#907: Nongshim Neoguri Spicy Seafood Flavor Cup

Here’s something new – Neoguri Spicy in a cup! Kind of interesting; Neoguri usually has a wider Udon-like noodle and I don’t know that I’ve seen anything like that in a cup form before. Well, let’s have a look.

Here are the side panels (click to enlarge).

Close up of the lid with preparation instructions.

Sure enough, the noodles are much wider than what you’d find in a regular cup noodle..

Here’s the seasoning packet.

The spicy powder base.

Bits from the bottom of the cup. Looks like kamaboko and seaweed amongst other things of the sea.

A piece of thick seaweed.

Finished (click to enlarge). Added some onions, kamaboko, odeng kimchi, a slice of processed cheese and a little sprinkle of Urashima Sesame & Salt furikake. The noodles are great – they are nice and wide and very hearty. Must say I’ve never seen noodles like these in a cup – unique! The broth is nice – a deep and rich seafood taste and a nice trademark spiciness. The added bits of kamaboko and nori are festive and the big chunk of kelp is very nice too. I grew up in a small town on an island in northwest Washington state and always was close to the ocean – the kelp reminds me of that. All in all a good cup of noodles! 4.0 out of 5.0 stars.UPC bar code 031146017072 .

Here’s a Neoguri commercial for ya!

I challenge this guy, PSY, to a Shin cup eating competition! Oppan Gangnam Style, meet Spicy Ramyun Style!

Meet The Manufacturer #883: Yamachan Shio Ramen Seafood Clear Soup Base Mild

This is something a little different. This is two servings of fresh ramen in a pack. They’re made in San Jose and this looks to be something gourmet. Let’s check it out!

Here’s the back of the package (click to enlarge).

The noodles are fresh – it looks like you could take them out and take a rolling pin to them and they’d turn back into dough! Pretty neat.

The soup base is a packet of liquid.

Finished. Just the noodles and broth this time. The noodles are really quite good; chewy and taste literally like they were just made. Definitely gourmet grade. The broth is interesting too. My only experience with the concept of Shio is a couple Shio flavor packs and one bowl. The broth here is salty, yes (Shio means salt in Japan) but the saltiness is tempered with a depth of flavors. It’s not violently fishy by any means – its quite nice really. I liked this one – 4.5 out of 5.0 stars. UPC bar code 767921019503

I know PSY’s gottten big here with the Gangnam Style, but I’m still surprised Kyary Pamyu Pamyu still hasn’t.

#868: CJ (CheilJedang) Katsuobushi Udon

This one was donated by Ramen Place – thanks again! I haven’t a clue of how this one will be. Looks like its celebrating the 10th anniversary of CheilJedang or this product. Well, let’s give it a try!

Here’s the export sticker (click to enlarge).

Here are the side panels. It looks like you add hot water, then either microwave for four minutes if you have a 700 watt microwave or for two minutes if you’ve got a 1000+ watt microwave (click to enlarge).

The fresh udon noodles.

Liquid base.

Dark stuff!

The veggies and bits.

Looks like a nice melange…

Finished. Added some kizami shoga (pickled ginger), kamaboko, hard boiled egg and Krazy Mixed Up Salt. The udon is chewy and good. Pretty standard fresh udon. The broth is sweet and has a nice taste I have found in Japanese tempura soba bowls before. A nice tempura taste. The veggies re-hydrated nicely. good stuff! 3.75 out of 5.0 stars. UPC bar code 8801007009377 – find it here.

KPop stars (including PSY) in a CJ TV commercial.

ONE HOPUR OF GANGNAM STYLE. Enjoy it.

#619: Yamamoto Ponpoko Tempura Udon Fried Noodles Bowl

What an awesome bowl of noodles. First, it’s a new brand to me – Yamamoto. Second, it’s got tempura in there as well as udon. Third, there’s a couple tanuki on the label.

What is a tanuki Here’s the Wikipedia link – they’re common in Japanese folklore and often little statues of them can be seen outside restaurants and temples. The word tanuki translates to raccoon-dog. What’s strange about the statues is that, like the animals themselves which do exist – they have disturbingly large testicles. Now tanuki doesn’t appear in the title of this bowl, but ponpoko does. All I could find about ponpoko was that there was a video game released along time ago – here’s a link with info on that. Then there was Pom Poko, a Studio Ghibli movie about a war involving tanuki!

Here’s a sticker that was on the underside of the bowl.

A single packet of seasoning powder.

The seasoning powder is atop the udon awaiting a boiling water bath for a few minutes.

A nice disc of tempura is a wonderful finishing touch.

Added one fried egg and its done. Oh man – the noodles are awesome – thick and slightly chewy. The broth had a salty and soy taste. The Tempura lent a satisfying crunch and I also let some intermingle with the broth and it made it a bit richer. This was worth the $3+. 4.75 out of 5.0 stars. delish!

If you really were wondering about the prowess of the tanuki, look no further than this commercial.

Here’s a real one

Another real one…

Studio Ghibli movie trailer

#543: Menraku Japanese Curry “Udon”

One of my favorite things in all the world of cuisine is curry. Hot curry, curry soup, curry beef, curry chicken, curry vindaloo, curry powder, curry paste, green curry, yellow curry, masaman curry, Indian curry and Japanese curry. This sounded good and I’m starving.

So its powder on the right, but I wonder what this chunky stuff in the veggie packet is all about? Hmmm…

Wow, that’s quite a pile of powdered seasoning – and its got a great curry stink to it! Also, look at all that stuff on the right – fried tofu and green onions with a dash of carrot and bonito.

No eggs. Just curry udon. So the noodles are awesome – very wide and thick and chewy! The broth is oozing with curry goodness! The veggies and tofu? Perfect. Yup – I’m really quite happy with this one – 4.75 out of 5.0 stars!

Here’s the commercial!

Really – watch this the guy’s got a ridiculously large camera collection