This is only partially tongue in cheek. I saw a couple of friends conversing about this ramen one day, they both love it (one is Asian) and they buy it by the case at Costco. So I started looking for it on grocery outings, and when I finally found some, it was not in the ramen, 10 cent noodle soup section, but in the Asian section of Kroger.
The spice is what makes this different from the college ramen and the noodle quality. This stuff is mouth burning, nose running, eye watering spicy and I loved it. I had it for a quick lunch today and then went and stood outside in the 54 degree day to cool off. Hehe.
There are two kinds, the regular is the hotter, the Black has an extra spice pack and and an extra dollar on the price tag, $1.19 and $2.19. I’ll definitely have it again on a cold day while needing a quick meal.
I’ve tried quite a few of those Nong Shim varieties. Consomme Style Potato is a good one and Nong Shim Black. I usually get the dry packs but I did try one udon noodle bowl. I don’t know if there’s any difference in the cups/bowls and the packs other than needing a pan to boil water.
I usually try to have some sort of Asian greens on hand and scallions to add, maybe some shrimp or a hard boiled egg.
If you go to Hong Kong Market the section devoted to these products is as big as a 7-11 all by itself. A lot of it is multi-packs and cases; it’s sometimes had to find single packs if you just want to sample one but the bowl and cup products are usually available singly.
There was a good thread about a year ago on eG in which I learned there’s a lot more out there than Maruchan and Nissin. There’s also been discussion on CH in the past and then there is this blog. I can’t find a lot of the one’s he comments on anywhere, though.
I’ve been trying some of the ones available in the refrigerated section of Hong Kong - dozens and dozens of them - like this:
This was mentioned on the eG thread but I had already discovered it. It’s the best I’ve found, noodles are really, really good. It’s mentioned on Ramen Rater I believe as one of the Top Ten for last year.
I found it once, I think at an HEB, and have never been able to find it again! I think maybe it’s always sold out!
I mentioned upthread i might be going to Banana Leaf and Mamak for this DOTM. I’ll be trying their versions of this dish.
ETA: Oh, yes. Forgot to mention: sodium levels are sky high in all of these.
No. Not frozen. The dried noodles are produced by a different method. I noticed seven out of ten of Ramen Rater’s Top Ten for 2015 were from either Malaysia or Singapore. Do we have a Malaysian/SIngaporean grocery here? Maybe that’s why I can’t find it.
I haven’t been very impressed with most of TJ’s Asian knockoffs so I haven’t even looked for it.
I found the place with the Russian menu - Sinbad, on Westheimer @ Hillcroft. I’ll link to the Yelp page. Although there is a website, it doesn’t show the Russian menu, but there’s a picture of that single page on Yelp (and several reviews). In fact, as of today, the Russian menu is in the review at the top of the queue.
Why non-wheat based noodles? Asking because only rice noodles will remain as the major non-wheat option left.
If you are open to wheat, you’d want to check out these two comprehensive threads on Chinese noodles types (just ignore the restaurant mentions since they are for the SF Bay Area):
Yeah, thanks. I’d seen those and though I haven’t read them through I’ll probably refer to them.
As for the non-wheat based - I was basically just thinking out loud or thinking at the key board in this post. I do have in my pantry from Hong Kong Market, a Super Walmart sized grocery store in Chinatown, some Korean Buckwheat noodles (the label says they do contain wheat) and some sweet potato noodles - di gua fen si - ingredients just listed as starch and water.
Maybe we should think about a get-together. Mamak would be a possibility. This could be one like last month where you can order anything off the menu, not just something related to the DOTM. What do you think?
I’m going to try to get over there in the next couple of days and will report back.
Oh, dear. Well, if it’s any consolation, the presentation is more appealing than the frozen ones I finished off at home last week! Got 'em at Super H Mart but can’t remember the brand.
…so I headed over to San Dong Noodle House for some fried pork dumplings with leek. I haven’t been here in a long time. When I first went years ago it was being touted by other Hounds as the best in town. I understand there’s been an ownership change and the counter lady that some found intimidating wasn’t there today; in her place was a very friendly older gentleman.
