Which is the best Instant Noodles

As an Asian we grew up with 2 minute noodle packets in our pantry, it just our quick and simple solution to fix a hungry stomach but have you tried other different noodles apart from the usual packet you buy?

As an Asian we grew up with 2 minute noodle packets in our pantry, it just our quick and simple solution to fix a hungry stomach but have you tried other different noodles apart from the usual packet you buy?

As an Asian we grew up with 2 minute noodle packets in our pantry, it just our quick and simple solution to fix a hungry stomach but have you tried other different noodles apart from the usual packet you buy?

Back in my High School and University days I only knew several brands and I love them, in fact I only eat three of them first was Nissins Ramen Chicken Flavour, Lucky Me Pancit Canton and Lucky Me Batchoy. As a teenager junk food are always the best and there was even one time I got addicted to the Pancit Canton and bought one whole box.

When I started to work I also started to travel and was introduced to this Nissins Ramen in Cups way back in Hong Kong in the 7-11 shops, there were tons on different flavours but I only liked anything that was flavoured with seafood.

As I travel more I got exposed to more brands like the IndoMie and Mamee which was my usual noodle brand back in Malaysia. Now that I am in New Zealand its a different ball game as its a melting pot of different cultures which means there are different brands from all over the world, just go to any Asian shop you will see noodles from China, Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia and Philippines to name some. I tried several of them like the very affordable ones like Maggi and IndoMie, interesting ones like the cheese flavoured ramen, the premium brands and even the exclusive ones as they only sell to people same as their nationality (yes this is actually true).

I guess I have tried a good amount of selection and from there I can let you know which is the best for me, I would not list everything in here but I you want an individual review of the popular ramen brands this guy does it and he reviews it well.

For my verdict I will separate it into two sections the affordable and the premium because theres no point comparing them together. Nongshim Shin Ramyun this is one of my recent favourites, its affordable but not really that cheap like the Maggi and IndoMie which costs less than half the price of Nongshim. I guess for those who loves hot and spicy food this is for you, the noodles is quite different as well compared to the main brands as they are thicker and rounded in shape, they are chewier as well and a bit more resistant to heat and liquid, so even if you leave it in a couple of minutes in the serving bowl it would not be soggy. The taste is savoury spicy with strong flavours of the dried shitake which is good. This noodle for me gets the good value for money award.  Another noodle that falls in this category are the Nissins Ramen Seafood flavour, for me its an all time favourite as I really like its intense seafood flavour.   As for this one I noticed the packet version is better compared to the cup version in terms of noodle texture, the cup version though have these dehydrated seafood like small shrimps and vegetables, they tasted nearly similar though.

Now if you are looking for a bit fancier noodles which means you are ready to pay $4.00 and above for one packet then I have two favourites and this I guess are the best noodle dishes I tried so far. First is the Prima Taste Laksa, from the packet alone you will see how serious this noodle is, its cost somewhere between $4.00 to $5.00 here in New Zealand which is equivalent to Php 140.00 to Php 175.00 (that can buy a really good noodle dish in the Philippines). The packet containers are also packed well and big in size, it is also not to be considered as two minute noodle as the cooking time is 7 minutes. The flavours are amazing as well, it’s creamy, mildly spicy and you can taste and smell those dried shrimps. If you just put some prawns, tofu puffs and some vegetables and serve it to your guests they might think you made it on your own, it was that good, it can pass like the real thing.

For the next one it was this Penang White curry noodle, I never knew this until a colleague of mine introduced this noodle. It is priced as well at a premium, around $4.00 and I heard there was a shortage here in New Zealand as well as I’ve seen several Facebook posts from my friends in Singapore that they have a shortage as well. The packaging does not have that premium feel as well as the packets inside but it does taste amazing and crazily spicy, you can even fell the some rustic characteristics like the same feel you get from proper Penang noodles as its not smooth, you can actually feel the blended spices in the soup.

Now which premium noodle wins, well it’s quite a tie for me as I am torn between two flavours. The Prima Taste Laksa is great for non-Asians as they will love the subtle creamy spicy taste hence I always recommend this to my Kiwi colleagues but if you are Asian I guess you will love the hot and spicy flavours of the Penang White curry noodle like my Indonesian colleagues who go crazy with it.