Pot Noodles/Cup Noodles/Instant Ramen

[JoNorvelleWalker]

7 hours ago, Smithy said:

 

This looks to my inexperienced eye as though it is a soup concentrate for noodles (or whatever) and that it does not contain noodles in the packet. Am I reading that right?

 

Yes.

 

[Chimayo Joe]

On 6/23/2020 at 11:02 PM, MokaPot said:

Does anybody have any specific recommendations (including the name of the flavor) for products they have tried & that they really like? I'm willing to mail order. My standbys are all considered ramen, but I'm interested in other stuff like laksa, Korean stuff, etc. I do like spicy (hot) flavors as well.

 

Thanks, guys. I'm looking forward to hearing what you all like.

 

I've had a little more than 30 varieties since i started posting on this thread.  They've all just been what i've been able to find in the supermarkets or Walmart, nothing exotic. What i've liked best (pretty much in order) are:

 

Indomie Mi Goreng Fried Noodle

Indomie Barbeque Chicken

Indomie Mi Goreng Hot & Spicy

Nongshim Shin Black Noodle Soup

Nongshim Shin Noodle Soup

Sapporo Ichiban Chow Mein

Nissin RAOH Soy

Nissin RAOH Miso

Nissin RAOH  Umami Tonkotsu

Naked Noodle Singapore Curry

Sapporo Ichiban Original

Nongshim Bowl Noodle Spicy Chicken

Sapporo Ichiban Japanese Noodles Chicken Soup

Nissin Top Ramen Chicken

Nissin Top Ramen Oriental (Soy Sauce) Flavor

Naked Noodle Thai Sweet Chilli

Naked Noodle Thai Green Curry

Maruchan Ramen Noodle Soup Creamy Chicken Flavor

I like Indomie but they're not soupy, so if I want soup I have to have something else.
Nongshim Black is one of my favorites.  I haven't tried the square pack. I guess i need to.

Best quality of noodle I'd have to say Nissin RAOH.  Runner-up, Sapporo Ichiban.
Nissin RAOH is good but too diluted for my tastes so i use less water than the instructions call for. 
Naked Noodle has by far the worst quality noodles but some of the flavors they offer are different and pretty good.

 

What i've liked least:

 

Nongshim Pho Beef Flavor with Sriracha

Naked Noodle Teriyaki

Naked Noodle Chow Mein

Maruchan Instant Lunch Roast Chicken

Maruchan Instant Lunch Chicken

Maruchan Instant Lunch Beef

Annie Chun's Pho

 

Pho is just so bad compared to the real thing.  The flavors of those two varieties of Naked Noodle just aren't good enough to overcome the poor quality of noodle.  There are several Maruchan products that I've liked better than those three.

Edited June 27, 2020 by Chimayo Joe
Added what i've liked the least (log)

[MokaPot]

@Chimayo Joe, thank you so much for taking the time to write a detailed list. I think we have similar likes in noodles. I'll check out all your recommendations. Thanks again! Appreciate it.

[mgaretz]

My wife really likes Mike's Mighty Good Ramen.

[brucesw]

I never paid much attention to these products.  If they were available in the 60s which I was at UT Austin I never saw them or heard of them.  I tried a few over the years and didn't get the appeal until the poster Huiray here on eG started posting about them in the Lunch and Dinner threads.  I don't read the site much anymore so I don't know if Huiray is still posting.  In answer to a question once he recommended Dragonfly, Nongshim, & Myojo Chukazanmai brands.  I've never found the first locally, Nongshim is almost as ubiquitous as Nissin and Maruchan here; I've had a couple of the Myojo but they aren't common here as far as I've discovered.

 

I tended to avoid the cheap, mass produced (i.e., Nissin and Maruchan)  and discovered a few varieties of other brands I like but then I discovered the Nissin Raoh.  The noodles are really superior, air dried instead of fried.  Raoh means 'King.'  Mostly I'm buying those 3 varieties now, and hording them because the shelves are usually pretty empty these days.

 

Here's some articles I've come across that give some good background and taste judgements.

 

https://www.tastecooking.com/cup-noodle-industrial-complex/?utm_source=pocket-newtab

 

https://www.seriouseats.com/2020/01/shin-ramyun-taste-test.html

 

https://www.seriouseats.com/2020/02/we-pit-cup-noodles-against-cup-noodle-and-the-difference-is-real.html

 

https://www.seriouseats.com/2020/06/american-nongshim-versus-korean-nongshim-instant-noodles.html

 

After reading the Sho Spaeth articles on SE, I try to only buy the packets, not the convenience cups or bowls, and whatever one I buy, I take the noodles out and cook them in boiling water rather than nuke them or 'add hot water and soak.'  It produces a better 'noodle experience' I think. 

