The Instant Noodles Review

EARLY DAYS

To understand about instant noodles we have to go back at least 40 years. Right at the epic invention by Mr. Ando. Instant noodles are sold in a precooked and dried noodle block, with flavoring powder and/or seasoning oil. The flavoring is usually in a separate packet, although in the case of cup noodles the flavoring is often loose in the cup. Some instant noodle products are seal packed; these can be reheated or eaten straight from the packet/container. Dried noodle blocks are cooked or soaked in boiling water before eating.

Invented Instant Noodles - Sir Momofuku Ando

The main ingredients used in dried noodles are usually wheat flour, palm oil, and salt. The dried noodle block was originally created by flash frying cooked noodles, and this is still the main method used in Asian countries, but air-dried noodle blocks are favored in Western countries.

Instant noodles were invented by Momofuku Ando (born Go Pek-Hok) of Nissin Foods in Japan. They were launched in 1958 under the brand name Chikin Ramen. In 1971, Nissin introduced Cup Noodles, a dried noodle block in a polystyrene cup (It is referred to as Cup Ramen in Japan). Instant noodles are marketed worldwide under many brand names.

It was first marketed on 25 August 1958 by Ando's company, Nissin, under the brand name Chikin Ramen. Ando developed the production method of flash frying noodles after they had been made, creating the "instant" noodle. This dried the noodles and gave them a longer shelf life, even exceeding that of frozen noodles. Each noodle block was pre-seasoned and sold for 35 yen. Initially, due to its price and novelty, Chikin Ramen was considered a luxury item, as Japanese grocery stores typically sold fresh noodles for one-sixth their price.

THE NOODLES

Indomie Mi Goreng is an instant noodles product line made under the Indomie brand by the Indofood company, the world's largest instant noodle manufacturer, located in Indonesia. Mi Goreng is Indonesian for "fried noodle". Indomie Mi Goreng is simply abbreviated as Indomie goreng by most Indonesians. Indomie Goreng is a type of instant noodle served without soup and is stirred well with soysauce, oil, and seasoning. This instant noodle derived its inspiration from traditional Indonesian dish called mi goreng, a variant of fried noodle common in Indonesia. Many street vendors sell it and traditional mi goreng is considered as common food by the people. I found these instant noodles while living as a young adult in Singapore and fell in love with them. Not only is the seasoning powder tasty, this instant noodle also comes with seasoned oil, hot sauce, sweet soy sauce, and fried onions. What American brand of instant noddle can compete with such amazing choices for a party in your mouth?!

Instant Noodles ''Mama'' Shrimp Tom Yum Flavour. Here is a dish we eat regularly, Instant Noodles Shrimp Tom Yum Flavour. A spicy hot & sour noodle containing aromatic lemon grass & kaffir lime leaves, and galangal. This Tom Yum recipe has a nice spectrum of tastes and aromas with the red chili oil droplets on top of the soup. You can jazz up this instant noodle with lots of delicious ingredients. Recommend adding shrimps, Tofu and vegetables to this authentic Thai flavors tasting broth. These are really delicious and much better than plain ole top ramen. It comes with chili powder, the lime shrimp sauce and a bit of an oil, all in separate little packs so you can control how much you put in.

Samyang Bulldark Spicy Chicken Roasted Noodle! When the package came, the noodles were all in one piece, no broken or smashed pieces! The instructions are easy to follow, of course after watching all the challenge videos, most people probably won't need to rely on the instructions on the package. The noodle itself is pretty hot. At first, it doesn't seem too bad, but as you keep eating the heat rises. These ramen also had a hint of sweetness to me, which I really enjoyed. I can usually handle my spicy really well, I wouldn't rate the spiciness as intense as the internet makes it to be. Personally, I would give the spice rating a 8/10. Overall, I really enjoy the ramen and I even crave it sometimes! I love spice, and I make a point to put hot sauce on nearly everything I eat. My taste buds were primed for a spicy noodle of this magnitude, but it was still a pleasure to try something that really gets my mouth burning.

