The Ramen Rater Top Ten Instant Noodles In The World

Here it is – the new Ramen Rater Top Ten List! It was originally released on Foodiggity.com on January 9th, 2011 as an exclusive guest post I did. Now, here it is on The Ramen Rater for your perusal with links to all of the corresponding reviews! Enjoy!

Number 10 – Singapore – Koka Instant Non-Fried Noodles Spicy Black Pepper Flavour

This stuff is amazing; it contains a block of instant noodles that are exceedingly light and very low in fat. This doesn’t end up with low in taste though, especially with its garnish pack’s mention that the veggies in there vary depending on the season of production! It has a nice peppery taste and a little heat but not overwhelmingly so. This is a real treat and goes great with eggs. Original Review

 

 

Number 9 – Hong Kong – Doll Instant Noodle Artificial Chicken Flavour

Yeah I know – chicken instant noodles. How boring! Not this one – the broth is very good – it warms one’s innards on a cold day like nothing else. This is especially good with an egg or two added with about 45 seconds remaining as it cooks in the pot – makes the broth even heartier. A very relaxing bowl of noodles. Original Review

 

 

Number 8 – Japan – Sapporo Ichiban Shio Ramen Japanese Style Noodles

This is a very recent addition to the Top Ten list. Having tried Shio instant noodle varieties in the past, I had a feeling this would be a good one, and it truly was. The noodles were very hearty and the broth had an almost buttery flavor. I found this one very good with some baked chicken, green onions and hard boiled egg. Comes with a little packet of sesame seeds! Original Review

 

 

Number 7 – Korea – Nong Shim Shin Ramyun Black Premium Noodle Soup

Twenty years after the introduction of the well-known Shin Ramyun, Nong Shim brought out Shin Ramyun Black. A huge block of noodles, a veggie packet that also has freeze dried beef, red spicy seasoning and onion and oxtail soup packets make this a culinary onslaught of epic proportion. This was best enjoyed using a recipe from Eat Your Kimchi’s site which involved adding an egg, bok choy and a single slice of processed cheese. The beef pieces spring to life and the whole thing is excellent. Original Review

 

 

Number 6 – Japan – Myojo Hyoubanya no Chukasoba Japanese Style Noodles Oriental Flavor

A very good, very traditional instant noodle from Japan. Noodles are a little chewy and the broth has hints of seafood. Was enjoyable with a couple eggs cooked with the noodles and a little baked chicken with salt and pepper. Original Review

 

 

Number 5 – Indonesia – Mie Sedaap Instant Kari Spesial Bumbu Kari Kental

Like spicy? Like curry? This one from Indonesia fills both criteria and then some. The noodles are good but the real star here is the broth; a bit greasy and so flavorful. Not only a hot curry taste but had sweetness as well. Was excellent with a couple fried eggs. Original Review

 

 

Number 4 – Japan – Sapporo Ichiban Japanese Style Noodles Chow Mein

This stuff is great. It’s cooked with a small amount of water as the noodles gobble it all up. The flavor is sweet and salty and pure enjoyable. What’s more is a packet of ground seaweed is included which makes it all the more enjoyable. Goes well with a little bit of roast beef and some chopped onions. Original Review

 

 

Number 3 – Japan – Nissin Yakisoba – with Mayonnaise / Mustard Packet

Yakisoba is a very commonly enjoyed dish in Japan – and this variety puts a unique twist on it. You fill the box with boiling water and then afterwards, there’s a little drain spout to get rid of excess water. Add the flavoring and stir – then comes the fun as there’s a little packet that dispenses mayonnaise out of one reservoir and mustard out of the other! This is quite good – especially the vegetables. Nothing to add to this one – enjoy in its native state! Original Review

 

 

 

Number 2 – Indonesia – Indomie Mi Goreng Rasa Ayam Panggang Jumbo Barbecue Chicken Flavour Fried Instant Noodles

First off, it’s a jumbo pack, which is helpful as this is such a great tasting package of instant noodles. Second, it comes with a whopping five seasonings – from sweet soy sauce to spicy chili sauce. The noodles are served drained without a broth. The flavorings in concert with a couple fried eggs, some pickled ginger and fried shallots make this one not to miss. Original Review

 

 

Number 1 – Indonesia – Indomie Special Fried Curly Noodles Special Quality Instant Noodles

Truly the best instant noodles I’ve ever had. I love these – the noodles are flat and very tasty. The seasonings provide a broad range of flavors. Spicy, sweet, full of good flavor. I enjoyed this bowl with some turkey, fried eggs, pickled ginger, fried shallot and Sriracha (Red Rooster) sauce around Thanksgiving. Original Review

 

Hans ‘The Ramen Rater’ Lienesch

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#652: Sapporo Ichiban Shio Ramen Japanese Style Noodles

Soon as I saw this, I was really excited. I really like Shio (salt) ramen. I don’t know what it is, but it works! What’s more is this stuff is made in California. I found it at H Mart in Lynnwood, Washington. Let’s dig in!

