 2021 Umai Crate!

I left it up to the wise folks in the Ramen Junkie group on facebook (you should really join if you haven’t) and of two choices they picked this for me to make into bread. It didn’t go as planned, but it was addictive and tasty and so here it is in all of it’s glorious ingloriousness.

I’m very happy to announce that the long time that I wasn’t able to step in from of the green screen is over and I’m back to doing top ten videos are back to the way I used to do them. It’s been a long time coming! Turning the family room into a recording studio is hard when the kids aren’t in school! But they’re happily back to enjoying learning and having recess! This is the first of many special videos to come. Taiwanese noodles are among the finest in the world, with such amazing flavors and textures not only born of tradition, but elevated by competition and innovation. This list comprises the best and most memorable varieties I’ve tried from Taiwan – current as of review #3950.