Little Cook Instant Noodles Stewed Duck Flavor

Made By:  Namchow (Thailand), Ltd.
Extra Ingredients Required:  Boiling Water
500 calories per package

Today is another Noodle Day--I am home waiting for our new appliances to be delivered!  I am pretty excited; the last time I had brand-new appliances was when I got a brand-new house that came with them, and that was quite a few years ago.  Because I don't want to get a bunch of cookware dirty right before installing a new cookstove, I am going to have this Bowl Noodle I picked up last time I was at Uwajimaya.  I hadn't heard of the brand before, but the flavor sounded interesting so I thought I'd see how they were!

Inside the bowl, there are some wide-cut ramen noodles, a packet that contains both powdered seasoning and some dry veggies, and most interestingly, a vacuum-sealed foil retort pouch with some sort of fresh sauce in it.  Preparation is pretty easy; we add the contents of the dry packet and fill the bowl to the line with boiling water, place the retort pouch on top of the lid, and wait for three minutes.  Putting the pouch on top has the dual purpose of holding the lid closed and warming up the pouch, so that part actually seemed sort of clever.  Finally, we add the contents of the pouch--which contains a couple of large chunks of actual duck meat in a sweet curry sauce!  I was not expecting meat in the pouch, for some reason.  We stir it all together, and sit down to eat!

The broth doesn't end up tasting as sweet as the sauce packet smelled; the curry spice is the primary flavor, and there is a nice balance between sweet and savory going on.  The noodles have a nice texture, but are fairly unremarkable otherwise, and the veggies are mostly green onion bits and some sort of leafy herb I don't actually recognize.  The bits of stewed duck meat are a nice addition; their texture is soft but not overly mushy, and they are very flavorful, probably from being stewed in the curry sauce.

I have to say, I really enjoyed this!  I liked the use of the retort pouch to include some actual meat toppings in the product, and I thought the flavor was very interesting.  I like that it is spicy in a different way than just adding chili powder for heat like so many other ramen products.  The serving size is quite generous too, so it makes a good meal without having any chips or sides to go with.  I wish I had gotten other flavors to try too!  I guess it will give me something to look for next time I go noodle shopping. :D

UPDATE:  The last time I saw this in the store (after my experience with the TVP Curry 'Chicken' flavor), I checked the ingredients list and saw that there was in fact no actual duck meat included in this product.  I'm unsure whether this is a change, or if the TVP 'meat' was just that much better in this one.  Maybe someday I'll build the courage to find out.