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. :)

P.F. Chang's Home Menu General Chang's Chicken

Distributed by:  Unilever
Tools Required:  10" covered skillet, Range
410 calories per serving (2 servings per package)

I picked this up on sale at the local Safeway; although I do like to cook, I can appreciate a nice convenience dinner as well.  I used to have this kind of thing much more often before I started learning to cook, and I remember the skillet meals being fairly good compared to the microwave entrees.  Besides, now that I am part of a couple, "Meals for 2" are the perfect size!  Anyway, we had it for dinner last night, so here is the review!

The entire contents of the bag go straight into our skillet, where we cook it over medium-high heat, covered, for 11 minutes.  We have some breaded chicken bits, broccoli, sweet pepper, and some little square chips of frozen sauce.  We give it the occasional stir during cooking to make sure the sauce melts and coats evenly, and once the 11 minutes are up we cook for a few more minutes uncovered to thicken the sauce.  Then we transfer it to bowls and it is ready to serve!

The sauce is sweet and fairly spicy, although not overpowering; it's not a bad rendition of a General Tso's sauce.  The chicken sort of reminds me of the chopped-and-formed 'popcorn chicken' from the freezer aisle, but the flavor isn't bad and the breading doesn't end up too soggy even after being frozen and simmered in sauce.  The veggies are nicely crisp and enjoyable, especially the broccoli florets, which pick up the sauce well.  I added a bowl of rice and an egg roll as side dishes to fill out the meal, and it ended up being a satisfying dinner.  I don't think it really compares to 'real' chinese take-out, of course, but as a quick and fairly inexpensive convenience dinner I think it was pretty good.  I'd have it again. :)

Marie Callender's Fresh Mixers Traditional Stuffing & Turkey

Made By:  ConAgra Foods, Inc.
Ingredients Required:  Water
300 calories per package

(available online through Amazon.com)

I think I may have mentioned before that although my partner is very understanding and supportive of my instant-noodle passion, she doesn't necessarily share it.  (Especially when it comes to things like chicken porridge.)  Since the weather is getting cooler and I imagined she would also like to have some hot, convenient lunches, I purchased a selection of shelf-stable entrees.  Of course, since I never turn down the chance to try something new and possibly write about it, I picked up two of everything so we could share.  One of my sweetie's favorites is bread stuffing, so we are trying this one first!

This is the same product line that was formerly known as "Home-Style Creations;" ConAgra seems to have changed the name to make it match their corresponding Healthy Choice product line.  Inside the package, there is an inner tray that has our turkey and gravy, and some Stove Top style dry stuffing mix.  To prepare, we fill the main tray to the line with water, replace the lid (without the protective film), and microwave for three minutes.  For fluffier dressing, I did the optional stir and extra 30 seconds as well.  Then, we vent the sauce tray, microwave that for 30 seconds, and pour it on!

The stuffing seems seasoned a bit more lightly than I am used to; by itself I think it would seem bland, but as a bed for the turkey and sauce, it works.  Texturally it is comparable to other instant stuffing products; it turned out pretty good, not soggy or dry.  The gravy isn't bad, but it's fairly unremarkable--it seems comparable to the average name-brand jar gravy.  The turkey bits are actually pretty good!  There is a decent quantity, and they are much firmer than I expected in a shelf-stable product.  Overall this wasn't bad, and it seemed very satisfying for a 300-calorie serving.  I know my first impression of this product line was less than positive, but after trying this one I am at least a little more willing to give some of the other varieties a chance. :|

Nissin Sauce Yakisoba Karashi Mayonnaise Flavor

Made By:  Nissin Foods (Japan)
Added Ingredients Required:  Boiling Water
530 calories per package

Today, my partner is planning to have lunch out at McDonald's while she is at work, while I am spending the day at home waiting for the handyman to come by.  While her motives are noble (we are suckers for the "Monopoly at McDonald's" contest) I admit I am somewhat envious.  So, I did what any ramen lover would do:  I searched the Noodle Stash for the most decadent thing I could find!  Who needs a Big Mac when they could have a 日清ソース焼そば?

Okay, so the package is completely in Japanese with no English translation anywhere outside of the Nissin logo, which means I am not 100% certain I got the product name right.  I am pretty sure the flavor is "Karashi Meyone-zu," though, so based on that and the picture, I am expecting a mustard-&-mayonnaise-topped noodle similar to the Myojo Ippeichan product that I really liked.

Inside the tray, there is a block of noodles with some loose cabbage pieces floating around, and two seasoning packets--one with powdered seasoning, the other with our mayonnaise topping.  The preparation seems to be the same as the Myojo product--we fill the tray with boiling water and stand for three minutes, drain out the water with the handy built-in drain spout, then remove the lid, stir in the powder seasoning, and top with the mayonnaise.  It looks and smells pretty good; let's give it a try!

