Trader Joe's Squiggly Knife Cut Style Noodles with Soy and Sesame Sauce Review - Noodle Journey Episode 64
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Trader Joe’s Squiggly Knife Cut Style Noodles with Soy and Sesame Sauce Review | Noodle Journey Episode 64

I’m reviewing a newish entry in the world of Taiwanese-style noodles sold in the US: Trader Joe's Squiggly Knife Cut Style Noodles with Soy and Sesame Sauce. Despite the silly name (“squiggly”? really?), this is a Taiwanese-style noodle kit that feels like a direct response to Momofuku’s popular product line. Trader Joe’s doesn’t make these in-house, but rather they rebrand from other manufacturers, so it honestly wouldn’t surprise me if these were made by A-Sha, the same company behind Momofuku’s noodles. At $4.99 for a 4-pack (at the time of this review), it’s a pretty reasonable entry point if you’re curious about this type of noodle.

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Nissin Cup Noodle Original Review | Noodle Journey Episode 47

I’m wrapping up the current lineup of Nissin’s Global Favorites with the Nissin Cup Noodle Original flavor, the third and final variety in this US-made series. While the name suggests this is the same recipe that launched Cup Noodle in Japan in 1971, it’s actually more of an homage. This version features an American-made version of that recipe, which contains salty soy broth with dehydrated shrimp, egg, and what Nissin affectionately calls “mystery meat.” Some fans online have claimed it doesn’t taste like the original they remember, which might be due to the glaring “No Added MSG” label. That decision seems geared toward appeasing American shoppers who still think it’s 1987 and MSG is something to fear.

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Nissin Cup Noodle Curry Review | Noodle Journey Episode 46

I'm revisiting Nissin's Global Favorites line with the Nissin Cup Noodle Curry flavor, manufactured in the US despite being based on a classic Japanese variety. Japanese curry is one of my favorite comfort foods. It's thick, mildly sweet, and richly spiced. I regularly buy Vermont Curry roux cubes to make it at home, and while the name "Vermont" would suggest otherwise, it's very much a Japanese product. Japanese curry tends to use honey or fruit for sweetness and has a silky texture with very little heat, even when labeled “hot.”

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Nissin Cup Noodles Pumpkin Spice Flavor Review | Noodle Journey Episode 43

I'm diving into what might be the strangest product I’ve ever reviewed: Nissin Cup Noodles Pumpkin Spice flavor. Yes, it’s real. This seasonal item first launched in fall 2021 and returned in 2022, showing up in stores across the US between September and November. I didn’t expect to find one this late in the season, but there it was on clearance at a local supermarket, because of course it was.

Snapdragon Miso Ramen Review - Noodle Journey Episode 27
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Snapdragon Miso Ramen Review | Noodle Journey Episode 27

This review continues the Snapdragon saga, this time with their Snapdragon Miso Ramen, a "Sapporo-style" miso broth. Following up on last episode’s dismal tonkotsu review, I'm bracing myself for disappointment again, but trying to remain impartial. I paid $3.19 for this cup at my local supermarket at the time of this review. It’s microwavable and contains the same cup format as before, claiming
"rich, vibrant, mouth-watering umami flavor."

Snapdragon Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen Review - Noodle Journey Episode 26
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Snapdragon Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen Review | Noodle Journey Episode 26

This review features my first-ever encounter with a Snapdragon product, a brand I wasn’t familiar with before spotting it at my local Acme. I paid $3.19 for this Snapdragon Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen cup, which is more than any other cup product I’ve reviewed so far. Snapdragon markets itself as delivering premium street food flavor, but this price tag is tough to justify unless it really delivers. This brand also offers other flavors like miso, curry, and pho in mainstream US grocery chains, and I've heard very good things about their pho in particular. Let's see how this goes!

Nongshim Neoguri Review - Noodle Journey Episode 25
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Nongshim Neoguri Spicy Seafood Noodles Review | Noodle Journey Episode 25

For this 25th review milestone, I wanted to do something a little special. I had originally planned to review the Korean import of Nongshim Neoguri, a spicy seafood ramyun with thick udon-style noodles. But while prepping for the shoot, I noticed a twist: my local Wegmans carried a version manufactured in the US, while the one I had bought online was manufactured in Korea for export to the US. That might sound like a small difference, but the ingredients told a very different story.

Momofuku Noodles: The Basic Hack - Noodle Journey
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Momofuku Noodles: The Basic Hack | Noodle Journey

Full disclosure - this Momofuku Noodles: The Basic Hack article works better as a video, which you can view by clicking above. However, for the sake of completion, I'm giving this one a write-up in the same way as my video reviews. Read on if you'd like to learn more about this simple little noodle hack!

After reviewing all three varieties in the Momofuku noodle lineup, I came to the same conclusion about two of them: great noodles, boring sauce. While that's not a great thing, it does actually make them a nice blank canvas. So let me explain to you how to take those underwhelming packets and turn them into something way more satisfying with just a few simple additions. In the video, I used a Soy & Scallion pack, but you can pull this off with any of the Momofuku flavors (or even many A-Sha flavors!).

Momofuku Soy & Scallion Noodles Review - Noodle Journey Episode 18
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Momofuku Soy & Scallion Noodles Review | Noodle Journey Episode 18

It’s time to round out the Momofuku noodle lineup, at least for now at the time of this review, with Momofuku Soy & Scallion flavor. This is the third variety I’ve reviewed after the Spicy Soy and Tingly Chili, and if you’ve seen those reviews, you know I’ve got a lot of love for the quality of the noodles. Credit goes to A-Sha for creating something with serious quality and texture. The Spicy Soy sauce packet was fine but a little underwhelming flavor-wise. The Tingly Chili kicked things up nicely and had a much broader array of flavors besides just soy. This one? It’s basically the Spicy Soy sauce minus the chili oil, with a pack of dried scallions added in. So today’s overall score is going to hinge almost entirely on whether those scallions pull their weight.

Lotus Foods Purple Potato Rice Ramen with Turmeric Curry Soup Review - Noodle Journey Episode 13
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Lotus Foods Purple Potato Rice Ramen with Turmeric Curry Soup Review | Noodle Journey Episode 13

Welcome back to another purple noodle review as I continue my quest to find something gluten-free that doesn’t taste like punishment. This is another Lotus Foods variety, their Purple Potato Rice Ramen with Turmeric Curry Soup. If you caught my review of their Forbidden Rice Ramen with White Miso Soup, you’ll recall I wasn’t exactly kind to the broth in that one. The noodles were fine, but the flavor was a total debacle. This one, at least on paper, looks more promising thanks to the addition of actual spices and the novelty of potato-based noodles.