Got a knock late in the day yesterday and a DHL guy saying he had a package for me.

Here’s the new Otentiq Cheezy Curry! I liked their Cheezy Mushroom a lot, and being a curryphile, I’ve been very curious about this one!

These look really neat! I’ll be trying this stuff very soon!

They emailed asking if there was anything else they could send. The Ramen Rater logo is on their E-Zee Curry now and I asked if I could have some of the unused packaging. These are the 5 pack bags. The top is sealed, so I imagine a machine opens the bottom, slides in 5 packs and then seals it somehow.

They also sent a roll of the bags for the individual packs. Thanks! Can’t wait to try the new Otentiq Cheezy Curry!

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I got a message from someone in Sarawak a couple months ago about Lee Fah Mee Sarawak White Laksa. They sent some home to the Us with a friend and that friend shipped some to me! Thanks! It’s kind of funny; I’ve been curious about Sarawak’s instant noodle offerings for a long time – and then in the last couple of months I start getting some to try. This sounds really interesting – White Laksa! Let’s crack open the package and see what’s inside Lee Fah Mee Sarawak White Laksa!

Here’s the back of the package (click image to enlarge). Looks to be meat free but check for yourself. To prepare, add noodle block to 400ml boiling water and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add in contents of sachets and stir well. Enjoy!

The noodle block.

The dry soup base powder sachet.

Nice color and bright, spicy scent.

I think one of the best additions to a laksa or curry is coconut powder.

It has a very lovely coconut scent and works so well as a thickener as well as add natural flavor.

The laksa paste sachet.

Has a very nice laksa scent – strong tamarind notes detected.

Finished (click image to enlarge). Added mung bean sprouts, white onion, shrimp, hard boiled egg and coriander. The noodles have a decent chew and gauge – round and plentiful. The broth has some nice aspects. First, a warm and spicy feel to it. Next, the coconut powder did give it a nice creaminess. Good stuff! 4.0 out of 5.0 stars.  EAN bar code 9556256012461.

Flavors of Malaysia: A Journey Through Time, Tastes, and Traditions (Hippocrene Cookbook Library) (from Amazon): A land of colorful temples, bustling markets, golden beaches, and glorious sunsets, Malaysia’s exquisite natural beauty is surpassed only by its luscious cuisine. This book celebrates the best of the Malaysian table: sizzling satays, flavorful stir-fries, fragrant rice and noodle dishes, aromatic curries, and Malaysia’s signature hot and spicy condiments, the delectable sambals. For centuries Malaysia was a major centre of the spice trade in Southeast Asia. As seafarers, traders, and immigrant workers from many countries intermarried with locals, new culinary traditions emerged. Over time, Malay, Chinese, Indian, Thai, Indonesian and Arab, as well as Dutch, Portuguese, and British influences blended beautifully to create the melange of cultures and intensely vibrant flavours that is Malaysian cuisine today. Susheela Raghavan serves up treasured recipes, touching family stories, and fascinating notes about the origins of Malaysian food in this lovingly compiled collection. It features: over 150 authentic, easy-to-follow recipes; 16-page color photo insert; detailed introduction to Malaysian history and its culinary origins; and, a guide to Malaysian ingredients and cooking techniques.

A visit to a cafe in Sarawak to try some Laksa!

The post #1717: Lee Fah Mee Sarawak White Laksa Instant Noodle appeared first on The Ramen Rater.

I’m always searching around the Internet and checking up on different instant noodle companies to see if they’ve got something new coming to the market! I saw that Mamee Chef has just released this new Lontong Flavour variety and asked if I could get some samples – and I did!  So, what’s this Lontong all about? Here’s what the nice folks at Mamee Chef had to say about it:

Lontong is a popular dish among Malays, made of compressed rice cake wrapped inside a banana leaf found in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. It is commonly called nasi himpit (“pressed rice”) that goes with a coconut based soup. The dish is more like a vegetable stew with chopped cabbage, turnip and carrots. It is one of the Muslims’ favourite traditional Raya dish that comes with a variety of cooking style namely Lontong Johor, Lontong Lodeh, Lontong Sotong and so forth. The overall taste of lontong is bland and neutral, it depends on other ingredients to give taste through spices and sauces. They include things such as fried tempeh, fried tofu, boiled eggs, dried cuttlefish sambal, fried spicy shredded coconut (serunding kelapa), fried chicken etc.

The highlight of the product is Dato’ Chef Ismail’s Lontong paste that makes our Lontong has the authentic flavor, which makes Mamee Chef Lontong as close to the real dish as possible. I have attached the press release for your better understanding on Mamee Chef Lontong. Hope you enjoy the Mamee Chef Lontong as much as we do!

