Doll Noodles

I almost never have an egg in my instant noodles unlike most people. I love my instant noodles with lots of veg, and if in Australia, I make it luxurious with lots of beef strips and button mushrooms.

I always tell my kids that I think God's best food creation was the egg while men's greatest food invention is...instant noodles.

You are starving, climbing the mountain, in a camp, have the runs, lost your appetite, haven't got your pay check yet, your MIL bullied you, what do you eat?

Instant noodles are light, compact, easy to bring along, cost less than a can of Coke, can be cooked in an instant (ya, duh), are cheap and are delicious. I think my middle child grew up on instant noodles, especially when he was in mid-teens and always hungry. I wonder if there's a height link--Ming eats a lot of instant noodles and is 6 feet (like everyone, he claims himself taller) tall. Yi doesn't eat instant noodles and has remained at her Grade 9 height, which is, ahem. I know that's rubbish. I'm just adding fuel to all the myths about instant noodles, the no. 1 myth (or truth?) being instant noodles cause alopecia (because of the msg, which is the main ingredient that makes the noodles delicious) and cancer, because it has all those additives, including wax, which is supposedly used to coat the noodles. But I'm not one of those mothers who avoid instant noodles. I have two dear friends who scorn at my appreciation of instant noodles. They think instant noodles are never to be given to kids but strange enough, these dear friends let their kids eat those highly processed, highly additives-spiked frozen sausages which I avoid as vehemently as they do instant noodles.

We get a very limited choice of instant noodles here. I always check out the instant noodles aisle in supermarkets when I travel and I've been known to lug back a box of the stuff when my luggage limit is already busted. I've also been known to hide them from my boys. One of my fondest memory was what happened years ago when my MIL had her way ("Your kids should come first, travel can wait!"), I sulked in bed all day, genuinely feeling miserable, and little Ming brought me a bowl of instant noodles he had cooked. The next day I flew off to Hong Kong, with the blessings of my Hub much to MIL's indignation.

I have a list here of the instant noodles that I've eaten the last few weeks. I'll start with my least-liked ones. Why I bother to have them on my list is because there aren't that many brands of instant noodles to make a list of if I don't include them.

1. Maggi instant noodles, Malaysia's favorite. Surprise--I dislike Maggi instant noodles. The texture of the noodles is spongy instead of springy. Okay, if I under cook them, they give a slight springy bite, but that is only for a few seconds before the whole bowl of noodles becomes soft. Bleh. If anything, I do like Maggi's flavors. I wish they would get their noodles right.



Along with Maggi are substandard noodles like Cintan (I liked their assam laksa once upon a time), Mamee and all those forgettable names. I know most students like Maggi, and in Australia, Indomie. But I did say students, didn't I.

2. Korean instant noodles. I shall consider them all the same. Big, fat and hot. The problem with big, fat and hot (I'm talking noodles here) is that after a while, it gets boring. If it's not kimchi flavor, it's beef flavor and the texture of the noodles are too meaty. Btw, my Korean friend taught me to add an egg to the noodles to reduce the hotness. Adding an egg to instant noodles is like fish with chips, they belong together. But this is where I differ again. I don't like an egg in my instant noodles because if I'm not careful, the egg can break (some people stir their egg up on purpose) and make the soup cloudy. Horror. That would mess the taste of the soup. I like my instant noodles with greens, especially sayur manis, which I pluck screaming from my garden straight into the pot. Okay, on the way into the kitchen, I do wash the leaves quickly. Another thing you'd notice when I eat my instant noodles. I don't drink the soup. Maybe two spoonsful are all I drink. I know, what's the point, but I am terrified of the alopecia threat...



3. Ah, Nissin's instant noodles. I like this, especially the sesame oil flavor but the noodles are not as springy as I would like. See that drawing of a little boy on the packet? Regardless of brands, instant noodles are called "goong jai meen" in Chinese and it means 'doll's noodles'. I think it is because the first brand of instant noodles is the Doll brand from Hong Kong and their logo was a doll in the shape of the Chinese word for 'ren' or people. Read about instant noodles here.



4. Myojo's instant noodles are good. I've shown two of their best here. The noodles are springy and the flavors are good. I like.





5. This I had to get my friend Y to bring back from Hong Kong because they don't sell them here anymore. Tell me if you see any in our stores. Strangely, they seem to have only Creamy Shrimp flavor Yum Yum in Hong Kong because that's what I found too when I was in Hong Kong last year. I ate some other fantastic flavors in New Zealand, of all places, a thousand years ago. I have to say Yum Yum is by far my favorite instant noodles. The noodles are flat and thin and super springy, and because the noodles are coated with msg and flavor too, they blend with the fakeness of the msg soup, unlike noodles without a seasoning coating which can taste very 'unconnected' because the soup can be highly flavored while the noodles are bland, and you taste both in one mouthful. Know what I mean?


Yes, the mother of them all, for me, is Yum Yum! I do have a complain about Yum Yum. The taste is usually a bit on the sweet side.

When Y flew back to Hong Kong last week, I told her I wanted Yum Yum which is from Thailand but she wasn't sure so she bought me MaMa too, which is Thailand's top instant noodles brand (thanks, Y!). I haven't tasted it yet but I have a feeling it'll be good. Btw, I think American/Canadian instant noodles taste the worst of them all. They taste like what they are: American/Canadian instant noodles with funny flavors and texture. A totally different thing.

I also like Tung-I although now we only get its cousin Tung-e, I don't know why. So wonderfully full of onion oil and msg deliciousness.

What brands of instant noodles do you like? Tell me, I'll look out for them.