Knife Shaved Noodles - Taste The Orient, Chinatown, Birmingham [@Nli10]

I'm a big fan of noodles, and the hand cut ones at Brummie Noodle Company in the Han Dynasty food hall are the best ones (even though I think they changed their name on the big sign!).  So - I decided to try and do my own at home.  The newest oriental grocer is mainly Korean, but does have other nations included and it's a younger, fresher selection than Day In (but only they sell my favourite tea) so I got a set of frozen noodles.

There are 5 in a box but only 2 of us so I could have a solo mission to try it out.

Raw they aren't a great treat.  And I needed to have the water hotter before I dropped them in to make it separate faster - but some clumping is part of the joy.

In the end it turned out ok, and unseasoned with no sauce they were still a decent meal.  The texture was good but not as good as fresh.

I added soy sauce 

And shwarma kebab rolls as I had some left.

The plan is to use dried chillies and some kind of gravy to make an approximation of the dry beef noodles I love, but with quorn so that they are suitable for vegetarians.  If I ever get around to it i'll let you know.

It's still a treat to get these as getting frozen noodles back from town on the bus is a chore and I'd rather just go have the real thing.  It's nice to have options though!

 

Maggi - Gochujang Beef Flavour Instant Noodles [@NLi10]

I like the Maggi masala noodles for lunch, but they are a little small.  Enter this £1.99 version with TWO sachets and a larger block of noodles.

And the packet looks a lot fancier

The ingredients are the same - but it suggests turning it into a meal with actual food too.  I did not do this.

Into the pot it all goes.  I forgot to take a picture of it all cooked. Why?

Because it was hot.  Like proper hot.  And I didn't even touch the sachet of very spicy.

This was a terrible choice for a nice big lunch - it was impossible to eat at speed.  With veggies and meat to mitigate the heat then I think it might have been ok - I do like hot food, but this was like a Nandos Hot and eating that as soup at lunch while the liquid was hot made it too hard.  I did finish it but had to have an extended lunch to do so.

I'd totally have these again (and have them in mind for a spicy present for a cousin) but for me - I'll stick to Masala which has a kick, but not a kick to the face.

 

Nissin Demae Ramen - Sesame [@NLi10]

 For lunch today I had Ramen, it's been a rainy day and so noodles are great.

I picked up these 'authentic' noodles a while back but planned to give them to a visiting teen.  That didn't happen so eventually I've worked my way through them all.

That's a lot of words for a block of noodles and a sachet

Turns out there was a 2nd sachet in the pan under the noodles.  Oops.

I didn't take a bowl picture - but then it would just look like noodles - I make sure I end up with as little sauce as possible.

The sesame flavour and powder are great and the quality of the noodles is bigger than the Maggi ones I usually have with their lovely masala powder.  I'll have to replenish my stocks from the Asian grocery shops.

ISO Sushi - Japanese food in Walsall [@NLi10]

We had a mini family get-together and fancied something other than Pizza so had a look on the usual apps then ordered directly from the ISO Sushi app (20% off!) as I'd not seen decent Japanese food in Walsall before and that kind of thing should be encouraged.

  Link here - there are actually a few in the UK by the looks of things.  Wolverhampton too which means when I'm in the remote office I can pick it up...

This meant that it was around £80 for 7 of us including driver tip.  We tried to do delivery but it wouldn't accept the postcode, but as we'd filled it in like that the restaurant phoned us to see if we did want a delivery and it all worked out.

I had the Chicken Yakisoba which came with Udon noodles (unexpected bonus) and it was great - nice deep flavour and a hint of spice to keep things interesting.  Most everyone else had variations on the Katsu (although the youngest had the Ramen)

I also added a drink - a little expensive for what it was but that's typical of the mangajo style drinks

The sharp lemon was a refreshing contrast to the spicy sauce so I was more than happy that I'd added it.

I also added these lovely Biscoff Gyoza! BUT - everyone was too full after their generous mains so I took them home then ate them solo for lunch the next day (pic at top)

The inside is almost like a Baklava - sugar syrup infused Biscoff crumbs and general awesomeness.  If you like this sort of thing then a sweet gyoza is definitely a new flavour sensation and makes a change from endless (but lovely) deep fried bananas.

It was the first time some of my family had tried Japanese food (!) so they were pleasantly surprised and also very full too.  Great value for money and somewhere I'll definitely order from again should I find myself with family again.

Merry Pot Noel - Pot Noodle Christmas Dinner (Asda) by @NLi10

So - it's very popular to make Christmas versions of popular snacks and foods - and Pot Noodle have really gone for the jackpot this year.

This is Christmas Dinner - well the stuffing and the gravy anyway - but in pot noodle form.  As non England commenters have pointed out this is essentially our most popular version of what international readers will know as Ramen.

