Momofuku noodles. Ever try them?

[Anna N]

15 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

From what I can see Momofuku doesn’t label their product as ramen noodles. Or am I missing something?

I stand corrected. 

[Annie_H]

David Chang's recent y-tube videos are pretty much one big addvertisement for all his products. A few from a couple chefs filmed at Momofuku Ko.

They use the noodles and add other things like his chili crunch.

His noodles are made by A-SHA, A-SHA amazon page. They make 4 varieties. Chang's are the medium, called Mandarin noodles. The wide, called 'hand cut', are one of my favorites.

The A-SHA Mandarin noodles are apron $1.70 per serving. About a dollar cheaper than Momofuku. Same 3.35 oz. I'm guessing the proprietary is in the seasoning packets. I'm surprised he does not have a broth packet.

We had ramen bowls last night. Lotus rice ramen. I purchased the packs with the broth packets by mistake but not bad ingredients.

"Ramen: black, brown and white rice flours, water. Soup Pack: white miso powder (cultured soybeans and rice, salt), salt, white onion powder, tamari powder (soybeans, sea salt), soybean powder, mushroom powder, dried parsley, dried carrots."  Though I prefer to use my own dashi and fresh miso/ginger. 

Just ordered the A-SHA Mandarin. The rest of my usual stash...fresh noodles in the freezer.

 

 

Edited June 22, 2023 by Annie_H (log)

[Annie_H]

17 hours ago, blue_dolphin said:

From what I can see Momofuku doesn’t label their product as ramen noodles. Or am I missing something?

From what I gathered from the few videos I watched, he chose that noodle for home cooks. To be used as a base noodle or consumed as is. Most are disappointed in the flavoring wet packets, (as well as $$$), but he encourages using them many ways. Add broth, vegetables, etc. Not spicy enough?, add your favorite hot sauce. Mild enough for kids. And then there is the branding 'celebrity chef' dealio. ($$$)

Ramen, to me anyway, is the broth bowl/basic recipe, made in hundreds of variations. The thin scrunched noodle, a bit wavy, seems traditional. 

He does mention he is a home cook hack. Uses what he has on hand to feed his family. But would never use home hacks in his restaurants for paying customers expecting more traditional elevated variations. 

Just a guess, but he might be offering a good quality noodle, slightly different in width and 'wavy', to grab a following with a 'new-to-many' noodle instead of another ramen style noodle. Does not call it a 'ramen' noodle because it is not traditional. Though in my home I will use the A-ASHA in my ramen bowls. I call shrimp/dumpling bowls a 'shrimp dumpling bowl'. Even though it is visually a ramen bowl with a ramen egg, etc. 

A squirrely CulinaryKaren might take offense if he called it a 'ramen' noodle. So he chose not to. 

 

 

[btbyrd]

As noodles go, these are pretty good. I've long been an advocate for air-dried instant noodles over their deep fried counterparts. But the Momofuku noodles don't really offer anything over and above the A-SHA ones mentioned above, and those are cheaper. Sure, the Momofuku ones come with a seasoning packet, but I just don't enjoy eating these noodles that way. I wish they came with soup packets rather than sauce packets. These noodles are good in soup, but they're kind of expensive for just the noodle alone when you can get other air dried products for less money. That's not to say they're not high quality, but just that it's a lot per serving if all you're going to be using is the noodles.

 

I know it's a different style, but I've been digging on the Cantonese egg noodles from Blue Dragon, which are widely available and relatively inexpensive. They stir fry well and they're good in a soup. 

[btbyrd]

They're not called ramen because they're not alkaline noodles.

[Anna N]

1 hour ago, btbyrd said:

Sure, the Momofuku ones come with a seasoning packet, but I just don't enjoy eating these noodles that way. I wish they came with soup packets rather than sauce packets.

Exactly my issue. I did not realize that they came with only a sauce package rather than a broth/soup base.