Crazy Ramen Recipes!!

Check this crap out! Crazy ramen recipes, including grilled ramen (actually cooked on a grill). Check it out

HERE!

Lucky Me! N-Rich with Malunggay (Chicken and Ginger Flavor)

Country of origin: Philippines
Bought at Super Oriental Market

Time for some delicious sounding Filipino noodles with Malunggay! It's chicken and ginger flavor, which just sounds really good to me right now. N-Rich refers to the Malunggay that is in the mix here which for those not in the know (including me until just now) is a plant that grows pods on it that resemble green beans and taste somewhat like asparagus. According to Wikipedia the leaves are widely eaten in the Philippines, and check this out: weight for weight the leaves have the same amount of calcium as four glasses of milk, the vitamin C of SEVEN oranges, the potassium of three bananas, three times the iron of spinach, four times the vitamin A of a carrot, and twice the protein of a comparable amount of milk. Holy crap! That's some kind of superfood. Looking at the ingredients the second ingredient in the spice pack is cane sugar so I'm expecting a somewhat sweet taste. Should go good with the ginger.

It's a 55g noodle block like all the other Lucky Me noodles and a seasoning pack. Seasoning has kind of a sweet and roasted chicken smell which is very pleasant. Let's cook it up!

This stuff is really, really good! All the flavors come together for a chicken and ginger flavor that tastes like Chinese food. You need to get out of here and find some of these. I only wish there were more noodles! A resounding 10/10.

Oh and by the way...

Astro Boy ripoff says it's so easy!! If only everything were this easy...

Sorta sexy ramen advertising...

Mie Sedaap billboard in Indonesia. Why can't we have ads like this here?

Ramen at McDonald's????

No, this isn't some kind of early April Fool's prank. This is for real! Here's a link to an article about it. It's only available in Hawaii, though. I kinda have mixed feelings about it. I mean, it's cool anytime ramen gets more exposure but it's also McDonald's. Also, are people really going to pay three or four dollars for something they can make it home for one?

Yes. Yes they will. Good job, Mickey D's.

Sapporo Ichiban Hot & Spicy Chicken Ramen

Country of origin: USA
Bought at Super Oriental Market

I've never reviewed Sapporo Ichiban noodles and haven't eaten any in a looong time, but when I saw hot and spicy chicken flavor I had to give these a shot. I tend to try and avoid noodles that are made in the USA and stick to more unusual stuff, but it's still ramen and it's still made by a Japanese company. Nongshim noodles are made in California also (at least the ones you buy in the US) and I usually love those so I won't hold that against Sapporo. For those not in the know, "ichiban" is Japanese for "Number One." Let's spice this chicken up!

It's a 100g noodle block so it's a pretty decent amount of noodles. I think all Ichiban noodles have the same size noodle block. I'll be sure and review the other flavors since these are sometimes a "gateway" ramen for people looking to branch out a little more from Maruchan and Top Ramen. There's only one pack of stuff but it smells spicy. I'm tingling with antici....pation.

 

Yeah, kinda like that.

 

So here's the done deal. These are very good, the noodles have a great consistency and the spice level is good for my taste. It may be a little too much for some people but I would definitely eat these again and I'm giving them a 9/10. Can't wait to try other types of these!

 

Vifon Bo Kho (Beef Flavor Oriental Noodles)

Country of origin: Vietnam
Bought at Super Oriental Market

So here's some stuff from Vifon that I'd never seen before. It's hard to see in this picture but there's also French on the package under the yellow text at the bottom. It translates to "Oriental style beef flavor noodles." Evidently a lot of people in Vietnam speak French as a second language due to the earlier French colonial influences. I had no idea. On to the noodles!

Rice noodles with three packs of stuff. Shame it didn't somehow have those meatballs and cilantro and other stuff that it had in the picture... we're gonna steam this one in 400ml (about 2 cups) of water in a bowl. Hey, someone gimme a bowl and some vodka while you're at it.

Thanks! Got a new bowl on my last ramen trip so just showing off. I let these steam for about four or five minutes. Let's see if they're done.

Kinda looks like chicken noodle soup. This one is not bad, but not great either. It's very light on taste, which I wasn't expecting considering the amount of chili powder and other spices in the ingredients. Oh well. If you like rice noodles then you may want to give these a try, otherwise just meh. Meh!! Oh and by the way...

BEST EXPIRATION DATE EVER!!! 5/10.

95 Billion bowls of ramen were eaten in 2011...

Very cool infographic from Foodbeast. Check it out

HERE

Dragonfly Mee-Goreng Dry Ramen Noodles

Country of origin: China
Bought at Super Oriental Market

So now for an actual review! I wouldn't think it would be this way but I am surprised at how few of the different ramens I've eaten come from China. Most are from Korea, Indonesia and the Philippines. We in the US definitely have no shortage of imports from China so maybe there are more out there that I just haven't found yet. Anyway, whenever I see mi goreng or mee goreng on a package I get excited because I love this type of noodles. Let's see how these measure up.

