2010-02-03

Kung-Fu Brand Instant Oriental Noodle Soup "Artificial Beef Flavor"

Brand: Kung-Fu Brand Instant Oriental Noodle Soup
Flavour: Artificial Beef Flavor
Format: brick-in-packet
Packets: two
Identifiables: noodle brick, dried herbs, flavour powder, orange oil
Sodium: 2.20 grams

I've heard it said that "kung fu" roughy translates to "how to do it right". It's a promising name for this brand of instant noodles. I can say with certainty that it does not apply to the graphic design of the packaging, as evidenced by the photos. If there's one thing I've learned from doing this blog, however, it's that the appearance of a package has basically zero correlation with the quality of the contents. (As a note, the contents are visible through a little clear window on the packet, which does seem a little pointless....)

The contents of the package start with a heavily fried noodle brick. I say this because it's somewhat yellow with browned areas and feels slightly oily, as opposed to most instant noodles which are sort of pale ivory and dry. A foil sachet opens easily to reveal dried herbs and a strangely sweet-smelling flavour powder. A clear, well-pinked packet shows thick, semi-solid oil the colour of orange juice. That's actually good, because in this case it means that the palm oil is unrefined. Health benefits!

The directions are the best part of this packet. There are two sets. The second is a standard "boil for two minutes" deal, but the first is a more convenient method of putting all the stuff in the packet into a bowl, pouring 400cc (two cups by their measure, but those are six-ounce cups) of boiling water in, and covering for three minutes. This appeals to the lazy part of me, which is approximately all of me, so I did that. After three minutes, I lifted the cover off the bowl so as to drip steaming hot condensate from the lid all over my hand get at the cooked noodles.

The flavour... well, it's lightly beefy, yes, but due to the sweetness and the pronounced wheatiness of the slick noodles, I was reminded more of graham crackers than cow, especially as I sip the salty, oily broth. I'm not really sure how to rank this. It's not bad, but it's not quite what it claims to be, and it's a bit oily for my tastes. As far as the choices in my Ramenbox order, it's the least-appealing ramen I've had, and the first I wouldn't really recommend.

Numbers: packaging 3, preparation 3, heat 0, flavour 2, overall 3
Music: Elvis Costello - Spike - Veronica

9 comments:

Paapeseed said...

I grew up on this stuff...I usually ditch the oil packet & add sriracha sauce (the one with the rooster) to the bowl. It tastes a lot better that way. Also, I tend to use less water, about 8 oz, and I put it in a pot and cook it over the stove. The noodles soften up better and become almost transparent. I can't eat the Americanized ramen after eating this stuff. I've also seen friends crack an egg into their bowl, serve it with bean sprouts and green onion or lime.

Anonymous said...

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this kind of noodle. It's so good. YUM!

Michi said...

Yeah, this is what my Vietnamese family ate too. You can get them in any big city, but in the small town I now live in, I can't find it. I stock up when I visit my family in Chicago, Boston or DC. But, now I'm trying to see if I can get them online. I've noticed that compared with other instant noodles, this brand has fewer artificial ingredients. Makes me more intent on sticking with the old favorite. The way a lot of Asians use instant noodles is really like a soup starter. We add fresh meat and vegetables to make it a real meal.

Laiger said...

If it's too salty for your taste just add more water before you cook it. I always eat Kung Fu Beef flavor noodles for lunch at work. At home I always add one egg, green onion and celentrils. I got a lot of my co-workers into Kung Fu type of noodles and they said that it's way better then the American version. The Crab flavor is the best and the worst is the Chicken flavor.

Anonymous said...

These are the best ramen noodle and flavor out there. The problem is that you followed the directions on the package. Gotta hack it! Use less water, add thin slices of beef, cook it over the stove until the noodles are super soft and have absorbed most of the liquid, squeeze of lime....yum!!!

Mr anderson said...

It needs to be said that these Kung Fu beef noodles were most eaten noodles in the late 70s and into 80s.

Every, and I mean every Vietnamese house hold had a box at least at all times. You cannot put these in a bowl like cup o noodles, doesn't work like that.

Anonymous said...

I'm not Asian but I did grow up on Kung-Fu Beef Flavor...you have to cook it in a pot & not so much water...it's got a spice to it...the combination of everything that comes in the packet was well put together...Yum!!!

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