Definitely sounds interesting! Let’s open this cup of the new Mamee Chef Lontong Flavour!

Here’s detail of the side panels (click image to enlarge). Contains prawn. To prepare, empty sachets into cup and add 350ml boiling water. Cover and let steep for 3 minutes. Stir and enjoy!

Detail of the lid (click image to enlarge).

An included fork!

The noodle block.

A dry sachet.

Soup base powder and garnish in one.

A sachet of non dairy creamer.

A very light powder.

The paste sachet.

This one smells absolutely wonderful!

Finished (click image to enlarge). Added fried tofu, shrimp, Chinese long bean, white onion, mung bean sprouts and hard boiled egg. The noodles came out exceptionally well and perfectly hydrated. The gauge was good and had a decent chew to them. The broth is first off a lot of fun to look at; the red and cream colors are really good looking. The broth has a creamy and spicy taste with lots of nice pieces of pepper ring floating in it. This was top notch stuff – 5.0 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 9555022304748.

Authentic Recipes from Malaysia (from Amazon) Authentic Recipes from Malaysia presents over 62 easy-to-follow recipes with detailed descriptions of Malaysian cooking methods and ingredients, enabling you to reproduce the exotic flavors of Malaysia in your own kitchen.

A video from The Rakyat Post of a recent press conference featuring Mamee Chef Lontong Flavour.

The post #1720: Mamee Chef Lontong Flavour appeared first on The Ramen Rater.

Recently, I reviewed the new CarJEN Otentiq Cheezy Mushroom variety and really liked it. This one is the curry variety – I love curry as anyone who sees my top ten lists can realize rather quickly. What’s neat is that I don’t think I’ve seen cheese curry in an instant before, however I have had cheese curry in an Indian restaurant. Well, let’s see what we have here – it certainly looks nice!

Here’s the back of the package (click image to enlarge). Looks to be meat free but check for yourself. To prepare, add noodle block to 400ml boiling water and cook for 2 minutes. Add in curry powder and cheese powder sachet contents and stir evenly. Add in chilli flakes and enjoy!

The noodle block.

The soup base sachet.

Has a strong curry scent.

The cheese powder sachet.

Very cheesy!

The chilli flakes sachet.

Looks spicy!

Finished (click image to enlarge). Added hard boiled egg, shrimp, Swiss cheese, Chinese long bean, tau pok and white onion. The noodles hydrated very well and had a genuinely enjoyable gauge and mouthfeel. The broth was very rich – strong curry flavor with an underlying cheese taste. The chilli flake was a nice addition and gave an extra kick. 4.5 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 9557226083047.

Florence Tan Best Nyonya Recipes – (from Amazon) – Nyonya dishes with its piquant, spicy, savoury and sweet flavours are now within easy reach with this collection from veteran Nyonya chef, Florence Tan. Learn how to cook perennial favourites like PineapplePatchree, Chicken Rumpah, and Pang Susi, a dessert of savoury meat encased in sweet pastry. The elaborate preparation of Nyonya cuisine is clearly explained, from the seasoning and spicy paste to basics like food colouring and coconut milk, allowing you to appreciate the many layers and flavours of Nyonya fare. With easy-to-follow instructions and careful details, Florence Tan makes it a breeze to reproduce the best meals from her collection of Straits Chinese recipes.

This is pretty good – Gordon Ramsey get some guys to start cooking Malaysia curry and badmouths the crap they had in their fridge previously. I tend to do this to a lot of my friends. Usually, I’ll get a lift to the Asian market and then give them a tour of what to buy to make something truly delicious and well-rounded. Would be nice to get a visit from Chef Ramsey though…

The post #1722: CarJEN Otentiq Cheezy Curry Instant Noodles appeared first on The Ramen Rater.

MyOri hit the #1 spot on my inaugural Top Ten Rice Noodles Of All Time list and they sent me some more samples!

Thank you very much! What you can see here are their Original and extra spicy White Curries as well as their amazing Green Curry Vermicelli. What you can’t see here is what’s underneath them. Well, you can a little in the upper right corner. See the little bit of silver? Prototypes! Ooh! I don’t generally review prototypes; I like people to be able to see my review then go to the store and try them themselves. Soon as they have a nice covering and are on the market, you’ll get to see what I think of them!

They also sent me one of these new posters! Pretty excited to be on them – never had my picture on anything like this before, so it’s really quite an honor. Thanks to all the nice folks at MyOri!

The post A Special Surprise From MyOri appeared first on The Ramen Rater.