It’s counter service, cash only. Pick up a cup and some water, utensils and a bowl to mix your dipping sauce in with the condiments on the table.
May have been some change in the food, I’m not sure, but they’re still very good. I’m not sure there was the choice between leek or cabbage before. I think I might have liked the cabbage better than these.
It’s a very small menu; 20 items in English plus a small Chinese menu of about a dozen items.
The other item that was always highly recommended was the beef noodle soup and I always used to get both but I’ve been needing to cut way back after over-indulging through the holidays. I didn’t even finish all twelve so I’ll have a great bedtime snack or breakfast.
Didn’t have yesterday but I think I remember having tea there before. My memory is slipping away.
Looking at Yelp reviews/pictures, there’s a pic of the current menu plus some previous ones - there have been changes. The pan-fried pork/leek dumplings are new and prices have edged up over the years. I thought I was remembering the first time I went I got the dumplings and soup for right at 10 bucks. Dumplings yesterday were $6.50. So maybe my memory isn’t completely gone.
Lots of good reviews on Yelp and good pics. Also see on Yelp you can buy frozen dumplings to take home. I looked at all their ready-to-go items but didn’t see them. They’re probably better than any you’re going to find at a grocery store.
This would be a good place for a small meet-up. Small menu but lots of good choices. I’m up for that.
I made it over to Mamak today after a failed attempt to get into a jam-packed Uyghur Bistro. I’ll try again there on a weekday.
Mamak has been open for several years now but this is my first visit. It’s a larger, more spacious room than Banana Leaf I right across the parking lot and I didn’t get any of the attitude servers at BL have had toward non-Asian customers.
I had the Singapore Laksa Noodle Soup with noodles, shrimp, chicken and pork along with fried bean curd and vegetables. A pleasant surprise were crisp bean sprouts.
The only thing I have to compare this to is the packaged product mentioned above. All the flavor notes I expected were present but surprisingly that soup was creamier and richer. That was one of the amazing things about it. Of course any shrimp, chicken or pork in it would have been freeze dried. Also I’d have to say the noodles in the packaged product were better; there was nothing stand-out about these noodles to me. Still, it’s very good to know there’s a place to go to get the dish.
I may come back for the Stir-Fried Flat Noodle (Chow Kueh Teow) for this thread but I’ll pass on the Roti Canai. The version here was a leathery pancake with an uninteresting chicken and potato curry for a dipping sauce. And I’ll probably get around to trying BL’s version of this soup.
Malaysian cuisine hasn’t done well here for some reason. Several of the places I’ve been to are gone including the very short-lived Nyonya Grill in Sugar Land that was probably my favorite. I am glad Banana Leaf and Mamak have survived.
The last of gramma’s kraut and bacon pierogis fried up in a pan tonight and served with some Eddy’s Jalapeno and Cheddar sausage… BTW, I discovered Eddy’s when it was on sale at Kroger once and found it to be the most delicious sausage, and this is a sausage lovin’ household.
Those look yummy. So do you still indulge in pierogies at Polonia after having those???
Eddy’s is good stuff. I think I first came across it at Foodtown; I don’t have a Kroger near me so don’t shop there often. There’s several good sausage makers/butcher shops/smokehouses in the Czech-German belt stretching out toward Central Texas.
Note to all: I plan on hitting up Uyghur Bistro and Cooking Girl, the new Sichuan place in Montrose, for some noodles for this thread. If anybody wants to meet up, PM me. This would be for weekday lunch. Weekends are probably going to be packed for both.
Yes that’s it. Thanks. Never would have thought to look as I always assume I can find anything I need or want locally. Alas, I’m not into buying in bulk like that - I like variety too much - but I’m sure I’ll find it here someday; meantime there’s more good stuff to try.
BTW, I discovered Eddy’s when it was on sale at Kroger once and found it to be the most delicious sausage, and this is a sausage lovin’ household.
