Here’s all the noteworthy noodle news you may have missed in July 2026. Ramen Bae releases an exciting new dried topping mix, Nissin makes a scientific breakthrough with a new Cup Noodle, another promising new partnership with A-Sha is announced, and a legend in the instant noodle world has passed away. Read on for all the news!
Ramen Bae Chicken Mix
It’s been a while since I reviewed anything from Ramen Bae, because they’ve been very focused on expanding their business with protein noodles in the last year or so, and those are pretty expensive and not exactly high on my priority list to purchase. But this new mix they’ve released, which has actual dark meat chicken pieces in it, has me extremely excited. Prior to now, the only dried topping I have ever seen that included chicken is the excellent Ramen Toppers Black Garlic Chicken for Noodles, but this Ramen Bae mix offers a different mixture of toppings accompanying the chicken pieces: fried shallots, cabbage, soy beef, carrots, shiitake mushrooms, green onions, corn, and bok choy. I’ll probably grab a bag of this next time there’s a big sale, maybe if they bundle it with one of the protein noodles so I can give those a whirl. While this won’t have the delicious black garlic flavor Ramen Toppers offers, I’m willing to bet it will also be an excellent product given Ramen Bae’s track record.
Another Gimmick from Nissin is a Scientific Breakthrough
I hesitate to call this one a “gimmick” since I usually reserve that term for the various American Cup Noodles that Nissin’s released over the last few years, like Pumpkin Pie, S’mores, and Dill Pickle. But this might be the best kind of gimmick because it’s actually a revolutionary way to cook instant noodles. Nissin has announced that they’ve figured out a formula for instant noodles that can rehydrate with cold water. Of course as anyone reading this probably knows, Cup Noodles have always needed a boiling or near-boiling water temperature to rehydrate, but there are now two new summertime Cup Noodle flavors, available only in Japan as of right now, that use cold water for a refreshing take on an instant noodle. While some people do find the idea of cold noodles to be odd, I enjoy them on occasion, like with Marutai Chilled Chinese Noodles, Paldo Bibimmen, and Nongshim Noodle Salad with Miso Vinaigrette. The two flavors are Chicken Lemon Shio and Spicy Kimchi. As I type this post, I have both cups in transit from Japan, so I’ll be hoping to review them before the summer ends.
Better Than Bouillon x A-Sha
Better Than Bouillon and A-Sha have announced a new collaboration called Better Than Ramen, which combines A-Sha’s air-dried Meteor noodles with Better Than Bouillon broth starters, in both Chicken and Tonkotsu flavors. A limited-edition ten-pack including five servings of each flavor will be available beginning August 3 exclusively at select Costco locations in the USA. This combination makes a lot of sense to me because A-Sha’s Meteor noodles are some of the best air-dried noodles I’ve had, and using Better Than Bouillon instead of a typical powdered soup packet has the potential to produce an incredible broth. My wife and I frequently cook with Better Than Bouillon products, so I’d be very keen to get my hands on these. Unfortunately, none of the initial Costco locations are anywhere near me, but hopefully these will eventually get a wider release. If not, I might have to plan for a road trip!
Death of Pipat Paniangvait
Some sad news out of Thailand this month: Pipat Paniangvait, chairman and executive chairman of Thai President Foods, has passed away peacefully at the age of 87. Paniangvait was one of the key figures behind Mama instant noodles, helping develop the brand for more than 54 years from a new instant noodle product into a household staple in Thailand with an international presence. If you’re reading this site, there’s a good chance you’ve eaten a Mama product at some point, and I’ve reviewed plenty of them myself over the years, so his impact on the instant noodle industry is pretty hard to overstate. My condolences go out to his family, friends, and everyone at Thai President Foods.