I just felt like making this picture really big. It's a good size noodle block (110g) which is unusual for a mi goreng noodle, which is a big plus here. There's two color coordinated packs of stuff, a seasoning pack and a flavoring sauce with a slight funky smell. I cooked these in a pot for about five minutes (the package recommended three) and the consistency was pretty good. I don't think these are very high quality noodles but not bad either, about Top Ramen quality. Here's what I ended up with:

Looks like a pretty standard noodle bowl. The noodles sort of uncurled a bit more than normal, anyone else notice that? These are actually pretty dang good, they have a sort of beef ramen taste with a strange, sort of sweet taste also and a funky ass aftertaste. A quick check of the fairly short ingredient list reveals pork flavor and caramel! You can actually taste it in here, too. If you like ramen noodles that aren't a soup then you should definitely check these out. The only downside is the funky aftertaste, which I can still taste now even though I ate these about four hours ago. I'm giving these an 8/10.

Interesting stuff from around the intarweb...

So once in a while I like to take a look around the net for some interesting ramen related stuff. Here's what I came up with:

Fucking Taco Flavored Cup Noodles!!!

 Yes, this is real. If I can find them, I will review them in depth. They look incredible. I mean, just when you thought things couldn't get any better, something like this happens and it's just... so great. Someone tell me where I can get these! Or better yet send me some! : ) Here's a link to the website where I found out about these. Opens in a new window, so take a look!

The Cupman

 

It's the Cupman! It's a Japanese (duh) creation in which this little guy hangs on for dear life to your noodle cup and changes color when your noodles have gotten to the perfect degree of doneness. For the busy ramenator.
Here's a Japanese website where you can buy one and see more pics.

Instant Noodle Perfector

 

When I first saw this thing I thought it was some kinda cool device that actually cooked your cup o' noodles, but it doesn't. It's a timer that goes off at that perfect time and a light comes on when your noodles are just right. Nobody wants noodles that are still crunchy or too done, right? The only links I could find to where this wonderous device could actually be bought didn't work, but do some Googling and you should be able to find one.

Ramen Face Protector / Flower Costume

 

 Now there is a young lady who is not going to get noodles or soup anywhere it shouldn't be. Could you imagine anyone actually wearing one of these??

The Ramen Fan

 

Yes, this is also real. I'm not sure if this is something that someone just made or if it's something you can actually buy, but when you're hungry and you have a delicious hot bowl of ramen before you, it's hard to hold back. Never be burned again with the Ramen Fan!! Chopstick included.

The Ramen Fork

The ultimate spork, specifically made for ramen purposes. Someone please tell me where I can get one!!

 

A very special post...

This post is a big thank you to everyone who has ever taken the time to read my blog. It's a lot of fun for me and enables me to have an outlet for writing as well as a source of entertainment. When I started this blog I didn't know where it would go or for how long, and now it's been about two years and I have learned a great deal and eaten a whole hell of a lot of noodles. It's been an amazing journey that I plan to continue for the foreseeable future. That being said I'd like to take some time and thank my readers. Here's a tribute to the top ten countries that are my sources of readers!

10. Singapore

Thanks, Singapore! Singapore has the world's longest life expectancy at 81 years, compared with 78 here in the US. I didn't know until I looked it up that Singapore was part of the United Kingdom until 1963 and from what I have read and seen sounds like a really cool place to visit! 

9. Netherlands

Thanks, Nederlanders! Netherlands literally means "low country" because half of the country is about 1 meter above sea level. I think maybe a trip to Amsterdam is in order to celebrate with my ramen loving friends. I'm afraid if I did go I'd never come back!

8. India

Thanks, India! I know I talked some shit about some noodles from your country, but as I demonstrated recently I'm willing to keep on truckin'! Seriously though, I'm almost ashamed to admit it but the first thing I think about when I think of India is the delicious food. India is the world's largest democracy and a nation of over a billion people. Their national language is English and they call you to collect debts you owe. Just kidding, they do a lot of other stuff, too. Like make delicious food.

7. Germany

Look, I think by not mentioning anything about Nazis I did a good job. Thanks to my German readers! Ramen always goes good with a beer.

6. Indonesia

Thanks, Indonesia! I never knew before I started this blog that Indonesia was such a huge noodle eater! Indomie is made by THE largest noodle producer in the world and also owns a plant in Nigeria that is the largest noodle producer in Africa. Some of my favorite noodles ever come from here and I am happy to have you guys as my readers!

5. Australia

Thanks, Australia! Australia has the second highest standard of living in the world, behind Norway. I've always wanted to go to Australia... maybe one day I will. There's more to it than kangaroos and Crocodile Dundee.

