Noodle name: Demae Ramen
Country of origin: Apparently the company was started in Japan in 1969 but this pack was produced in Hungary. This makes me ponder the effect of Brexit will be on the instant noodle industry. But not for very long.
Noodle flavour: Duck
Cooking instructions: Add to 500ml water and boil for five minutes. Seasoning added at end.
Flavouring packets: One.
Overall: The duck used to flavour these noodles was presumably killed as it was stood so far in the middle of the road it was run over by Gary Barlow's tour bus. The over-riding taste is peppery chicken stock cube - there's a touch of extra richness, which accounts for duck, but it's just nothing special. The noodles themselves are okay, though there was no way I was going to find out if they held up to five minutes boiling. Like 100% of jazz fusion, these are absolutely a boring noodle - but sometimes what you need is boring (except for jazz fusion). After all, as the Chinese proverb reads "Better to be a dog in a peaceful time, than to be a human in a chaotic (warring) period"*. Because really, when it comes down to it, these noodles will make you happy if you like instant noodles. Yes, that is the same with most instant noodles and does render this blog more redundant than a journalist in 2020 - but if you hadn't worked that out already, you're not allowed to read on any further.
If these noodles were a crime novel they'd be: A mid-period Rebus. One I was pleased enough to read but can't remember details of at all. Actually, to be honest, that's pretty much all Rebus.
Rating: 2.5/5
* 'May you live in interesting times', is not a Chinese proverb. It was probably made up by British statesman Joseph Chamberlain.
Nissin are the ur-noodle, being founded by Momofuku Ando, the inventor of instant ramen, all decent but often a bit dull, as you say with these. I think the dull flavoured Euro ones I've had were all German, the Hungarian ones I've had were more interesting flavours such as Garlic Chicken and Thai Tom Tum.
ReplyDeleteThere's some Polish ones in the shop near me but even the packaging looks dull. Didn't know that they were from Momofuko Ando. Truly you are the expert here.
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