What do corn dogs, sandwiches, burritos and instant noodle cups have in common? They’re all portable. People can’t seem to stay in one spot for very long; they want to carry their meals with them as they move about. Since the inception of the instant noodle cup in the early 70’s when Momofuku Ando saw people using coffee cups and hot water to steep their instant noodles and brought this concept to market, the noodle cup has become a ubiquitous icon in the daily lives of billions. Today, I present the best of the instant noodle cups I’ve tried in my over 1,700 instant noodle reviews. With that, please enjoy The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodle Cups Of All Time 2015 Edition.

#10: GaGa Mi Instan Cup Milk Chicken Soup – Indonesia

The noodles are thin and light – they hydrated perfectly and have a gentle chew. The broth is fantastic – it’s a creamy flavor full of chicken goodness, some onion hints, and a slight spiciness. Original review here

#9: Mama Instant Noodles Coconut Milk Flavour – Myanmar

This was my first ever review of a product from Myanmar. The noodles have a lightness to them which paired perfectly for this broth. Coconut flavor abounds with a richness and flavor that’s not overbearing or too sweet. It’s creamy and with just the right oiliness. Original review here

#8: Mamee Chef Creamy Tom Yam Flavour – Malaysia

The noodles are just right – nicely cooked and gorged on the broth. The broth is the real star in this one – nice and strong citrus and spicy flavors abound and it has such a nice color to it. The garnish of vegetables and shrimp come out very nicely – the veggies are excellent as is the shrimp. Truly an excellent cup of noodles. Original review here

#7: Eat & Go Rendang Beef Flavour Fried Instant Noodle – Indonesia

The noodles come out nice after steeping. They have a standard gauge and good cgewiness. The flavor is great – sweet. spicy and beefy! Excellent stuff – and if it wasn’t good enough already, the garnish adds a really good finish to things. This was a real treat to enjoy. Original review here

#6: Nongshim Shin Black Spicy Pot-au-feu Flavor Premium Noodle Soup – United States

First, Nongshim made Shin Ramyun which is still incredibly popular. Then they upgraded and came out with Shin Ramyun Black. Finally, Shin Black has made it into a cup – and it’s really good! Rich beef flavor and real beef along with thick ramyun noodles. Premium stuff! Original review here

#5: Mama Cup Yentafo Tom Yum Mohfai – Thailand

The noodles have the standard wonderful gauge and chew of the noodles that are in Mama cups. They have a nice texture and flavor to them. The broth is great – a nice color, spiciness and flavor that is a little sweet and very unique. Original review here

#4: Mamee Mie Goreng Indonesia Spicy Sambal Flavour – Malaysia

The noodles came out so nicely – they have a great character of chew and whilst not in a broth, they’re not dry after being drained. The flavor is wonderful – spicy and tasty with that sweet-hot kick I love about mie goreng. The crunchy bits rounds everything out soundly. Original review here

#3: Mamee Chef Lontong Flavour – Malaysia

The broth is first off a lot of fun to look at; the red and cream colors are really good looking. The broth has a creamy and spicy taste with lots of nice pieces of red pepper, and as always the ‘mi tarik’ noodles were just right. Very new and unique. Original review here

#2: Mama Instant Cup Noodles Seafood Pad Kee Mao Flavour – Thailand

The flavor is really quite good and can be summed as kind of a sweet seafood taste with a great bite of spiciness – and then this lingering flavor from the holy basil. It’s got a really different flavor I wish was present more often in instant noodle varieties. Original review here

#1: Mamee Chef Curry Laksa Flavour – Malaysia

There are some flavors erupting from Malaysia that are just fantastic and this instant noodle cup exudes them like a rock star. The noodles came out excellent – pretty much identical to the packaged version. The broth and garnish as well were great – rich curry flavor and premium garnishes including little tofu puff bits and pepper. I can definitely say this is the best instant cup I’ve ever had. This is the second year in a row Mamee Chef Curry Laksa has held the top spot.  Original review here

The post The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodle Cups Of All Time 2015 Edition appeared first on The Ramen Rater.

Here’s yet another I got last year at the Econsave in Butterowrth, Penang, Malaysia! I’d seen this Super brand before and had always wondered if I’d ever get some. Took travelling thousands of miles, but I got some! Let’s have a look at this Malaysian cup.

Detail of the side panels (click image to enlarge). Looks to be meat free but check for yourself.

.

To prepare, add sachet contents to cup and add 326ml boiling water to fill line (talk about exact measurements). Cover and let steep for 3 minutes. Stir and enjoy!

An included fork!

The noodle block.

The soup base sachet.

Has a light seafood scent.

