Ummm. Noodles. My first post purely on instant noodles. So what can I say about them? Well ever since I was young (about 4 or 5 years old) I ate noodles. It was the Hong Kong Doll brand. I didn’t like them very much because my mother always overcooked them or under-cooked them. 😦 By the age of 10 when I was able to see the top of the pan on the gas stove, that’s when I started cooking instant noodles (with the supervision of my mother of course!). When I was in my teens I used to eat the Nissin Seafood flavour a lot, and then I used to add white pepper just to spice it up! (I don’t do that anymore! Hah!). It has taken me years to perfect it to the way I like to eat it, and nowadays, I like it al dente.
Some people would probably say noodles is noodles. But there’s so many varieties and variations of noodles, which I will definitely not go into. Too complex to talk about as I’ve seen a few shows (mainly from Hong Kong) and read a few blogposts explaining how these noodles are prepared etc., etc… From memory, instant noodles (like these ones I will be showing) are fried and dried before they are packaged. There are definite health risks if you eat them day in and day out, so I recommend to everyone to eat instant noodles once in a blue moon (like once a week / month). But if you get cravings or are a poor student or a struggling lousy cook… then, well, I recommend twice a week or none at all – eat healthy foods! ¬_¬”” (And don’t be like me eating two in one day for this blogpost!).
So here’s what I bought yesterday from See Woo Supermarket 泗和行 (si wo hong), Shoyu Tonkotsu and Black Oil Garlic Flavoured instant soup noodles. Nissin is a popular brand for noodles and favourited by many Asians and non-Asians! (Morrisons even sell them!).
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| I bought two of each in case they taste good |
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| Black Garlic Oil Tonkostsu Flavour 黑蒜油豬骨湯味 (hak syun yau zyu gwat tong mei) |
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| Shoyu Tonkotsu Flavour 醬油豬骨湯味 (jeung yau zyu gwat tong mei) |
A lot of people I know cook instant noodles in different ways:
Method 1: Boil water, add noodles, then add soup base and seasoning whilst the noodles are still cooking in the pot, serve in bowl.
Method 2: Boil water, add noodles, cook the noodles, place soup base / seasoning in a bowl and then add the cooked noodles into the bowl and mix.
Method 3: Boil water, add soup base and seasoning, then add noodles, cook for 3 minutes and then serve in a bowl.
Method 4: Cook in the microwave!
I often cook my noodles using Method 3. I’ve tried all the other ways, but will always choose Method 3!
First up is the Shoyu Tonkotsu Flavour 醬油豬骨湯味 (I had this for lunch yesterday). The soup has a very light soy sauce but not the salty type of soy sauce. It also has a touch of vinegar type of taste to it. The noodles and the soup were plain in taste. The flavour isn’t too strong like it’s predecessors (i.e. Duck or Beef flavour). This one was ok. But not my favourite from the Nissin noodle range and I’m not sure what Shoyu Tonkotsu is supposed to taste like… Well, shoyu is Japanese for soy sauce, and tonkatsu is a fried pork cutlet… hmmm…
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| Noodles, soup base and seasoning sauce |
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| Cooked noodles! |
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| I added dim sum to it ^_^ |
Next up for dinner last night (I’m a greedy person) was the Black Oil Garlic Tonkotsu Flavour 黑蒜油豬骨湯味. Hmm. The soup was slightly salty on my first taste. Again the noodles and soup combined were very plain in taste. There was no garlicky taste to it. And unfortunately this isn’t a good flavour for me either… 😦 I think I was supposed to add the seasoning after I had cooked the noodles instead of adding it into the noodles to cook with! Whoops!
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| Again, noodles, soup base and the seasoning sauce |
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| Cooked noodles again! |
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| This time I added Chinese white cabbage and a fried egg ^_^ |
Both didn’t give me that oomph or that feeling of wanting to eat more of it. So would I buy them again? Probably not. I think my tastebuds like strong flavours. My favourite flavours so far are the Tonkotsu and the Miso flavoured ones… Strong flavoured and thick soups!
Price: 42p (CHEAP!)
Where to buy: See Woo Supermarket, Lisle Street, China Town (or other Asian supermarkets – if you can find them…)
p.s. Definitely, definitely add the seasoning oil after you have cooked the noodles! It tastes better!!!!!
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A Simple Geeky Life 
In Japan, 出前一丁 has only one seasoning(T_T)
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Really?! I thought Japan would have loads of flavours??!!When you go to HK, check out the supermarkets and other shops… They will have a lot!! UK has a lot too…
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Yes, Yes, I know, many Japanese buy various flavours出前一丁 for gift in HK.I ate some flavours, but I like basic flavours.
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Oh I see! Hope you find the flavours you like in HK 🙂
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I thought the black garlic oil flavor was the best instant ramen noodles I've ever had, HANDS DOWN! The best! I definitely think you cooked the noodles wrong as you stated in your P.S. section. Maybe you should rewrite your review as to not misguide readers until the very last section. These noodles are very good and very hard to find. I'm afraid these noodles will not gain the popularity they deserve because of reviewers like you who don't get it right. Manufacturers will stop making these noodles bc the market for these noodles will never grow!
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Lol. This isn't my favourite flavour – haven't bought them for a while. The original ones for me are the best… plus the miso flavour which I find creamy for some reason (probably cooked that wrongly too!).I have to say I think they would still gain popularity even if I cooked them wrongly (they've been out for a while now), a lot of people like cooking in different ways with noodles and other foods, making tea and coffee etc, etc (which of course I find odd too), and this is a different flavour that not many people can get hold of as you said. They disappeared for a bit in See Woo supermarket, but now I see them all the time… But yes I can re-review these noodles alongside another packet of noodles I've been dying to try out, plus another one which doesn't seem popular in some Asian supermarkets.Anyway, thanks for reading!! ^^
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I really like both of these flavours and its such a pity that you don't like them, but I guess to each their own!Just want to point out that tonkotsu is a broth made from pork marrow, different from tonkatsu which is fried pork cutlet. The ton is referring to their pork origins but I understand your confusion.For the black garlic oil flavour I really do think you're suppose to add the oil to the bowl! You will get a really nice looking contrast between the droplets of black oil and the yellowish broth… which cannot be seen in your photos! XDPersonally though I never drink the broth from cooking the noodles. I will boil excess water and make a broth with the powder and oil before cooking the noodles. Makes me feel healthier! XD
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The noodles look kinda overcooked in your pictures, I really enjoyed the black garlic one and they were very springy and nice
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Find the soup base a little too salty compared to the normal tonkotsu flavour… Looking up ~kotsu at the time (pre-Japanese classes) was confusing at the time. ~kotsu 骨 means bone (marrow)…Plus I think I made a repost of this to show the black oil part. :p
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LOL!! I think I wasn't watching when I cooked them…
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