The humble instant noodles has been part of our lives for many, many years. For me, I consider it as one of the food that helped me go through schooling, especially during those times I had to burn the midnight oil - making projects or reviewing for an upcoming exam. There are a lot of negative connotation for the instant noodles, but the simple truth is that... it is easy to prepare (no need to cook anything), it's hot soup is comforting, and the carbohydrates is enough to fill the tummy for the next few hours.
Now that I am out of school, the instant noodles is still part of my life, and is my usual go-to food whenever I am home alone and lazy to cook. At home, we prepare a bowl for us to share whenever we cook fried dishes. Fried food and hot noodle soup sure make a good pair.
When it comes to instant noodles, one of the brands that would always come to mind is Nissin, and for a long time now, I consider their Seafood Cup Noodles my favorite. I love it because it offered a different taste (as it is often the Chicken or Beef that people go for).
Just this month, Nissin-Universal Robina Corporation (NURC) launched its latest offering - Nissin Souper Meal, through its Japanese-themed noodle festival, the Nissin Souper Food Trip at Robinson's Place Manila.
A part of the mall was transformed into a Japanese alley, complete with accents and stalls that offered different Nissin Souper Meal noodles, making it feel like guests were strolling along a Japanese street. We were given a passport, which we had to present to every stall for stamping before we were given a sample of each of the noodle flavors.
Nissin Souper Meal (Seafood)
Offers a deep-sea delight in a hefty serving. Like what I have said earlier, this has been my favorite flavor, and I was glad that even if Nissin noodles had a new look, the flavor didn't change at all. It still had it's distinct seafood flavor with the spicy kick of the ginger.
Nissin Souper Meal (Garlic Pork Tonkotsu)
Whenever we are at a Japanese restaurant, I don't really go for Ramen, but when I do, I usually go for pork-flavored ramen because of it's savory thick (and slightly creamy) broth, and I am so happy that Nissin offered this flavor. The way I described this was that of a fusion of Japanese Pork Ramen and the garlicky Batchoy. This is Nissin's first ever pork-based variant.
Nissin Souper Meal (Hot & Spicy)
I like spicy food, yes... but only as a side condiment, because I still prefer the not-spicy dish and just add a little of the spicy condiment every now and then to change the eating experience. When I reached the Hot & Spicy stall, I was apprehensive if I could appreciate it, and of the four flavors, this was the one that surprised me the most. It is spicy, but not too much that it burns the roof of your mouth, and certainly not the kind that would make you cry profusely. What I liked more was its refreshing feel in the mouth, maybe because the soup was like that of water (not creamy or thick). The hint of mushrooms in the soup also added a new flavor, making this my favorite of the three "new" flavors I tasted that day.
Nissin Souper Meal (Beef Brisket)
If one eats with the eyes first, I say we eat with our nose next. I loved how this soup smelled, and tasting it completed the whole experience.
At the end of the food tasting activity, we presented our stamped passports and we played a ball game. Unfortunately, I didn't win, but if you want to be part of this tasty event, there will be another Nissin Souper Food Trip happening next year - January 16 and 17 at the Trinoma Mall and January 30 and 31 at Glorietta Mall.
- * - * - * - * - * -
At this time and age, we are no longer settling for "pwede na." Today's go-getters look for bold, delicious, and filling noodles, and the Nissin Souper Meal offer just that. With its now bigger size compared to the usual Cup Noodles, it is guaranteed to satisfy our hungry tummies. What's better is that Nissin Souper Meal is packed with a lot of toppings, so we are no longer eating "just noodles."
Then again, if you want to elevate your noodles, you may try any of these:
1) Serve it with toasted bread. Doesn't matter if you butter it or not... doesn't matter if you add garlic bits to it or not... just toast the bread and eat it with the noodles. Yeah, it's carbo-loading food, but bread and a bowl of hot, comforting noodles just taste good together.
2) Add more vegetables. Each bowl of Nissin Souper Meal has enough vegetables and meat bits, but if you want more, you can always add thinly sliced cabbage leaves and carrots. These two vegetables can be eaten raw, so just add the veggies into the bowl, add the hot water, wait.. then eat.
3) Add protein. A lot of people criticize instant noodles as just "carbohydrates and seasoning," so why not make it a complete meal by adding vegetables AND protein? For the Seafood Flavor you may add some baby shrimps, for the Hot & Spicy you may add flaked chicken, for the Garlic Pork Tonkotsu you may add store bought siomai or any pork products, and for the Beef Brisket you may add thinly sliced beef.
However, for if you're a student or a very busy working person and you had no left over meat or you don't have the time to prepare the meat, you may add egg instead. Just take out the noodles first, and in the empty paper bowl, add the dehydrated toppings and seasonings, then add boiling water. For this, I recommend you use boiling water and NOT just hot water, because you need to cook the egg. Once you add the boiling water, add the egg and stir the broth before adding back the noodles. Leave it covered for 3-5 minutes, and enjoy your meal.
Nissin Souper Meal is now available in all supermarkets and grocery stores for only 29 pesos per bowl. A satisfying meal that's easy on the budget...now that's the way I like it!