Finished (click image to enlarge). Added mung bean sprouts, kamaboko, shrimp, fish ball, white onion and coriander. The noodles were interesting; they hydrated very well and had a very light and soft texture – but not mushy. The broth was light and buttery – maybe a slight shrimp flavor. 3.25 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 8888240100153.

Authentic Recipes from Malaysia: [Malaysian Cookbook

We took the ferry from Penang to Butterworth. This video is going the opposite way – from Butterworth to Penang!

The post #1732: Super Seafood Flavour Noodles appeared first on The Ramen Rater.

The last time I got samples from Mamee Doubledecker, they sent quite a few things along. They sent two of these ten packs of Mamee Monster as well! This is a new flavor – Pedas. Pefas means spicy! Let’s have a look at this one – and look – there’s a prize inside!

Here’s the back of the ten pack bag (click image to enlarge). Looks to be meat free but check for yourself. To prepare, take a pack and crush it while closed. Open and sprinkle one of the sopplied seasoning sachets into the pack. Close and shake it up. Enjoy!

One of the individual packs.

The noodle block.

A little seasoning sachet.

A small amount of powder for the little packs.

They sent two of the ten packs, so I got two different dinosaurs!

The front and back of the card. It says you can put the dinosaur in water and it’ll grow really big after a few days!

I’m thinking a Stegosaurus on the left and a Brontosaurus on the right? Not sure – been a while since I was a kid though…

After a full week in water, they got pretty big! Indeed, it was fun to have a look at their growth every day – 5 stars for fun!

Finished (click image to enlarge). Added almonds, mango, banana chips and peanuts. I really like the crunch of the noodles; they seem a little different than the other Mamee Monster varieties; they’re really crispy, but maybe have a little more give to them. They have a nice spicy flavor to them which was great and a little bit of sweetness and more spiciness from the seasoning. As far as a snack goes, this gets 5.0 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 9555022304786.

Mamee Monster Noodle Snack (Chicken Flavor / 10-ct) – 10.58oz

A Mamee Monster TV commercial showing a different little bonus that came in the 10 packs.

The post #1736: Mamee Monster Snek Mi Perisa Pedas appeared first on The Ramen Rater.

As many might know, I started The Ramen Rater (click to see the old site) in 2002 and did about 60 reviews. Then, I turned my attention to spicy hot sauces with The Sauce Rater. In 2010, I resumed my instant noodle reviewing. I’ve long been a fan of the spicy side of things – strong heat and good flavor are a couple of my favorite things. Let’s have a look at the absolutely hottest varieties I’ve found in my over 1,700 reviews of instant noodles from around the world in this year’s The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Spiciest Instant Noodles Of All Time 2015 Edition.

#10: Wugudaochang Sichuan Pepper & Chicken Flavor – China

The Sichuan pepper was something relatively new to me until I really got a mouthful of them in this variety. It kind of reminds me of the way a hot pepper acts, but then when you inhale, it has a kind of cooling kind of sensation like mint; hard to explain but definitely something different. This one came with a peanut and pepper garnish and the noodles had a very nice gauge and texture. Original review here

#9: Nongshim Jinjja Jinjja – South Korea

While still not available in the United States, Jinjja Jinjja is back in South Korea! This one packs a serious punch of heat along with pork, peanut and black sesame seeds. Original review here

#8: JML Emperor Instant Noodles Spicy Chicken – China

I wasn’t expecting this one to be extremely spicy at the outset and then was in for a ride. Very very hot – augmented with a large sachet of coarse chilli peppers. Original review here

#7: emart Dare You! Habanero Jjamppong – South Korea

Extreme heat is paired with nice bit of seafood broth and lots of bits of seafood. All the fire and flavor melded together with thick ramyun noodles make it hot as well as delicious. This one comes in at 1,960 SHU (Scoville Heat Units). Original review here

#6: MyKuali Penang White Curry Noodle – Malaysia

MyKuali’s new recipe added a big punch of heat to their already amazing and groundbreaking Penang White Curry Noodle. Thick almost saucelike broth fires up the palate and includes a generous amount of garlic this time. Original review here

#5: Ching’s Secret Hot Garlic Instant Noodles – India

When I found this one at a local Indian market, I was very enthused. I thought to myself ‘hey, I like garlic!’ I kind of expected a salty, buttery and almost fettucini kind of thing. But no – this innocuous looking plate of noodles was violently spicy! Super hot garlic spiciness just builds and builds! Original review here

#4: Paldo Teumsae Ramyun – South Korea

On the list for four years now! Another South Korean ramyun with serious kick to it. This isn’t to be trifled with!  Teumsae has restaurants in South Korea which serve up some seriously spicy fare. I really like the text underneath the word Teumsae which reads, ‘Flavor. Culture. Human’ Original review here

