Noodle Journey Episode 166: Yumei Henan Noodle Original Soup

Original video description:

A viewer recommendation led me to try Yumei Henan Noodle Original Soup, a Chinese instant noodle that immediately stood out to me for its wide, air-dried noodles and interesting-sounding broth ingredients. The product photos looked amazing: flat, broad noodles unlike anything I’ve had on the channel before. Henan noodle soup (Huī miàn) dates back to the Tang Dynasty, and its traditional version uses lamb bones and herbs for a light but rich broth. This export version skips the lamb but advertises an herb-forward, savory base. Yumei makes a range of foods beyond noodles, including snacks, sauces, and self-heating hot pots, though this was my first review of any of their products. There’s also a spicy version with a different vegetable mix, which I plan to track down later if this one performs well.

Read more: Noodle Journey Episode 166: Yumei Henan Noodle Original Soup

I found this on Yamibuy for $7.99 for a four-pack, though it also appears at some Asian groceries. Each serving contains 2,200 mg of sodium, so moderation is advised. Inside are air-dried broad wheat noodles, a soup base made from salt, soy sauce, and spices, an oil packet containing sesame oil with detectable star anise, and a vegetable pack that was labeled as containing fungus, wolfberry, coriander, carrot, and daylily. Cool, right? Unfortunately, the actual contents didn’t match what was printed: no wolfberries or daylilies were present, and it appeared to contain cabbage and scallions instead. That packaging inaccuracy is disappointing, not just because I was excited to try some new mix-ins, but because in general those herbs would have made this product far more distinctive.

When cooked, the aroma is rich and savory, with sesame, star anise, and a general herby quality being pretty apparent.

Noodles:
Thick, chewy, and outstanding. These wide wheat noodles are hearty and texturally perfect, easily among the best I’ve had from any Chinese instant noodle.
• 10/10

Spiciness:
None. This is the non-spicy version, so there’s no chili heat at all.
• 0/10

Overall:
Despite the packaging mix-up with regard to the dried ingredients, this is still a great-tasting noodle soup. The broth is meaty, herbaceous, and satisfying, with the salt and star anise flavors balanced out very well so as not to be too salty or pungent. The sesame oil gives it real depth and a slightly silky texture. It tastes far richer than it looks and pairs nicely with the wide noodles. Still, the missing ingredients knock it down a notch, because this product just isn’t what it claims to be. If the vegetable pack had been accurate, this could have been a much more exciting recommendation, especially for those unfamiliar with this style of Chinese soup. As it stands, it’s a flavorful and comforting meal worth trying, but be forewarned about what you’re actually getting in the package.
• 7.5/10