 

I haven't had a chance to get out to China Town or up to Korea Town or the 2 small Japanese markets we have but I'm hoping maybe they're able to import some of the products made for the Japanese or Korean markets, which apparently are superior.  These products are marketed here still as cheap food and convenience food but they're taken more seriously in other countries, similar to canned fish products.

 

The Sun refrigerated noodles are excellent but they're only available at 3 places in the whole Houston metropolitan area.  I tend to agree with Kenji on SE that the soup bases in the kits are nothing special so I prefer to buy just the noodles.

 

My fascination with ramen has pretty much swamped my interest in pho.  I have 2 good pho shops near me so I haven't tried home products as much.  I keep  some of the really inexpensive packets around, for snacking rather than a whole meal:  Mama Pho Ga, Mama Pho An Lien, Oh! Ricey from Ace Cooks Pho Bo and Hu Tieu Nam Vang when I can get my hands on them.

 

I like some of the Indomie products as snacks/sides.  Another good one I came across was Ottogi Buckwheat Chilli Noodle.  Have some kimchi on hand to doctor that one up some.

 

 

Edited June 25, 2020 by brucesw (log)

[MokaPot]

@brucesw, thanks for reminding me about the Myojo Chukazanmai. I tried one of their flavors & liked it. I'll try other flavors.

[Chimayo Joe]

29 minutes ago, MokaPot said:

@brucesw, thanks for reminding me about the Myojo Chukazanmai. I tried one of their flavors & liked it. I'll try other flavors.

Do try Nissin RAOH if you haven't already.  I'm no ramen expert, so brucesw is probably right about the quality of noodles in those.   My tastes run to spicier, but the RAOH products are some that i will definitely keep buying.  I have a packet of RAOH Miso flavor in my kitchen cabinet which is the only variety i haven't tried that is available in the supermarkets here.

Edited June 25, 2020 by Chimayo Joe (log)

[Chimayo Joe]

I had Nissin RAOH Miso yesterday.  The RAOH noodles are better than the other instant ramens i've had.  Like the other RAOH products i've had, the broth seems a bit diluted for my tastes.  I didn't cut back on the amount of water the instructions called for since it was my first time to have the miso variety.  Might have been too salty if i had cut back.  Still, miso is another RAOH winner, so i'll edit my earlier post to add it to my list of favorites.  Changing my verdict on the noodles in that post, too.

[CantCookStillTry]

 

Tried these recently. They are spicy and flavoursome, nice thick noodles. Great 'fresh' but if you get caught up with work, leave them for an hour so they absorb all the soup and then eat... not so much, just a spice bomb. 

[CantCookStillTry]

Did the Asian Grocery store run today for Garlic and Soy Sauce and anything interesting. Grabbed the essential mystery noods for the hub to try. Will update when eaten. 

 

Got these pot one cos ... Kung Fu Panda 🤷‍♀️

 

 

And then I picked these because they were pink 🤷‍♀️. 

 

[liuzhou]

22 hours ago, CantCookStillTry said:

Got these pot one cos ... Kung Fu Panda 🤷‍♀️

 

 

That is the most common brand I see here. Can't stand the things myself. All  my friends call them "train noodles", as in the past that was all you could really get to eat on China's cripplingly slow trains on your 36 hour or more journey to Beijing or Shanghai. The trains supplied boiling water to hydrate the nasty things.

Over the last (surprisingly) few years the entire train network has been overhauled and trains are up to three or four times faster. I recently paid a visit to Guangzhou (Canton). Went in the morning; attended to business; had lunch and returned home the same day. Only five years ago it was a 12-14 hour trip each way!

And there is no boiling water anymore. No one needs it!

The end is nigh!

Edited August 24, 2020 by liuzhou (log)

[Eatmywords]

7 hours ago, liuzhou said:

 

That is the most common brand I see here. Can't stand the things myself. All  my friends call them "train noodles", as in the past that was all you could really get to eat on China's cripplingly slow trains on your 36 hour or more journey to Beijing or Shanghai. The trains supplied boiling water to hydrate the nasty things.