#3: Samyang Foods Buldak Bokkeummyeon – South Korea

I would say that I’ve seen dozens of videos on YouTube showing people competitively eating this one. This stuff is extremely hot. Another brothless variety and it really packs a punch as well as has a nice taste to it. Thick ramyun noodles round everything out nicely and will transmit the spicy sauce to your tongue. Original review here

#2: Paldo Bulnak Bokkummyun Spicy Fried Octopus Ramyun – South Korea

See that little octopus on the package with the smile on his face? He’s laughing. Laughing as he watches you sweat as you eat this ultra spicy ramyun! I’m not kidding this one was over the top spicy! Bring a fire extinguisher. Original review here

#1: emart Dare You! Habanero Ramyun – South Korea

For the fourth year running, this stuff tops the list. Despite a packaging design change, you should still heed the warnings; habanero pepper top right corner, temperature gauge and screaming person, black packaging… Yeah – it’s not one to underestimate; this is violently hot. The broth just keeps delivering the heat and it’s just insane. Try licking a lit candle – I swear this stuff is hotter! Original review here

The post The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Spiciest Instant Noodles Of All Time 2015 Edition appeared first on The Ramen Rater.

I got this during my annual trip up to Canada for my birthday! A while back, I reviewed the soup version of this one. I’ve seen numerous soup varieties of Penang White Curry , but this time it’s a Stir-Fry version. Sounds interesting and different – let’s give it a look!

Detail of the back of the package (click image to enlarge). Looks to be meat free but check for yourself. To prepare, boil noodles in 450ml water for 2 minutes. Add in sachet contents and stir well. Enjoy!

The noodle block.

The dry seasoning base.

A very light powder – so light that when it opened a little poofed up into my nose.

The paste sachet.

A thick paste – smells good!

Finished (click image to enlarge). Added shrimp, tau pok, white onion, coriander and mung bean sprouts. The noodles came out nice and thick and chewy which I liked a lot. The flavor was pretty good. The curry paste was thick and sticky and tough to get all over after draining though and the powder seasoning added a little too much saltiness I think. But it worked prettywell. Always nice to see a new spin on a neo-classic. 4.5 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 9556466211111.

Penang Heritage Food: Yesterday’s Recipes for Today’s Cook

A video of curry noodles in Malaysia

The post #1742: Aroi Curry Me! Penang White Curry Stir-Fry Noodle appeared first on The Ramen Rater.

Got this one at the Econsave in Butterworth, Penang, Malaysia last year. Curry noodles! Let’s check ’em out!

Here’s the back of the package (click image to enlarge). Contains chiciken. To prepare, add noodle block to 400ml boiling water and cook for 3 minutes. Add in contents of sachet. Stir and enjoy!

The noodle block.

The soup base sachet.

Has a nice curry scent.

Finished (click image to enlarge). Added tau pok, fish ball, coriander, white onion and mung bean sprouts. The noodles are great – fat, chewy and very sumptuous. The broth was thin and a much lighter curry flavor than I expected. 3.5 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 9556354000438.

I must say that travelling to Malaysia was one of the highlights in my life. Here’s a Lone Planet guide to KL, Melaka and PG!

A Vit’s TV commercial.

The post #1747: Vit’s Curry Instant Noodles appeared first on The Ramen Rater.

Been a couple weeks it seems since I got any packages in the mail – but today I got a nice box from MyKuali! Let’s see what’s inside!

Looks like some new stuff!

They changed the labeling quite a bit!

The first rice vermicelli from MyKuali. Very curious how it is! Also, it’s their first bowl variety.

Here’s the Hokkien Prawn but relabeled as Spicy Prawn.

The #1 on my top ten list this year!

Finally, the one I’ve really been excited to try for a while now – MyKuali’s mee goreng pedas. This one should be getting a review very soon – sounds very interesting! Thanks to everyone at MyKuali for sending these!

The post New Product Samples From MyKuali appeared first on The Ramen Rater.

I’m always in a quandry when it comes to duck and here’s why: it’s tough to find duck around here. I mean, why can’t we just go to the grocery store and get a couple slices of cooked duck at the deli counter? Chicken? Sure, no prolem. Turkey, pork, beef? Again, no problem. So on this one, I unfortunately have no duck to go with it, which is unfortunate – I really like duck! Well, let’s check out this one from Malaysia!

Here’s the back of the package (click image to enlarge). Looks to be meat free but check for yourself. To prepare, add noodle to 450ml boiling water and cook for 3 minutes. Add in sachet contents and stir. Enjoy!