Cup noodles are an international staple - and this is a big size version of ours.  It's seen as a luxury brand compared to the half-price international cheap versions.

You can see a normal size version of my favourite the Beef & Tomato flavour next to it - as well as a Santa sighting!  

I decided to go with this on the 20th as the 'mindfulness calendar' said I should make a meal with something I'd not tried before - and it gives local readers an opportunity to buy these to put under the tree. Yes - they sell these in cardboard crackers designed just for this purpose!

Unlike most of these it doesn't actually include the sauce sachet - you have to provide your own cranberry - and this lack of the sweetness I think was their first mistake.

As usual this is just cheap noodles and flavour dust - but with maybe a few more herby bits in than usual.

Add boiling water - recover - stir after 2 minutes - wait another 2 mins and eat away.

And here it is - in all it's glory! A gravy Pot Noodle! 

And while the smell is OK, and it's certainly a standard Pot Noodle the flavour isn't that great.  Just tastes like cheap stuffing, but then the aftertaste - my goodness it's horrible - like one of those genetic tests for offensive flavours!  I'm guessing that whoever had this in the taste sessions was a heavy smoker, or just didn't have the right make up to detect this massive problem. Maybe they always added cranberry?    Either way - this is a lovely potential joke present that just doesn't work for me.

Bonus: I did a video for YouTube Shorts but it cut off the commentary when I added the music...

Wicked Kitchen - Late Night Noodles - Smokey Soy flavours & a surprise! (@NLi10)

I needed some lazy lunch pots so picked some up on a supermarket trip - including this intriguing new brand.

Wicked Kitchen has clear concise branding and was pretty affordable.  Sounds worth a try.

It's just simple noodles and dust - but that's all I need.

Smells great - lets look what's in it.

Wait - here's a surprise - it's just the Tesco own brand noodles - but with a fun new name!  That's a great idea (and copying the 'discount' supermarkets) and one that worked on me.  The noodles were tangy in flavour and very simple, but filling enough.

My picture of the noodles was terrible, but they looked a lot like the pack shot so just scroll up a bit.  

An nice change from the typical pot noodle or the deluxe priced instant noodles. A win from me!

 

Lost The Pot Noodle - Sweet Chilli (Asda) By @Cinabar

So this is the latest product from Pot Noodle, the aptly name Lost The Pot, Noodles in a bag. I don’t eat a lot of Pot Noodles if I’m honest but these appealed, in a retro student kind of way. The bag said it did two portions, so I split half into a bowl (my own pot), added seasoning, hot water and microwaved the contents. I gave it a little stir and it actually looked pretty decent. In true student style I made a slice of Taos to accompany it, oh yes pure class.

 

The noodles were surprisingly decent. I’m working from home at the minute and it made a quick lunch between Teams meetings. The flavour of these Lost The Pot Noodle Sweet Chilli was a little spicy and little sweet, but mostly had a fair bit of umami. It went well with the buttered toast and made a decent lunch. I’d actually buy it again! I do have an issue with the product though. They lost the post, presumably for environmental reasons? The only thing is that the tin foil lid and the plastic pot on a traditional Pot Noodle are fully recyclable, but this bag packaging isn’t. I think that part is a shame, taste wise I’d happily buy them again.

Pigs In Blankets Flavour Noodles (Sainsbury’s) By @SpectreUK

Last Christmas I had easily the best Christmas meal I've ever had. Strangely I've never liked Roast Turkey meals and we used to eat it at lunchtime too, which I found pretty overpowering for my poor tastebuds. I prefer massive gravy meals, especially if they have lashings of onions, at dinnertime rather than lunchtime where I seem to prefer just a good sandwich.

On the evening of last Christmas I had a pork belly roast with crackling on top served to me. It was just about the best thing I've ever tasted on Christmas day, and the leftovers took me a couple of days to get through afterwards. Of course there has to be ubiquitous roast potatoes, sprouts and other veggies, but also my favourite accompaniment has to be Pigs in Blankets on the side. I usually have quite a few too!

This Pigs In Blankets Flavour Noodles was produced for Sainsbury's. I can't tell whether Cinabar bought me the pot for a joke or not. What seems to be even more funny is the Vegetarian friendly sign on the front of the pot. So no meat in here then? However, I endeavour to persevere when I'm served up something like this to write about. I've already had a bacon sandwich for lunch, so I'll have a quick piece of buttered toast, which should go well with my quick Pigs In Blankets Flavour Noodles.

On pealing back the foil top there was a pile of dried stringy noodles and some herbs dotted around them in the pot. After pouring freshly boiled water into the pot and having a really good stir, I could smell the sage and parsley mixed in with the gravy. I couldn't detect any meaty flavours, such as bacon or sausage in the flavour of this Pigs In Blankets Flavour Noodles. It was tasty enough and after that good long stir the sauce become quite thick.