The noodles are a similar texture to the Myojo Ippeichan; these may be a bit softer, and they seem to clump together a lot more.  The seasoning base is along the same lines too, with the smoky grilled beef  and Worcestershire sauce overtones.  This version seems a bit lighter in flavor, though.  The mayonnaise topping was a bit less generous too, although it seems to have more karashi mustard heat.  Finally, the cabbage seemed to be even more distracting here, since there were larger and more numerous pieces of it.

I definitely enjoyed this one, and it had the 'fast-food' feel that I was hoping for.  Given the choice, I think the Myojo Ippeichan is the better pick of these two competing products, but if this is the only one that's available where you are, I would still heartily recommend it. :D

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.

Mama JokCup Instant Porridge Soup Artificial Chicken Flavor

Made By:  President Rice Products
Tools Required:  Hot Water
150 calories per package

(available online through Amazon.com)

I grabbed one of these Chicken Porridge cups when I was at Uwajimaya just because it seemed unusual enough to make an interesting review.  I've been procrastinating actually tasting it, because there is part of me that thinks it has the potential to be really bad, but I was in the mood for an afternoon snack today and this seemed an appropriate size.  Here goes nothing!

The very first line in the directions say to peel the lid back halfway, but I run into an obstacle when the lid rips instead of peeling.  Once the lid is off, I see there is a cute little soup spoon included, which wasn't mentioned anywhere on the packaging.  I also see a powdery stuff in the bottom of the cup that reminds me of instant potato flakes.  We add boiling water to the fill line and give a stir, then cover and stir again once per minute for three or four minutes.  The finished product is a sort of sickly-looking milky white broth with some herbs floating in it.  I didn't actually expect a Porridge Soup to look all that appealing, though, so I'm not too put off just yet.

The texture is a bit like a really thin Cream of Wheat cereal; I think I expected it to get a little thicker, but at least that means it is sippable--I started off using the little spoon, but eventually I decided just sipping from the cup was easier.  The flavor seems to be somewhere between a Campbell's-style chicken and rice soup, and asian egg-drop soup.  The occasional sip has a chunk of dried ginger in it, which seems out of place both texturally and flavor-wise, but other than that, it really wasn't all that bad.  I'm not sure it warrants a re-purchase unless I was on a semi-liquid diet or something, but I didn't hate it. :|

Myojo Hyoubanya no Yakisoba Japanese Noodles Sauce Flavor

Made By:  Myojo Foods Co. Ltd.
Tools Required:  Hot Water, utensils
500 calories per package

(available online through Amazon.com)

Today is finally another Noodle Day again!  I didn't really want soup, though, so I picked this Yakisoba noodle from Myojo.  I really liked the other Myojo yakisoba I tried, so I am hoping this one will be good too.  The flavor on the package is only described as "Sauce Flavor," unless "Hyoubanya" is a flavor description; anyway, neither of those really help me know what sort of thing I'm about to be tasting.  I aim to find out, though!
{Update 6/7/15:  I've learned that Hyoubanya is in fact the brand name of the product line; the kanji that form the name would probably mean something like "food critic's seal."  Also, the description of 'sauce' flavor is referring to the ubiquitous-in-Japan Bull-Dog sauce, which would be similar to (but not the same as) our worcestershire sauce or 'steak sauce.'

Inside the package are four seasoning packets, and of course our block of noodles.  The packets don't shed much more light on the type of "Sauce" the flavor is going to be; the only one that has any english text on it is the "DRY VEGETABLE" packet.  The other three contain a liquid sauce, a powdered soup base, and a small amount of "green laver" style seaweed mixed with something that looks like katsuo-bushi [shaved dried smoked fish].  We are supposed to add the dry veggies (mainly cabbage and onion), fill the tray with boiling water, close and let stand for three minutes, then drain with the convenient built-in drain spout before peeling the lid the rest of the way off.  Finally, we add the contents of the other three packets, stir well, and serve!

As I mentioned in the review of the other Myojo yakisoba, I do love the noodle texture.  I am actually sort of concerned that they will make it difficult to go back to the domestic ones.  (Of course, an easy solution to that problem would be to just buy the Myojo noodles.)  I'm still not going to be able to put a name to the "sauce" that these are supposed to be flavored like, but it reminds me quite a bit of the flavor of the Nong Shim Japanese-Style Udon.  It is a bit smokier and spicier than those, but it has that same deep savory seafood flavor.  I think in terms of ranking, I will still have to give the nod to the Ippeichan Yakisoba--although very good, these just aren't as quite as decadent--but these are pretty high up on the list too. :)