The noodle block.

The soup base sachet.

Has that nice spiced duck scent.

Finished (click image to enlarge). Added white onion and thin sliced pepper. The noodles came out great – good gauge and chew just like I like ’em. The broth has a flavor that I found leaned more towards curry than duck, however I could see putting some duck in this would be wonderful. 3.5 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 9556354000520.

I must say that travelling to Malaysia was one of the highlights in my life. Here’s a Lone Planet guide to KL, Melaka and PG!

A Vit’s TV advertisement.

The post #1758: Vit’s Duck Instant Noodles appeared first on The Ramen Rater.

When I visited Malaysia last October, I was asked by a newspaper reported when I thought a Malaysian top ten list might come out. I figured once I got to around 70 reviews I could probably put something together. As of today, I’ve reviewed 100 different varieties from Malaysia. What’s more, I am releasing this top ten list on Malaysia’s Independence Day! Hari Merdeka! Happy Birthday, Malaysia! I hope everyone enjoys this list, in my opinion the best of the best instant varieties Malaysia has to offer that I’ve tried yet.

#10: Ibumie Penang White CurryMee

Ibumie is a very popular brand in Malaysia. What I like about their CurryMee is that it covers all the bases: spicy, rich and flavorful curry. The levels of these prerequisite are such however that it’s accessible to most – not too spicy or strong. A good one to introduce people to Malaysian instant noodle flavor. Original review

#9: Ah Lai Penang Favourite White Curry Bihun

I found that the bihun version of Ah Lai’s White Curry was very enjoyable; the noodles come out just right and dance with the curry broth playfully. Balanced just right. Original review

#8: Mamee Chef Curry Laksa

Mamee Chef’s noodles use ‘mi tarik’ technology to emulate hand pulled noodles. Coupling that with a rich and tasty curry broth and garnish including tau pok, this is definitely one of my all time favorites. Original review

#7: The Bridge Penang White Curry Noodle

A noodle with excellent texture and chew along with a beautifully lustrous broth with strong flavor. Makes me wish I could’ve gotten more from Malaysia to bring home! Original review

#6: MyKuali Penang Hokkien Prawn Noodle

Hokkien Mee is a wonderfully unique flavor of Penang and is extremely well represented here. The broth is sweet and has a deep flavor of prawn as well as a spiciness. The provided fried onions are the best I’ve ever found in an instant noodle. Original review

#5: Mamee Chef Gold Recipe Mi Kari Seribu Rasa

This variety has it all – great noodles, a deep and beautiful color, and finally a flavor that makes me think of the exotic. Lots of cumin and other spices comer together here masterfully. Original review

#4: CarJEN Nyonya Curry Laksa

I’ve seen a lot of noodle packages but I must say this is by far the sexiest. What’s nice is that what’s inside is equally as awesome – a very tasty curry is augmented with coconut powder and a dipping sauce with nice bits of shrimp. Original review

#3: MyOri Malaysia Penang Green Curry Rice Vermicelli

This is something new I tried in the last few months that’s just left me speechless. The green curry broth is thick and so flavorful; perfect spiciness and perfect taste. What’s more, it pairs with rice vermicelli in a stunning way. Luxuriant and innovative. Original review

#2: MyKuali Penang White Curry Noodle

This is the variety and flavor that grabbed me and set my palate on Malaysia. The richness, thickness and strength of this broth is mind-blowing. The noodles are engorged on it and have a hearty gauge and chew. A real game changer. Original review

#1: MyKuali Penang Red Tom Yum Goong Noodle

This one takes the cake. It has such an authentic flavor; as soon as I tried it, I was whisked back to Langkawi – the thickness of this tom yum is amazing, as is its’ sweetness and spiciness. I half expect to find a stalk of lemongrass in the bowl. Original review

As always, if you know of a variety I should try, check THE BIG LIST to see if I already have, and if I haven’t, contact me! Hari Merdeka, Malaysia!

The post The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Malaysian Instant Noodles Of All Time 2015 Edition appeared first on The Ramen Rater.

Close to 50 reviews ago I checked out Mamee Chef’s Longtong Flavour cup version and today I thought it was a good time to try their pack version. I would say that generally, I like packs better than cups. To me, a noodle that’s boiled for a little while tastes better than steeped. Of course there are exception out there, but it generally seems that way.Today is the first review since my wife and I got back from the hospital when my son was born. I uusally am quite a few reviews ahead of the game.