This was a filling and flavoursome noodle pot, but to me it just didn't taste of Pigs in Blankets at all. I'm not going to tell you Porkies, and say it did, because to me it didn't! Anyway the best news is that there is a pork belly roast in the freezer ready to cook for Christmas Day 2020, and I've also seen some trays of real Pigs in Blankets in the freezer too!

Have a very Merry, healthy and safe Christmas, One and All!

Information on the pot; The 80g pot contains 294 calories, with 2g of fat, 9.9g of sugar and 1.87g of salt. Vegetarian friendly! Please see photograph for the ingredients.

Pot Noodle Sweet & Sour (Morrison’s) By @SpectreUK

Pot Noodle are calling their Sweet & Sour a "Power Pair" for a "Double Down, Down Up" balanced flavour. I must admit that I haven't seen a Sweet & Sour meal marketed like that before. Don't get me wrong as it seems like a fair assumption, but the Sweet & Sour dishes I've eaten in the past don't really separate themselves out as different flavours combined so much as to just taste like Sweet & Sour… No, I don't know what I'm talking about either, but I guess I've just eaten them in the past without thinking so much about it! 
Described on their website as "Noodles in a Chinese sweet and sour flavour sauce with vegetables and a little sachet of sweet and sour sauce", this Pot Noodle Sweet & Sour has diced carrots, peas and red peppers mixed in with the noodles, sauce mix, and sachet. I haven't had a Pot Noodle for a while. They're pretty high in calories, fat, sugar and salt, so I've had to miss out on a few of the other things I usually prefer to eat on Cinabar and her Mom's pizza night to account for the extra calories in this Pot Noodle. 

After adding in the freshly boiled water, then the small sachet before stirring, this Pot Noodle Sweet & Sour had a decent sweet and sour sauce aroma, but it was pretty heavy on tomato in flavour. I only say that in a bad way because it's supposed to taste of Sweet & Sour, rather than a tomato noodle soup. Even though I stirred regularly whilst eating the noodles in their sauce and diced vegetables, I noticed that the real Sweet & Sour flavour seemed to have still sunk to the bottom of the pot. There was a good strong flavour of Sweet & Sour down at the bottom, but I could have been fooled that I was eating a tomato flavoured pot noodle for most of the meal. This Pot Noodle Sweet & Sour was still tasty and tangy, but I'm not sure I'd rush out to buy another one. If I was to separate them out as a "Power Pair", I'd say it was more like "Tomato and Sweet & Sour". 
Information on the pot; Per pot there are 436 calories, with 17g of fat, 12g of sugar, and 1.4g of salt. Please see photograph for the ingredients.

Kabuto - Beef Pho Noodle Pot (@NLi10)

Today is a hot day.  And what better way to manage that heat with some lovely spicy noodles.

Today we have the Beef Pho version of the Kabuto range of Noodles in a Pot, fresh off the Ocado order.

Asian flavours, from our freinds in Bristol. And lots of Samurai themed things - which is odd because I've always associated Pho with Vietnam.

It has egg in it but is vegetarian.

One thing this certainly has over the cheap versions is this smells amazing - like 'restaurant just brought your food out' good.

And while a little of that is lost in the adding of water, there is a great aroma and taste to be had.  The egg noodles are a little soft for me, I prefer other styles - but the zingy sauce is spot on.And they even actively encourage separating and recycling all the bits after you clean them which us very responsible of them.I'm always happy to have one of these - even if i do tend to use them as a rare treat instead of a staple lunch.

Asian Inspired Singapore Curry (Aldi) By @SpectreUK

It's pizza night tonight, but not for me. Cinabar and her mom have taken to having a pizza on one night of the week. I had been doing a yoga class at the gym on Tuesday nights and was having an earlier dinner, but now I'm doing the yoga moves I learnt in the kitchen instead. However they are still having their pizza and I'm just having something quick at the same time. I haven't particularly liked pizza for many years. I used to eat the Carne Amanti at Pizza Hut, which was my favourite Pizza ever, but they foolishly took it off the menu, and all other pizzas have been a disappointment ever since!

Anyway, I have no idea what Singapore Curry tastes like, as I've not had a Ready Meal that flavour before or seen one in the stores before they all went safety first. I don't know if this Asian Inspired Singapore Curry is going to be authentic, but I'm hoping it will be quick to make and healthy. It certainly sounds healthy with pieces of carrot, spring onion, egg noodles, and plenty of medium hot peppers. It sounds pretty quick to make too, by just removing the lid and adding freshly boiled water and then leaving to stand for 4 minutes.