4. United Kingdom

Ramen in the UK! From what I gather ramen is kind of a big deal in the UK. Their national dish is chicken tikka masala, which is very cool. The big brand of ramen there is Pot Noodle, which I haven't been able to locate stateside, but would like to try to see if there's any difference. Much love for the UK!

3. Canada

 

Yes, that is Canadian Club whisky for sale in Japan. I didn't know ramen was a big deal in Canada, but it's good to know that our friendly northern neighbors enjoy a good noodle once in a while as we enjoy their whisky among other things. Thanks, Canadians!!

2. Philippines

Just look at that beach! Oh, man. Special thanks to my readers in the Philippines. You guys make some delicious noodles! The Philippines are also known for very beautiful women and being part of Spain, America, and Japan before becoming independent in 1945.

1. USA! USA!

 

Well, no surprise there. Thanks everyone for reading this post and reading my blog! Keep on ramenatin'!

Samyang Sogoki Myun Beef Flavor Ramen

Country of origin: Korea
Bought at Super Oriental Market

I'm always on the lookout for products from Samyang as just about all their products are the bomb diggity. I picked this one up fairly recently and I gotta be honest, the only reason I chose it is because I like the packaging. I'm expecting these to be at least pretty good though since they are made by Samyang. Let's open this mofo up!

It's the same 120g noodle block that comes with all the other Samyang ramens so it's definitely a lot of noodles and good quality ones at that. There's only one pack of stuff but it's a good size pack. Upon opening I notice there's a good bit of beef flavoring and a LOT of green onions. Time to cook.

The soup has a sort of creamy texture to it which I like, and has a decent amount of spice as well. Almost as spicy as Shin Ramyun. It doesn't seem like the flavoring pack got mixed up enough in the cooking process because I'm tasting different spices at different times in the soup, sort of like one area is spicy and the other tastes like nothing but onions. Maybe I got a bad spice pack? These are ok, there are a few too many onions/onion flavor for my taste but the spice level is decent. I'm going to give them a 6/10.

*SEMI NON REVIEW RELATED NOTE*: This is my 100th post!! Not 100th review, but 100th post!! I'd like to thank God and everyone at the Center for Ramen Art, Inc. Thanks for reading, everybody!

Maggi 2 Minute Noodles Curry Flavor

Country of origin: India
Bought at Ummm... kinda can't remember. I just have them, ok? Like some people have cats and dogs.

Let me start off by saying that my past Indian noodle experiences have not been very good, but I'm willing to give some more a try since curry sounds pretty good today. These are made by Maggi, which is owned by Nestle, and they make everything from soup bullion to spices and sauce mixes. You can find a lot of their products at Wal-Mart and other grocery stores. So let's see how their noodles stack up.

 

So it's a pretty standard noodle block and a TASTEMAKER packet, which is quite possibly one of the best names for a flavor pack I've ever seen. These noodles also have an interesting smell to them, not necessarily bad but a little bit funky. Time to cook!

Better pay attention to the directions on this one. It says to use 225ml of water and boil it for 2 minutes and don't drain off any excess water. Know what that means? Noodle bowl! Sweet. But how in the world am I gonna measure out 225ml of water? Water, meet measuring cup. Suck it, impossibility! Ramenator 1, Indian noodles directions, 0. Hah.

 

 

  So here's the whole thang. These smell really good so I couldn't resist tearing into them and man, these are the best Indian noodles I've ever had. Which in itself isn't saying a lot, but these are very good. If you like Indian food or curry you should definitely try these out. 7/10.

 

*SEMI NON REVIEW RELATED NOTE*: WTF BLOGGER! GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER! I'M TYPING ON ONE SIDE OF THE PAGE LIKE THE OTHER SIDE DOESN'T EVEN EXIST!!!

Nissin Demae Satay Flavor Ramen

Country of origin: Hong Kong

Bought at Super Oriental Market

So again it's been a while, but I've been busy so don't give me any crap. Continuing on with the Nissin Demae ramens we have the satay flavor. For those of you who don't know what satay is, it's a sauce often used in Thai cooking made from peanuts and coconuts. It's pretty tasty stuff if you are into Thai food. I could go for some chicken or beef with some peanut sauce right now. Mmmm...

Food daydreaming aside, here's what comes in this package. Pretty standard stuff, regular noodle block and two packs of stuff, soup base and seasoning oil. Let's cook these up and see how it goes.
Blogger has been having some issues so the last pic got lost in cyberspace forever. Oh well. It's very regular looking stuff, but despite its plain looks this simple bowl of ramen offers some serious flavor. The peanut and coconut sauce flavor is here in full force and tastes like some noodles I had in a Thai restaurant, only a soup instead of noodles and sauce. This one gets points for uniqueness since I've never had a bowl of ramen quite like this. I'm giving this one an 8/10.