He’s about exactly 3 days old in this picture I just took. I’m amazed how powerful this little guy we named Miles is; seven and a half pounds of amazingness. Yeah, I think I could go on about Miles about as much as I could go on about noodles, except when I talk about him I just keep saying the words ‘cute’ and ‘perfect’ and ‘amazing’ alot. Anyways, he’s all of those things! Back to the lontong!

So I was kind of surprised that Wikipedia was a little short on info about lontong so I want to share how it’s described by Mamee Chef:

Lontong is a popular dish among Malays, made of compressed rice cake wrapped inside a banana leaf found in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. It is commonly called nasi himpit (“pressed rice”) that goes with a coconut based soup. The dish is more like a vegetable stew with chopped cabbage, turnip and carrots. It is one of the Muslims’ favourite traditional Raya dish that comes with a variety of cooking style namely Lontong Johor, Lontong Lodeh, Lontong Sotong and so forth. The overall taste of lontong is bland and neutral, it depends on other ingredients to give taste through spices and sauces. They include things such as fried tempeh, fried tofu, boiled eggs, dried cuttlefish sambal, fried spicy shredded coconut (serunding kelapa), fried chicken etc.

The highlight of the product is Dato’ Chef Ismail’s Lontong paste that makes our Lontong has the authentic flavor, which makes Mamee Chef Lontong as close to the real dish as possible. I have attached the press release for your better understanding on Mamee Chef Lontong. Hope you enjoy the Mamee Chef Lontong as much as we do!

Let’s have a look!

Here’s the back of the package (click image to enlarge). Contains crustacean. To prepare, add noodle block to 400ml boiling water and cook 3 minutes. Add in contents of sachets and stir well. Enjoy!

The noodle block.

The dry seasoning sachet.

A light powder with bits in there.

A non dairy creamer sachet.

A superfine powder.

The paste sachet.

Has a nice scent.

Finished (click image to enlarge). Added Fresno chilli peppers, coriander, mung bean sprouts, Dodo shrimp and fish balls and white onion. The noodles have that great Mamee Cheff texture to them – rounded and a good chew. The broth is really fascinating; has a nice heat that starts at the front of your mouth and then creeps back slowly to your throat and hangs out there. It’s got a nice creamy complexion and a strong flavor. What’s also neat are the tiny little cili padi rings that abound. 5.0 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 9555022304731.

Authentic Recipes from Malaysia (from Amazon) Authentic Recipes from Malaysiapresents over 62 easy-to-follow recipes with detailed descriptions of Malaysian cooking methods and ingredients, enabling you to reproduce the exotic flavors of Malaysia in your own kitchen.

A Mamee Chef press announcement about the new Mamee Chef Lontong.

The post #1769: Mamee Chef Lontong Flavour appeared first on The Ramen Rater.

Recently, I got a box from MyKuali with a lot of products I’d reviewed before with new packaging as well as a couple of completely brand new products. This is one of the totally new ones, MyKuali’s first bowl offering. It’s also their first rice vermicelli (also known as bihun) variety. Let’s pop open a bowl and look inside!

Detail of the side panels (click image to enlarge). Contains shrimp. To prepare, add contents of paste and seasoning sachets and 400ml boiling water. Cover and steep for 4 minutes. Stir and add fried onion. Enjoy!

Detail of the lid (click image to enlarge).

An included fork – and spoon!

The bihun block.

The dry seasoning base.

Has a strong prawn scent.

The paste sachet.

Has a bright scent.

The garnish sachet.

Fried onion!

Finished (click image to enlarge). Added shrimp, pork, squid, mung bean sprouts, egg and spring onion. The bihun did great – as always, I use a pair of kitchen scissors to shorten the noodles or I’ll get broth all over my shirt. The bihun as I said hydrated really well for something steeped. The broth is mind blowing. If you like a thick and serious onslaught of prawny sweetness and heat, this is absolutely for you. It’s so rich and strong and tasty! To top it all off, fried onion bits that are the best I’ve ever had in any instant product – other than the wheat noodle package version of this product. Amazing. 5.0 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 9555655005340.

MyKuali Penang Hokkien Prawn Noodle (4 Packs)

A street vendor in Penang making Hokkien Prawn Mee.

The post #1781: MyKuali Penang Hokkien Prawn Soup Rice Vermicelli (Bihun) appeared first on The Ramen Rater.

One of the last ones I got during my trip to Penang, Malaysia last year to visit the folks at MyKuali. This is from a store called Econsave. I had seen this Super brand before but was always curious if I’d end up with any of them; very elusive. Let’s check out the pepper crab mi goreng!

Our power was out for just over an hour earlier – A nice change for some family time.

