MAMA Tom Yum Shrimp Flavour Oriental Style Instant Noodles

Made by:  Thai President Foods (Thailand)
Tools Required:  Hot Water, Bowl, Spoon & Chopsticks
Snack Size (280 calories per package)
Rating:  :D

(available online through Amazon.com)

Time for another noodle review!  I needed a noodle fix today.  Today's random draw is a package of Tom Yum flavor noodles from Thailand's MAMA brand.  The actual printing on the package is "Oriental Style Instant Noodles Shrimp Flavor (TOM YUM)," but I decided to rearrange the name in the post header so it makes a little more sense.  Call it artistic liberties.

The size of the package is a bit small by American standards; this might be a Thai thing as most of MAMA's products are 200-300 calorie portions, as are the Snapdragon bowls which were also from Thailand.  I decided to pad it out to a lunch size by also having some steamed gyoza; I realize I am mixing cultures, but I don't often worry much about authenticity when it comes to instant noodles.  Opening the package, we find the noodle block along with three sachets of seasonings--a plastic packet that has a dark reddish paste in it, and a foil double-packet with chili powder in one side and a mixture of dried green onions and light pink powder in the other.  The noodles are a nice golden brown color, instead of the nearly-white color we usually see.  The package directions call for a hot water preparation; we put the noodles and seasonings into a bowl, pour in 1-1/2 cups of boiling water, and cover for three minutes.

MAMA's noodles have a bit of a different flavor and texture than usual; they are quite firm and seem to have an interesting wheat flavor to them.  I rather like them!  The broth has a nice spicy-and-tart flavor and aroma too.  I haven't experienced a "real" Tom Yum soup before, so I can't say anything about the authenticity of the flavor, but it is quite nice.  It is decently spicy, but in a different way than I am used to; it is more along the lines of a hot-and-sour instead of just chili-pepper heat.

All in all, I enjoyed this packet of noodles very much, though I do wish it were perhaps a bit larger.  [I understand that MAMA products can occasionally be found in a "jumbo" packet; I will update with the calorie info for that size if I run across one.]  Combine that with the very inexpensive price point, and these easily earn their happy face. :D