Nongshim, meaning farmer’s heart in Korean, represents our care and dedication for the food we bring to your table. We carefully select the highest quality ingredients with the same mind of the growers in the field to create exceptional products with delicious flavors. With the mission of providing better food and services, we continue our efforts to create a variety of noodles and snacks. From our Chefs Best Taste Award winner Bowl Noodle products to everyone’s favorite snack Shrimp Crackers, we strive to satisfy the cravings for tasty food. I have been eating these noodles since I was a young child. Whether you eat them straight up with nothing added, or you add meat, seafood or vegetables....they are awesome. Highly recommended!

These are sweet and spicy. While i don't feel they are as good as the original flavor, they are still pretty good and worth trying.The flavor can be a little bland so you may want to add some kecap manis or some siracha. Otherwise, these a pretty good. I cannot say enough good things about this. After years of Top Ramen and Maruchan, I decided to give this a try. I was thrilled. It has the standard salty seasoning packet, but it also comes with separate soy sauce, chili sauce, oil, and fried onions that you can combine in different ways for a unique flavor experience each time. The seasoning is a little on the sweet side, so you'll almost certainly want to use the chili sauce to cut it. The noodles are very dense and give this a real sense of substance. Good either by itself or mixed with vegetables, tofu, or meat.

I am not a ramen expert by any means, but this brand is quite tasty. I dress mine up with veggies (bok choy or spinach), sliced hot dogs (I know it sounds weird, but the fatty content and salt add to the flavor), mushrooms, and an egg. The price is steep compared to maybe what might be available at a Chinatown, so in the end it doesn't end up being quite the cost cutting convenient meal you might think instant ramen should be. Again, this is my favorite ramen, and well worth the ~$2/each price tag, especially if you add some protein to make it a full meal. I can only hope Amazon restocks soon, as I've had a craving for these lately only to find them out of stock.

Fire hot! really hot! If you like spicy noodles these are very nice. Chili is listed before sugar which is quite rare in my experience. Ottogi still makes their noodles in South Korea, so you know you're getting the real thing without a modified taste profile or reduced heat. At its current fluctuating price of $22-24 its a really good deal. If you like Nong Shim, spend a few extra bucks and try these ! But watch out, before you try make sure that you have at least one glass of water ! haha

This Ramen Noodle Soup by Maruchan is what you can expect visiting a Ramen shop. The taste can keep up with the major Ramen brands. The good point is that this has ZERO trans fat which can be sometime rare to get. Maruchan offers a wide variety of delicious Ramen flavors. Maruchan also offers less sodium Ramen and tasty ethnic food flavor products as well. I personally love this Maruchan shrimp flavored ramen.

Nissin Chicken Ramen is the ultimate Ramen experience. Epic in taste and flavour is excellent! This is a one-of-a-kind, Ramen Noodle (the first one marketed, I believe,... 55 yrs ago). This is the second time I've ordered these Nissin Chicken Ramen Noodles. They came in a timely manner and were packed securely. I simply love this flavour.. it's one of my all time favorite. This classical instant noodle ramen brings up memories, I wish I had a time machine! 

Made my first bowl and it was very good. I only used half the packet of sauce, and the soup broth was just right, good flavor. I added green onions, bok choy, barbecue pork and an egg - a full meal. Next time I'll add some homemade shrimp dumplings (like shrimp won tons). Really liked the texture of the noodles. Saved the remainder of the sauce packet in a glass jar, couldn't see throwing it out; will use it later with some soba noodles. After eating this ramen I don't think I can go back to eating the ramen you normally find in the supermarket. Will certainly buy more! Will try other flavors in the future.

6 ways to make the best instant noodles of all time

Every student worth the name loves noodles. Not only are they stupidly easy to cook (except that time you accidentally added way too much water, shh, we won't tell) but they can also be as cheap as $1.00 a packet. The problem is they get pretty boring on their own, and the flavor sachets aren't exactly renowned for their nutritional value. But at the end of the day, there are more benefits than negatives in instant noodles. And I will shortly tell you why!


