A shallot and scallion oil instant noodle sold by New Taipei City-based Howsler Foods Co has been ranked among the top 10 instant noodles of this year by Washington state blogger Hans Lienesch on his “Ramen Rater” Web site.
In this year’s edition of the “Top 10 Instant Noodles of All Time” list, Lienesch ranked the Xiao Ban Mian (小拌麵) traditional flavor dry noodle ninth. It was the only Taiwanese product to crack the top 10.
Lienesch said he tried the three varieties of the Xiao Ban Mian dry noodle line during a visit to Taiwan in November last year, and the traditional shallot & scallion oil noodle left an impression on him.
“I got to try them while there and then tried again for review and both times came to the same conclusion — they’re excellent,” he wrote in his review.
“The noodles are plentiful and have a very nice chew. The flavor is really great — tasty and full of shallot and scallion flavor. Another example of Taiwan’s mastery of simplicity in the dry noodle genre,” he added.
Combining shallots and sesame in the condiments represented a perfect match, giving the noodles a taste that was neither too salty nor too bland, he said.
“A perfect balance. I’m definitely thrilled to have tried this,” he said.
Kao Hua-yi (高華一), a founder of Howsler Foods, welcomed the ranking for his company’s product and said the Xiao Ban Mian dry noodle line uses noodles from Tainan’s Guanmiao District (關廟), which is well-known for producing chewy noodles.
Howsler adds secret ingredients into the dry noodles’ sauce to give them a smooth texture and taste, Kao said.
Prima Taste Singapore Laksa Wholegrain La Mian scored first place in Ramen Rater’s ranking for the second consecutive year with a broth that was “harmony” and noodles that had a “hearty chew and richness,” Lienesch wrote.
MyKuali Penang Spicy Prawn Soup Noodle from Malaysia also held on to its second-place spot for another year because of a broth that was “oily, thick and exploding with prawn favor.”
Two more Singaporean products made the Top 10 — Nissin Straits Kitchen/Straits Reborn Laksa, which came in third, and Prima Taste Singapore Curry Wholegrain La Mian in sixth place.
CarJEN Nyonya Curry Laksa, MyKuali Penang Red Tom Yum Goong Noodle and Nyor Nyar Penang White Curry Instant Noodle from Malaysia placed fourth, fifth and seventh respectively.
Rounding out the list were Hong Kong’s Nissin Demae Ramen Straight Noodle Black Garlic Oil Tonkotsu Flavour Instant Noodle in eighth place and South Korea’s Paldo Budae Jigae Ramyun in 10th.
Lienesch launched his “Ramen Rater” database in 2002, but gave it up for a few years before restarting it as a Web site in 2010.
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