Myojo Chukazanmai Soy Sauce Flavor

Made By:  Myojo Foods Co. [Japan]
Required to Prepare:  Water, Saucepan & Range
370 calories per package

Available online at Amazon.com

I know this blog has been woefully neglected of late, but I am still around... and more importantly to the story, my wife and I have been on a bit of a ramen kick recently.  We started by having some of my (already reviewed) favorites together, but it is time to start reviewing again!  I'm re-starting things with a very traditional product from Myojo, their Chukazanmai soy sauce (shoyu) ramen.

The package contains two soup base packets, one powdered and one liquid, and a very interesting block of dried noodles--they are not 'puffed' the way almost all instant ramen is at all; they quite hard and dense, and are much more like a dry pasta, like wavy spaghetti.  The liquid seasoning packet has concentrated soy sauce and sesame-flavored oil, and the powdered base seems to be, for want of a better description, a typical "oriental flavor" soup base.
We boil 600ml (about 2-1/2 cups) of water, then add the noodles and cook for 4 minutes.  The soup bases get mixed in at the end, either before or after we transfer the soup to our bowl, and with a quick stir we are ready to have some ramen!

[Note:  the delicious oils on top of the soup caught the
camera flash in an odd way, it didn't look this weird in person.
This does show how much rich flavoring you get though!]

Well, almost ready.  It feels a bit like there is something missing, and there is--I've skipped a step in the instructions.  See, this is actually a very respectable rendition of 'real' shoyu ramen soup; the non-puffed noodles are firmer and more like fresh, and the broth has that rich sesame and soy sauce flavor.  However, a 'real' shoyu ramen would never get caught being served naked like this, which is why the last step in the instructions is:  "3.  Try adding meat, or vegetable as desired."  To start, I think the 'serving suggestion' from the front of the package, which depicts some braised pork belly along with radishes, greens, and peppers, would be delicious, but really I think it would be a fine way to use whatever meaty leftovers you had around.  Extra rotisserie chicken, roast beef, kamaboko and 6-minute eggs all sound like good things to build a bowl of ramen around.

I actually could see eating it on its own for something simple and comforting if I were under the weather, but I can definitely see that it is meant as a base for a meal soup of your own design, and I think I may try to keep a couple of packs around for just that purpose. :)

Nissin Souper Meal Picante Shrimp Flavor

Made By:  Nissin USA
Required to Prepare:  Water, Microwave
580 calories per package

I've decided it is high time I have some noodles for lunch again!  So, even though the doctors are all having Jimmy Johns for lunch, instead of getting that for myself, I brought some ramen to work.  I got these Souper Meals on sale at Safeway the other day for buy-1-get-1-free, so today's lunch will be an enormous bowl of Picante Shrimp noodles!  With "Improved Flavor and Premium Straight Noodles," I don't see how we can go wrong.

There are two packets to open inside, one with dried goodies (including some tiny shrimp), and the other with a spicy-smelling soup base.  We add water to the inside line, then microwave for around 4-1/2 minutes.  We are supposed to let it stand for 2 minutes before serving; mine ended up standing a bit longer than that as work interfered for a while, and the delicious aroma of noodles permeated a good portion of the office, taunting me, until I was able to get away again and enjoy my lunch.

There seems to be even more noodles in one of these than I remember!  They have a nice soft texture, not unlike an egg noodle from a canned soup, and they absorbed the flavor of the broth well.  The broth was not dramatically spicy, but did have a nice chili-powder flavor to counterpoint the typical shrimp broth.  I definitely enjoyed this!  The portion size was a little bit ridiculous, honestly, since no-one is really going to eat the "serving size" of half the container; however, I did finish the whole thing without feeling miserable.  I'd buy them again!  :)

Oh, ramen, how I've missed you.  If grocery-store ramen hits the spot like this, I really need to get to an Asian market soon.