Right off the bat, you’ll notice that this is three servings. Weird but that’s the deal. I couldn’t imagine haveing a lunch with two other people consisting of a third of a pack of instant noodles.

I was a little surprised at how heavy this block of noodles was; I mean it wasn’t two pounds or anything, but it was very heavy as far as instant noodles go.

A single pack of seasoning.

Here’s the seasoning ready for some noodles and water.

I decided to go all out on this one. I got some green onions, boiled some egg, and baked a small chicken breast with some Lindberg-Snider Porterhouse and Roast seasoning – which really rocks on chicken!

What’s this? Yup – a packet of sesame seeds to dress it up even more!

I also added a little Kizami Shoga (pickled ginger) and a sprinkle of fried shallot. Wham – this was awesome stuff! The noodles are very nice – good instant ramen noodles. The broth is exceptional – one could almost describe it as a chicken flavor, but that’s not exactly right. It’s almost a buttery and perfectly salted taste. I love this stuff. 5.0 out of 5.0 stars – it’s going into the Top Ten soon as I do a revision. UPC barcode – 076186000080 – get it here.

Very old Sapporo Ichiban commercial!

Awesome

RIP Don Cornelius & Jam Master J

#416: Sapporo Ichiban Chicken Flavor With Natural & Artificial Flavors Oriental Noodle Soup (Cup)

A couple things to start out with here as this picture is somewhat ridiculous. So they’re adding water to the cup. The water is up to the line already and not only that,  the contents appear to already be done cooking; the veggies are clearly re-hydrated.  Kind of weird I thought.

Look closely at the ingredients – something is in this one that usually isn’t present…

A single packet of seasoning. Common to the cups you’d see from Korea, not so much from a domestic.

A very nice looking amount of assorted vegetables ready for the pain of scalding hot boiling water.

Finished product, unadulterated. So this one’s getting some good points. Why? Well first off, it looks like the above picture. Secondly, it contains chicken. This is a bit of a rarity to be honest and I really like that. The chicken wasn’t bad either. Third, lots of vegetables. The noodles weren’t crummy either. The only thing here was the saltiness – way overpowering. A little less and it would’ve been just right. I’m still quite impressed with this product though and giving it a 3.75 out of 5.0 stars. Get it here.

#240: Sanyo Foods Aunt Mentaiko Durum Spaghetti

So first off, I’d like to thank Walnuts4Gold from reddit.com for helping me figure out the name of this stuff. The only thing I had to go on was the phone number on the bottom. From that I figured out with a little research that Sanyo Foods makes these noodles. Then Walnuts4Food sent me a link with some other varieties including this one. This one is the Mentaiko variety. What’s mentaiko? Wikipedia states it is…

Mentaiko (明太子^?) is the marinated roe of pollock, and is a common ingredient in Japanese cuisine. Mentaiko originated from myeongran jeot (명란젓) of Korean cuisine and was introduced to Japan after the Russo-Japanese War. Kawahara Toshio, a Busan-born Japanese, adapted Korean mentaiko to Japanese tastes in Fukuoka in the 1950s. The name is derived from the Korean word for Alaska pollock (mentai, 명태 : myeongtae in Korean) and the Japanese word for “child” (子, ko^?). The typical seasoning and flavor is slightly different in Japan.

Mentaiko is made in a variety of flavors and colors and is available at airports and main train stations. It is usually eaten with onigiri, but is also enjoyed by itself with sake. A common variety is spicy mentaiko (辛子明太子, karashi mentaiko^?). It is a product of the Hakataward of Fukuoka City.

It makes perfect sense  that this must be what it is….

Pretty easily followed instructions…

Pasta sauce and topping…

Looks like spaghetti to me…

Snazzy drain spout!

So the pasta sauce was a deeper red but really infused into the noodles. The topping was seaweed and a nice addition. It was a spicy and slightly fishy affair – very flavorful and very interesting. I quite liked it – I have never had anything like it before. Was really surprised at just how good the noodles were – they were perfect as far as I’m concerned.

Don’t know if you can discern it really but the light orangish dots are the fish roe (eggs). This was an interesting thing; fish egg spaghetti. I am highly enthused. What was also interesting is that the use by date was 12.25.2010 – Christmas! 4.5 out of 5.0 stars – Weird, tasty and good.

 

Sanyo Foods owns Sapporo Ichiban just to let you know…