The SPAMM trip yesterday to Madison was very enjoyable. We went to the Korean Market, which had a whole aisle of instant noodles! KOREAN instant noodles. The best kind! I bought some bean sprouts and a bunch of ramen for $7.24. The concluded with our dinner at Ginza. I didn't order too much (only $12). It worked out because other folks ordered too much, and I ate their food.
Then, we returned back to Platteville to the SPAMM house, drank, and played Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles.
Even though I skimped on food in Madison, I've totally blown my food budget for the month. I mean, I have enough food to last for a while, but I really need to pay attention to how much I spend.
Anywho, with this in mind, let's eat some ramen! Tonight I began with Nong Shim Brand Mu-Pama Tang Myun Noodle Soup
There were very helpful instructions on the back:
Step 1 - Boil Noodles
Step 2 - Cook in the Soup Base and Veggies
Step 3 - Cook in the Solid Base (and add an egg and whatever else)
This is now my preferred method of cooking noodles.
Perhaps the most underrated feature of Nong Shim instant noodles is that noodles come in a circular disk, rather than a square. It breaks apart in the water naturally. AND it actually fits in the pot perfectly. Square noodles have an awkward shape that I need to squish into my pot. Also, square noodles don't really break apart naturally. There are always chunks stuck together, which tear the noodles. Circular noodles stay fit, so you'll have one continuous noodle in the end. ^_^
Secondly, the veggies from Nong Shim complement the taste of the soup perfectly. So delicious. I added in some bean sprouts and an egg to this ramen, and they soaked up my of the broth's flavor.
Overall, this stuff was exteremely delicious. I give Nong Shim Brand Mu-Pama Tang Myun Noodle Soup a perfect 5 out of 5 stars. Don't miss this stuff! If you live in Madison, but the 5-pack. I think it was only $3!
After the delicious stuff, I tried a different brand rather than eating all of my Nong Shim stuff on the first day. I went with Samyang Foods Brand Kimchee Ramen.
It was rather interesting, much like the preview Ottogi Brand Jin Ramen. I don't know if it's the noodles, the soup base, or the amount of water or heat, but the whole thing came out like sludge. Very heavy. I cooked it the same way as the Nong Shim Brand stuff, but it came out as sludge.
Ramen sludge isn't all that different than normal ramen. The taste is still there. The noodles stick together a little bit, so it's difficult to pull them apart while you eat.
It wasn't bad, though. Still better than normal American noodles. Although, it cannot stand up against the Nong Shim excellence. I gave Samyang's Kimchee a 3 1/2 out of 5 stars. Good effort, mate! Perhaps I should try again and avoid the sludge to experience what you were going.
I played a lot of DDR Revivial tonight. I was so hungry that I couldn't go to bed, so I made some of the refrigerated udon noodles, Chikara Brand Udon Hot & Spicy Oriental Style Noodes. I bought them a while ago.
Hot & Spicy is the over statement of the century here. Although, not surprising from an American company.
These turned out pretty good, but there's got to be a better way to cook them. Udon noodles are supposed to absorb the taste and have a meaty structure. These noodles were very watery with little taste. I don't get it. Although, because of this, the egg breaks up more naturally compared with cooking the dried out instant noodles. Almost like egg drop soup. ^_^
Overall, I give Chikara's Udon Spicy Noodles a 2 out of 5 stars. These noodles never seem to turn out right, and I'm probably not the reason. I will need to experiment further next time.