Safeway Select Appetizers: Chicken Empanadas, Firecrackers, and Bags of Gold

Distributed by:  Safeway, Inc.
Required to Prepare:  Oven

Chicken Empanadas:  75 calories per piece
Firecrackers:  70 calories per piece
Bags of Gold:  80 calories per piece

My sweetie and I occasionally enjoy having a "tapas" dinner of sorts, by getting a variety of these frozen appetizers and making a meal out of them.  These are the ones that we usually get; she was the one that got me started on them, and even after all manner of flitting around trying different things by the Butterfly, these are still the ones we seem to like the best.

Although the package directions give a slightly different cook time for the empanadas, I find they all turn out fine by baking at 400° for 7 minutes per side.  They can also be deep-fried, which gives them a crisper texture, but we use the oven more often, just because it seems a little easier.

The Chicken Empanadas and Firecrackers are similar; the crispy exterior is sort of like a grilled flour tortilla.  The filling of the empanadas have a distinct jalapeño and bell pepper flavor along with the chicken and cheese, and the Firecrackers have more like a pulled roast beef and nacho filling.  The Bags of Gold are the odd one out; the wrapper is thinner and lighter, more like a wonton wrap, and rather than a Mexican flavor, the spinach and cheese filling is more European in style.  Even from the oven, they do get crispy on the outside, although they are of course a bit chewier than if they were deep-fried.

We definitely enjoy them, with either prep method.  We choose them over more expensive name-brand frozen appetizers, and it's not because we are sacrificing quality for price--it's because we like these the best, and the fact that they are inexpensive is just a happy coincidence.  :)

Old El Paso Meal for 2 Shredded Beef Burritos

Distributed By:  General Mills Sales
Required to Prepare:  Microwave
490 calories per burrito


I apologize for not having taken my own photos for this one; I wasn't intending to review this one until after I experienced the quality of this product.

The first bit of wrongness comes from the preparation instructions:  Despite being billed as a "Meal for 2", the only instructions provided are for microwave cooking, which specifically state not to cook both burritos at the same time--so, do they plan for my wife to start eating while mine is heating up, or do they think one of us just gets a cold one?

At any rate, we cook them one at a time, for five minutes each, in their silly little individual steamer bags.  (The cooking instructions say 4-6 minutes depending on microwave wattage; mine isn't low or high, so 5 it is.)  They also stand for two minutes to "complete cooking", which is apparently slang for "turn into concrete".  You know, I expected a soggy tortilla, and I wouldn't have complained about that.  Dried out, leathery, impenetrable tortilla?  Not as acceptable.  Forget cutting with a fork; they couldn't even be cut with a table knife.

For the record, the flour tortilla seemed to have been of the whole-wheat variety; unlike the package picture, they were moderately dark in color and the little bits that were edible had a whole-wheat flavor.  After using kitchen shears to finally get at it, the filling inside seemed overly spicy and really didn't seem worth the effort needed to free it from its protective shell.

To summarize, these were utterly abysmal.  Not only have they warned me away from ever trying any more of Old El Paso's frozen offerings, they've actually made me wary of their traditional products as well.  I don't know who decided these were ready to market, but they deserve to have to eat this. :b

Hormel Compleats Cafe Creations Spicy Ginger Chicken

Distributed By:  Hormel Foods, LLC

Required to Prepare:  Microwave

280 calories per package

 This shelf-stable meal had been lingering in the cabinet for a while, so when I wanted a small lunch yesterday before my shopping trip, I decided it was time to use it.  These shelf-stable "Compleats" meals do have the advantage of being extremely convenient, with their very short microwave time (as they are being heated from room temperature instead of from frozen).  One minute in the microwave plus a one-minute stand time, and my small, quick and convenient lunch is ready to eat!

The flavor is a bit different than I had expected based on the name; the sauce is very rich, almost with a tomato-beef-stock flavor (although I don't think there is actually any tomatoes or beef in it).  The spice was noticeable but not overwhelming, which is to be expected for a mainstream product such as this.  The ginger, which I expected to be the top note in a light and crisp Thai-style flavor, instead becomes the base note in a deep and rich sauce.  Naturally the noodles are quite a bit softer than "al-dente," being in essence a canned pasta product, but I have to say I don't mind soft pasta in this context--I think it all comes together nicely, expecially with the water-chestnuts for a crispy textural aside.

