Noodle Journey Episode 74: MyKuali Penang White Curry Noodle

I’m reviewing a Malaysian product today that’s been called one of the best instant noodles in the world: MyKuali’s Penang White Curry. David Chang named it his top pick several years back, The Ramen Rater has given it high praise, and it’s been at the top of several “best of” lists. I had to hunt this one down, and while it was hard to find at first, I later spotted it at my local Asian market after overpaying for it online. So if you’re in the US, keep an eye out locally before shelling out for a third-party Amazon seller.

Read more: Noodle Journey Episode 74: MyKuali Penang White Curry Noodle

This curry variety is described as a seafood-based white curry, despite its red appearance. The base typically includes coconut milk and aromatics, though I didn’t see coconut or peanut listed in the ingredients. The noodle block is fragile and crumbly, made with wheat flour and tapioca starch. It comes with three packets: a dark curry paste full of garlic, onion, chili pepper, shrimp paste, and fish seasoning; a soup powder with sugar, MSG, and seafood seasoning; and a non-dairy creamer that smells like nothing at all. Sodium is very high at 3,060mg, so this isn’t for anyone watching their salt intake. What most intrigues me about this product is that the recipe has apparently changed multiple times over the years. This is apparently an intentional effort by MyKuali to keep perfecting the recipe year after year. So that means the version of this recipe I’m reviewing right now is most likely not the same recipe that David Chang praised years ago, and it also means that it will have changed after this review is published. Wild stuff.

Noodles:
Despite their delicate texture in the package, the noodles cook up wonderfully. They’re springy, firm, and have a satisfying chew. I do wish the portion were bigger, but on quality alone, they are a terrific texture.

• 9/10

Spiciness:
This one brings a lot more heat than I was expecting. It hits your lips and throat with some solid spice. I can’t say how spicy earlier versions may have been, but this current one is undeniably fiery.

• 7/10

Overall:
The broth is rich, creamy, and complex with a generous oiliness on top. The dominant curry paste flavor offers warming notes like cinnamon, star anise, black pepper, and possibly cumin, and it’s well-balanced enough that as someone who still kind of dislikes cumin, I could appreciate it. There’s some sweetness and saltiness from the shrimp and fish base, but I didn’t find it particularly fishy. What I did find is that I wanted a bit more of that seafood flavor and maybe a bit of peanut or lime flavor, which are traditionally associated with Penang curry from what Google told me. The spice level and salt can be a bit much, even for someone with my tolerance, but overall, it’s a complex and flavorful product. For this version of the recipe, I don’t find it as perfect as other reviewers have made previous iterations out to be, but I definitely enjoyed this.

• 8/10

Notes since filming:

I really expected to get a lot more flak for not liking this one enough to give it a 10. It’s definitely one of the more top-tier curry flavors out there, but I still wonder if one of the older versions of the recipe was better.