I peeled back the lid to take a look in the pot before I got started. There were some stringy noodles at the bottom of the pot and plenty of seasoning with diced carrots and spring onions intermingled. I boiled the kettle, put a couple of pieces of bread in the toaster and cut up a tomato. I also had some leftover ham and some coleslaw on the side. On adding the freshly boiled water to the pot the aroma of cumin and ginger curry spices tickled my nose and enticed me to try it.

After cooling I peeled back the lid again and noticed that there was a multitude of finally diced coriander amongst the almost clear sauce. On taste this Asian Inspired Singapore Curry was flavoursome enough with its mix of curry spices. It was tasty, but it didn't stand out as something that I would rush out and buy again. There was a mild chilli heat, but nothing to make me sweat, and I have no idea how I didn't get any of the million pieces of coriander stuck in my teeth.

The half pot full itself also didn't feel very substantial. It didn't fill much of a gap in my recently downsized stomach. Low in calories it was a healthy snack, but a snack nonetheless and was gone in a few mouthfuls. Perhaps that's a good thing because it was quite moreish, but I've had plenty of other noodle cups that filled more of the gap in my tummy before this one.

Information on the pot;
The 78g pot contains 297 calories, with 1.8g of fat, 4.1g of sugar, and 2g of salt. Please see photograph for the ingredients.

Mr Lee's Zen Garden Vegetables (Degusta) By @SpectreUK

Okay, this might sound mean, but for me putting the word "Zen" in front of Garden Vegetables doesn't make them sound more interesting. I like garden vegetables. I like being relaxed and having that peaceful feeling that the word Zen is associated with these days, but using it to spruce up something that otherwise would sound quite boring makes me feel like more of a grumpy old man!

I'll try to stop being mean and look more at the product… These Mr Lees Zen Garden Vegetables Noodles read very healthily when looking at the plastic pot. They're a fairly good source of protein for helping to repair my muscles after a session at the gym with 6.8g per pot. They're gluten free, and low in sugar and in fat, and also low in calories. However, as far as I'm aware, calories are important as we need them for energy to help the protein fix the muscles. These miso rice noodles also have diced asparagus, green beans, spinach and ginger added in.

On opening the pot there was a big blob of stringy miso rice on top of a lot or diced vegetables. I added freshly boiled water, left the pot to stand for a while, then stirred. On sniffing the mixed noodles and vegetables I passed the pot to Cinabar. She said it smelt of greens, which I guess she was right, but the contents of the pot just didn't smell very strong. There wasn't much to taste either. I could imagine a hint of asparagus, and maybe a little onion, and after a few mouthfuls of noodles and diced greens I caught a mild flavour of ginger. There was this mild taste of ginger throughout the rest of the pot, but this noodle pot was unfortunately more frustrating then Zen I'm afraid!

Information on the pot;
The 57.9g pot contains 208 calories, 1.4g of fat, 4.6g of sugar, and 3g of salt. Please see photograph for ingredients.

Nissin Teriyaki Soba (Ocado) By @SpectreUK

Over the winter months I do like to indulge in a noodle pot now and then for lunch. This Teriyaki Soba, from Nissin, is noodles with a Yakisoba sauce. I do like Japanese cuisine. I haven't been to a Japanese restaurant for a long time. I always like ordering for some reason. It may be that the words just roll off my tongue, rather than the awkward French, Spanish, Mexican or Italian restaurants where I don't know if I'm pronouncing something right. I get the same feeling when I go to a curry house, it might just be me, but for some reason I find Asian cuisine much easier to order and not sound so 'ENGLISH'… He shivers awkwardly…

Anyway, these days I check the calories and protein on mostly everything before I eat it. This pot noodle is pretty light on the calories, which pleases me, been as though I have to keep my weight down for my knee recovery. It is also a source of protein at 5.1g per 100g, so it will help a little with muscle repair after my latest gym session.

On opening the top of the pot there was a solid block of noodles with some diced carrots, shiitake mushrooms, cabbage and green onions on top. There was also a sachet of Seasoning sauce, presumably the Yakisoba sauce. After the usual preparation of adding boiling water up to the mark inside the pot and leaving it to stand for three minutes, I then took care to drain off the water as per the instructions. I stirred in the sachet of sauce for quite a while and dug in.

There was sweetness from the caramel in the sauce and the added pieces of vegetables and mushrooms went great for an authentic flavour and feel to this Teriyaki Soba. Being a little greedy I would have preferred a little more sauce to stir in, as I prefer my noodles or indeed rice meals to be more sauce heavy than anything else. Having said that, I'd definitely have this Teriyaki Soba again, as it was a very tasty low calorie meal. It went perfectly with my fried mushrooms and buttered toast on the side.

Information on the pot;
This 90g pot contains 211 calories per 100g, with 9.3g of fat, 4.6g of sugar, and 2.3g of salt. Please see photograph for ingredients.