Detail of the side panels (click image to enlarge). Contains crabstick. To prepare, add crabstick into cup and add boiling water. Cover at steep 3 minutes. Drain. Add in remaining sachets and stir well. Enjoy!

Detail of the lid (click image to enlarge).

An included fork!

The noodle block.

A dry seasoning sachet.

Has a crab and pepper scent.

A dark liquid sachet.

Dark soy sauce.

A liquid sachet.

Shallot oil.

What do we have here?

Yup – crabstick!

Finished (click image to enlarge). Added crab claw shaped fishcake, coriander, Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts and white onion. The noodles came out very soft – very light in texture. The black pepper flavor was definitely there in this one, as were elements common to mee goreng like the sweet soy flavor and nice oiliness. The small pieces of crabstick hydrated nicely and worked well. 3.5 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 8888240110220.

Authentic Recipes from Malaysia: [Malaysian Cookbook

A very old film of Penang from 1932 – a lot has changed!

The post #1785: Super Instant Noodles Black Pepper Crab Mi Goreng appeared first on The Ramen Rater.

Another I picked up in Butterworth, Penang during my Malaysia trip last year. That Econsave was really great – so many varieties! Trying to run through them before they expire! Not this one’s a little interesting – you might say the logo kind of looks familiar… Well, it’s made in Thailand for the Malaysian market by President Rice Products. They make all of the MAMA branded rice vermicelli – and in Malaysia their products go under the name PAMA. Simple really. Anyways, let’s check this one out!

Here’s the back of the package (click image to enlarge). Looks to be meat free but check for yourself. To prepare add noodles to 350ml boiling water and simmer 2 minutes. Add in sachet contents. Stir and enjoy!

The noodle block.

A dual sachet of soup base and chilli powder.

The chilli powder atop the soup base powder.

A garlic oil sachet.

Has a nice garlic scent.

Finished (click image to enlarge). Added white onion, coriander, lime, egg, Chinese sausage and cili padi from Dwayne B. The rice noodle comes out very very good – good gauge and soft. Used kitchen scissors as usual to shorten their length during the cooking process. The broth has a nice taste to it – garlic and just plain tasty; kind of a springboard in which other ingredients go so well. This is a good one. 4.0 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 9557128101610.

6 Packages Mama Yentafo Instant Rice Vermicelli (Instant Noodles)

A little something about Pama noodles.

The post #1787: Pama Kua Teaw Segera appeared first on The Ramen Rater.

Another one from last year’s Malaysia trip. Turns out I still have a few more I haven’t gotten to so it’s time to run through them before they expire. Curry. Malaysia. Super. Let’s check it out.

Here’s the back of the package (click image to enlarge). Looks to be meat free but check for yourself. To prepare, add in the contents of the sachet and add 326ml boiling water. Re-cover and let steep 3 minutes. Stir and enjoy!

Detail of the lid (click image to enlarge).

An included fork!

The noodle block.

The soup base sachet.

Has a strong curry scent.

Finished (click image to enlarge) Added Dodo fishballs, coriander, Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, white onion and tau pok. The noodles hydrated pretty well but could have done a little better. The broth was full of curry taste, but so watery and thin that it just made me feel that less water would be a little better, even if it ended up much saltier. 3.0 out of 5.0 stars.. EAN bar code 8888240100320.

Curry: A Tale of Cooks and Conquerors

Gordon Ramsay shows some lazy punks how to make Malaysian curry instead of getting takeout food.

The post #1788: Super Curry Flavour Noodles appeared first on The Ramen Rater.

The onslaught of Malaysian varieties continues! This is yet another I got on last year’s trip to Penang, Malaysia. If you’re wondering what Ayam Cendawan means, basically it’s chicken mushroom. My wife Kit really likes mushrooms, so I thought I’d make this one for her today. Let’s check it out!

Here’s the back of the package (click image to enlarge). Contains seafood. To prepare, add noodles to 360ml boiling water (note – the amount of time isn’t listed so I’ll do the standard 3 minutes. Add in contents of sachet. Stir and enjoy!

The baggage gandlers were pretty mean to this one!

The soup base sachet.

Indeed has a kind of chicken and mushroom scent.

Finished (click image to enlarge). Added bard boiled egg and baked chicken. The noodles came out pretty well – standard gauge and chew to them. The broth is pretty good too – has a definite salty chicken flavor but with a mild mushroom flavor. Not overwhelming; just right. 3.5 out of 5.0 stars. UPC bar code 025296913056.

Cintan Curry Noodles (10 Packs)

A Cintan TV commercial.

The post #1789: Cintan Mi Segera Mmm… Perisa Ayam Cendawan appeared first on The Ramen Rater.