Over the last (surprisingly) few years the entire train network has been overhauled and trains are up to three or four times faster. I recently paid a visit to Guangzhou (Canton). Went in the morning; attended to business; had lunch and returned home the same day. Only five years ago it was a 12-14 hour trip each way!

And there is no boiling water anymore. No one needs it!

The end is nigh!

 

 

Yep, we took those uber long trains in 07' (36, 24hrs).  Ramen in just about every seat and for every meal.  Those aromas. Takes me right back to my seat.  I do love the creative packaging.  Wish I could display the better ones in the kitchen.  Don't think wife w approve. 

Edited August 24, 2020 by Eatmywords (log)

[liuzhou]

More panda porn train noodles.

 

[heidih]

This is funny to me because the only time I was on Cathay Pacific the food was great with selections and freshness. But when the lights went out people were going to get those cup of noodles at the whatever station. Ya just had a great meal and they give you nice ice cream and you still want those.?

Edited August 25, 2020 by heidih (log)

[CantCookStillTry]

I sent the train noodles to work with hubster. Told him he had to send Noods. 

 

He thinks they were "ok, kinda spicy" which means he wasn't that impressed. He had the Beef and Pickled Cabbage flavour. 

 

This was the first photo I received. 

 

Captioned " How the Beep do I do this I can't read it" 😂🤦‍♀️ He worked it out. 

[MetsFan5]

I’m really into the Maruchan Gold ramen. The noodles are fantastic- very springy and have a good bite. The soy sauce flavor is meh, I tend to add a raw egg in after cooking for protein. 
 

  Not cheap but I’m fine with paying. Ugh now I want to make a pot! 
 

Edited August 27, 2020 by MetsFan5 (log)

[liuzhou]

On 8/25/2020 at 6:02 PM, CantCookStillTry said:

" How the Beep do I do this I can't read it"

 

My suggested method back in the day was to bung everything on top of the noodles in the pot except the various wrappers, pour in boiling water and cover the pot. Light a cigarette and by the time you have smoked it all the way down, the noodles will be ready. Almost 20 years ago, I quit the filthy noodle habit (oh, and smoking)!

P.S. Just had a thought. The wrappers are probably more nutritional then the contents.

[CantCookStillTry]

 

The Hot Chicken and Cheese. 

They were certainly hot. I just had a taste. Not a fan, the cheese powder makes them extra 'Gluggy'. 

 

[pastameshugana]

In February I had to make a quick business trip to Ho Chi Minh City (got out just before Covid shut everything down). 
 

In the airline lounge in Seoul, this was better than anything they were cooking:

 

Then I made a stop at the grocery store to fill up the empty space in my suitcase with:

 

Why buy souvenirs when you can buy cheap noodles? 
 

One of my favorites was this one:

 

I’ve noticed that Costco has started carrying a cup noodle type Pho variant that is actually made in Vietnam. Of course nothing like Pho, but it’s a nice quick bite. My kids love it. 

[Eatmywords]

On 8/25/2020 at 6:02 AM, CantCookStillTry said:

 

This was the first photo I received. 

 

 

 

Love the condiment graphics and foldable spork!

[Eatmywords]

6 hours ago, MetsFan5 said:

I’m really into the Maruchan Gold ramen. The noodles are fantastic- very springy and have a good bite. The soy sauce flavor is meh, I tend to add a raw egg in after cooking for protein. 
 

  Not cheap but I’m fine with paying. Ugh now I want to make a pot! 
 

 

 

Hmm, what makes it 'gold'?   Organic msg?  😁

[MetsFan5]

14 hours ago, Eatmywords said:

 

Hmm, what makes it 'gold'?   Organic msg?  😁

 Ha no idea. The flavor pouch is liquid. It’s... ok. Oily to my tastes but the noodles are a lot better. 
  I do like MSG though. 

[Eatmywords]

On 8/27/2020 at 8:33 AM, pastameshugana said:

I’ve noticed that Costco has started carrying a cup noodle type Pho variant that is actually made in Vietnam. Of course nothing like Pho, but it’s a nice quick bite. My kids love it. 

 

Thanks, curious what they taste like.  I'll have father in-law grab some w I imagine is no less than a case next time he passes by.   I have some frozen venison loin I can slice real thin and lots of other stuff I can throw in.  

[heidih]

You know you are at eGullet when people casually throw out "I have some venison loin"  

[Eatmywords]

I have some venison heart as well that would go perfectly in a pho.  (We all have that in our freezers too, no?)