So we've rounded up some awesome cooking hacks to help your noodles truly deserve the name 'super'.

1. Use condiments

We're not talking about adding ketchup to your ramen (please, NOT again) but splashing on a few simple sauces that require no extra cooking.

Your best options are things like Thai curry paste, fish sauce, harrisa (a hot chilli paste), miso paste, and rice vinegar, which can all be found in the world foods aisle of your supermarket.

Pictured left are noodles from Malaysia with spicy chili dressing - instant noodles made delicious with a mixture of chili seasoning, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar and honey.

If you're not feeling adventurous, simply swap the flavour packet from your noodles with some low-salt chicken stock, as an excessive amount of sodium comes in those little sachets. Finish with a sprinkling of pepper or chili flakes.

2. Make latkes

Source: honestcooking.com

Latkes, if you've never had them (poor thing), are essentially fried potato and onion pancakes often eaten with sour cream. In recent years latkes have become very popular among students and housewife's. Although its very popular in Asia, it's not well known in the west. There are thousand ways on how to make Latkes, some people used to say different strokes for different folks!

Some internet genius decided to mix things up a little, however, and make latkes out of a packet of super noodles.

Simply tear up your instant noodles, stir them together with half a sliced onion, a tablespoon of flour, and an egg. Season and then fry in a hot pan. It sounds like a disaster right? But just look at it. It's your destiny.







3. Add simply peanut butter

Source: boredbug.com

If you think we're crazy, then you think Martha Steward is crazy too. Adding smooth peanut butter to your noodles is a cheap way to get that Pad Thai taste. This dish is simple but not for everyone, especially if you do not like nutty flavors. Add but do not cook pea nut butter! (Just in case, we never know!)

Try out this crunchy peanut butter and chicken ramen upgrade to make your cheap packet of noodles into a full blown meal. If you really cant make it without chili, then simply go for it and add some too! Hang on, dont add too much soy sauce.

4. Add some veggie

Source: yummytummyaarthi.com

Pretty obvious really. Chop up some old faves like pepper, spinach, or bean sprouts, or add some vegetables that require a little extra cooking such as bok choi, cabbage, or broccoli.

I personally love to add more veggie in instant noodles. Make the dish more leafy and green, that does not cost much time and is very economic too. If raw, then dont forget to wash the veggies before consumption.Hmm, now I am going to have some for tonight, too much talking about veggies makes me want to prepare an instant noodle veggie dish right now! 

5. Make a mac and cheese

Source: seriouseats.com

There isn't a single dish which cheese can't improve, and instant noodles are no exception. Ramen + cheese = ramac and cheese. Simply create a cheese sauce with milk, butter and your favorite cheese, stir in your cooked noodles, and stick it in the oven until the top is brown and bubbly. One of the most suitable cheeses are Cheddar or Gruyere Swiss cheese. The brand of the instant noodles is not crutial to make a cheese mac instant noodle dish. Most important is timing and do not over melt the cheese. All in all this dish can be more expensive than other instant noodles dishes provided that the cheese is authentic and not a fake imitation.

6. Throw in some meat

Chopping up and throwing in some chicken or pork is a guaranteed win, but you can also make some pretty delicious dishes with bacon.

Vegetarians can add tofu to bulk up their instant noodle meal. I love to use canned corn beef from Libby's. Or you can also add some crispy bacon. The instant noodles meat choice is wide and not necessarily expensive. Make sure that the dish does not end up too salty. A fresh egg makes up a nice addition. In fact, the first instant noodle was the chickin' noodle in the seventies invented by Momofuku Ando in Japan. He loved to enjoy instant noodles till his last day of life. Mr. Ando had a real passion for noodles. Thanks to him we can all enjoy great instant noodles today! :)

Samyang Ramen Spicy Chicken Noodles