Sapporo Ichiban Hot & Spicy Chicken

Made By:  Sanyo Foods Corp. of America
Other Stuff Needed:  2c Water, Saucepan & Range
480 calories per package

So after a whole week and four different days of staying home to wait for service calls, I finally have some new appliances!  And of course, the first thing the Ramen Butterfly is going to make on her new cookstove is a package of instant ramen.  I wanted something as ramen-ly as possible to christen the new range, so I picked this new flavor from Sapporo Ichiban to try.

Inside the package, there is the block of noodles and one seasoning packet simply labelled "Soup Base."  The preparation is very standard:  Boil 2 cups of water, add the noodles and cook for 3 minutes, stir in the soup base and serve.  What we end up with is some very typical-looking instant ramen noodles in a pale orange broth that seems a bit cloudier than usual, and an interesting aroma that reminds me of jalapeño peppers.

The noodle texture is on the high end of the American domestic (i.e. soggy) variety--not horrible, but probably below average for me.  The broth, though, has a very interesting flavor; it is only moderately spicy compared to Korean-style noodles like Shin Ramyun, and it has a slightly sweet flavor that has notes of chicken and peppers.  Like the other Sapporo Ichiban products I've had, there is a very generous portion of noodles for the amount of broth; I am actually pretty full by the time I finish the bowl.  While it's not the most exciting ramen I've ever had, it's far from being the worst.  I thought the flavors were interesting and I would buy it again. :)