Today marks the second annual The Ramen Rater’s Momofuku Ando Day! Who was Momofuku Ando? Well, if it weren’t for him, myself, tens of thousands of college students and millions and millions of people around the world would be hungry today. Momofuku Ando invented not only the instant noodle in 1958, but also the Cup Noodle which was introduced in 1971. The company he founded, Nissin Foods, still exists today and produces flavors of instant noodles for many countries in the world. Here in the US, Top Ramen and Cup Noodles are prevalent while in Japan more local flavors like Shoyu (soy sauce) or Shio (salt) can be found. In the Philippines, there are flavors like Bulalo and Sotanghon, and in India Curry and Masala are available. Here’s a short piece about Mr. Ando and the invention of instant noodles from Nissin’s website. I should also mention there will be a special Show Your Noodles to see today as well!
The folks at Nissin Foods USa sent me a big box of samples a couple weeks ago and inside was this little gem from Japan. I have seen this before online but never anywhere in the USA. This is called Raoh and it is one of Nissin’s more premium Japanese products. In honor of Momofuku Ando day, I have done up a video review that you can see below.
Here’s the special Momofuku Ando Day celebratory video! Check it out then look below for more!
Here are the details from the side panels.
The veggie packet.
Looks like some nice stuff – green onion I recognize but not sure about the other things.
Dry powder packet.
Looks like soup base powder.
Liquid soup pack.
Has a nice scent.
Check this out – a slice of pork! This is awesome – definitely something you won’t find here in the US.
Finished (click image to enlarge). Added sweet onion, green onions and hard boiled egg. The noodles were very nice – perfect chewiness and consistency. Reminds me of fresh ramen noodle varieties. The broth is strong and has a nice thickness. The broth is definitely rich. Has a deep soy flavor and nicely thicker than normal instant noodle broths. The slice of pork? It re-hydrates exceptionally well with a nice consistency and some fat – very decadent for an instant bowl of ramen I’d say. The veggies did well too – a decent amount. All in all, this is amazing stuff. I’d love to try all of the varieties of Raoh, that’s for sure. 5.0 out of 5.0 stars easy. Thanks to Scott A. over at Nissin Foods USA for sending this along with the other samples – awesome! UPC bar code 4902105214077
A tour around the Cup Noodles Museum in Yokohama, Japan. I would love to go here someday. Here’s the official website and hours/price:
Name: CUPNOODLES MUSEUM (formal name: Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum) Address: 2-3-4 Shinko, Naka-ku, Yokohama 231-0001 Japan Telephone: General information: 045-345-0918 / Chicken Ramen Factory reservations: 045-345-0825 (Reception hours: 10:00-18:00, holidays excluded) Museum hours: 10:00-18:00 (last admission 17:00) Holidays: Tuesdays (when Tuesday is a holiday, closed the following day), year end / new year holidays Admission: Adults: 500 yen (tax included) / high school age children and younger admitted free *Some facilities within the museum require separate admission. *Museum admission fee and facility usage fees are subject to change.
Last year’s Momofuku Ando Day video – Top Ramen Chicken Flavor!
Went to the 99 Ranch Market near us a few weeks ago and my son Andy picked this as something he would like to try. Well, today is the day to try it out! The first time I tried this one, I made it completely wrong. Here it is in review #68! Not good!
Back of the package (click to enlarge). Check out the instructions – this isn’t a single bowl of noodles, but rather a bowl of broth and a bowl of noodles that are enjoyed separately.
The noodle block.
The smaller packet, which seasons the broth.
Not a whole lot in this one.
The soybean paste which will coat the noodles.
This makes the noodles end up kind of like Jjajangmen but this is a Taiwanese version.
Here, Andy shows the proper technique: eat some noodles, slurp some soup!
Finished (click image to enlarge). Excellent! The noodles are nice – kind of stick together but that’s not a bad thing really. They have a slightly spicy and salty taste that is really nice. The broth cools the heat (Andy noticed that right away) and has a nice rich flavor. Good stuff – if you haven’t tried it, this is something unique people have really enjoyed. 4.0 out of 5.0 stars! UPC bar code 4710199050484 .
Here’s a Wei Lih commercial!
The paste is also quite popular on its own – get it here.
So today I have two mushroom flavored instant noodles I’ll be doing. First off will be this Unif/Tung-I mushroom pack. What’s interesting about this one is that Unif Tung-I is usually from Taiwan, but this one’s from Vietnam. Anyways, let’s try this one and see how it is.
Here’s the back of the package (click to enlarge). Notice all of the German on here!
The noodle block.
Dry seasonings.
Powder as well as veggies!
The seasoned oil packet.
Looks interesting.
Finished. Added some baked chicken, yellow onion, green onion, Krazy Mixed Up Salt and Ajishima Kimchi furikake. The noodles are thin and have an almost buttery taste. The broth has a mushroom taste but its not overwhelming; almost like sauteed mushrooms. Pretty good – 3.5 out of 5.0 stars. UPC bar code 073217060068 – get it here.
The other day we walked over to 99 Ranch Market and my son bought some kamaboko and three packs of instant noodles. This is one of the packs he picked out.
Here’s the back of the package (click to enlarge).
The noodle block.
The single seasoning packet.
Yellowish seasoning. Salty and chickenny.
Finished. Added broccoli, bell pepper and kamaboko. The noodles have an okay texture, but they have a funky flavor I didn’t like. The broth however is quite good – with bits of onion and a nice chicken flavor. too bad about the noodles – 2.75 out of 5.0 stars.UPC bar coder 4710008211648 – get it here.
I have absolutely no idea about this one. First off, it’s been quite a while since I’ve had a Unif Tung-I pack. Second, I usually don’t like bean thread. Third, Tong Tsai? What’s that? Well, I’m not sure.
Here’s the back of the packaging. Click to enlarge.
Here’s the block of bean thread.
Powdered seasoning.
Looks like there are bits in there. Upon a little taste I get sweet, salty, onion? Garlic?
Seasoned oil packet.
Looks good and weird. I have somewhat high hopes of this being an interesting one.
Finished. Look rather art-like with the curves toward the top and little bubbles towards the bottom. The noodles are thin and funky as bean thread usually is. It is also really long and hard to break off with your lips. I went the kitchen scissor route and cut them. Much easier to eat that way! The broth is salty and kind of greasy with hints of garlic, onion, maybe shallots too. I am surprised; I liked this one and actually ate all of it! 3.5 out of 5.0 stars – fascinating! UPC bar code 073217060228 – get it here.
If my kid did this, they’d be grounded. Period. Also, it’s ramen – rah-men.
2011 Asia Series Game 6 KBO Samsung Lions vs. CPBL Uni-President 7 ELEVEn Lions
Uni-President 7 ELEVEn Lions fans was singing the cheer song after PH Chun-Yu Kuo’s 2 RBI home run tied Samsung 3-3 Uni-President 7 ELEVEn in 6th inning.
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