I notice, though, that on the Hormel Compleats web page, this product is not listed anymore.  I think that's kind of a shame, as I rather liked it.  I don't imagine I could have singlehandedly "saved" the flavor from extinction, but if I had eaten it sooner, I might have at least been able to buy a couple more before they went away.

Now, it seems the only thing I can do is give it a posthumous happy-face. :)

Maruchan Instant Lunch Roast Chicken Flavor

Made By:  Maruchan Inc. [USA]
Required to Prepare:  Hot Water (10 oz.)
290 calories per serving

Available online through Amazon.com

It occurs to me that I have done very few reviews of cup noodles, which is kind of a shame, since I think for convenience and versatility they're really hard to beat--add some chips and some fruit on the side, and they're a really easy lunch; have them by themselves and they're a great afternoon snack.  If you have access to either a water cooler with a hot-water tap or a single-cup coffee maker that can dispense hot water, there is literally no cooking required.

This flavor used to be one of my favorites when I lived in Maruchan country [Missouri], and I hadn't found it again since moving to Nissin territory [Seattle area].  So when I found a good selection of Maruchan products at the local WinCo (for 28¢ a cup!) I had to grab a few for review!  As I mentioned above, preparation is as simple as adding 10 oz. of boiling or nearly-boiling water (to the fill line) and waiting three minutes.  Time for a noodle break!

I don't know if the noodle texture of Instant Lunch has improved, or if I just didn't remember how good they were, but I do actually prefer the noodles here to the domestic 'packet' noodles that tend to be soft and soggy.  I remember liking the broth, but I didn't remember details; it's a nice chicken-stock flavor, but with a hint of cumin that gives it a little depth.  The corn rehydrates a little better than the carrot bits, but both provide a nice little pop of sweetness to contrast the salty-savory broth.  I enjoyed it!  I think I might be having some more "cup noodle breaks" in the near future. :)

Lowrey's Bacon Curls Original Microwave Pork Rinds

Made By:  Oberto Sausage Co. [USA]
Required to Prepare:  Microwave
210 calories per package

(Available online through Amazon.com)

Due to the new work situation, I have had a bit fewer opportunities to enjoy (and thus review) ramen.  Who knew company-paid lunches could be a bad thing, right?  The reviews must go on, though, so today I will talk about low-carb snacks.

One thing I remember from my childhood is that my grandfather's favorite snack food was pork rinds.  He would usually have a bag next to his recliner, and he would share with the grandkids when we came to visit.  Maybe because of that memory, they are also a favorite snack food of mine, although I don't know if I've ever found a brand that tastes as good as what I remember him having.  So when I heard about these microwave pork rinds, made locally here in the Pacific Northwest by Oberto in Kent, WA, I knew I had to give them a try!

Preparation is both simple to anyone who's made microwave popcorn, and also slightly different.  The package cautions us to shake up the unpuffed pork rinds after unfolding the bag (to spread them out), and also has dire warnings about how it doesn't make popping noises like popcorn does and to watch the microwave like a hawk while cooking.  All I know is, with my older microwave, I can cook a bag for 2:10 and it turns out perfect every time without worrying about burning anything up.  (Your wattage may vary, naturally).  The bag inflates fully, like popcorn, but then deflates once cooking is done and the steam re-condenses--one package produces the amount pictured in the bowl.

The flavor is salty and sort of bacon-y, a lot like you would expect if you know what pork rinds taste like.  However, these will be the freshest pork rinds you've ever had; they are still snapping and crackling while you start to eat them, and I must say, fresh, hot pork rinds are a more memorable experience than cold ones out of a bag.  If you dislike the flavor of regular pork rinds, I doubt you'd like these either.  But if you do like them, I heartily recommend these, and I imagine you will have trouble going back to "pre-puffed" after tasting them. ^_^