Instant Noodles Around the World 7 - MAMA

This time, it's from Thailand. When I was in high school, my Thai friend told me of this brand. My first MAMA instant noodle was Tom Yum Flavour (the clear soup version, not the creamy one). The flavor was absolutely wonderful, and the spices kicks you in. I could even say that I like the tom yum soup from MAMA much better than in those in Thai restaurants. The less authentic ones, of course. 

I decided to try the Shrimp Creamy TOM YUM Flavour this time. The packaging is only slightly different from the non-creamy tom yum: the non-creamy one has this purplish, metallic packaging while this one has orange, metallic packaging. You can't really tell any difference once you opened the package:

The same thin, slightly brown noodle. The noodle is actually very crispy and you can actually eat it as uncooked. It's weird to say that the noodle is uncooked, because in reality all instant noodles have been either fried or oven-dried, so they are technically cooked. Well, let's just say that the noodle has not been boiled according to the preparation steps :)

The powdered seasoning has dried cream / coconut milk powder. I was a little skeptical about the end product because a lot of times powdered cream soup doesn't give you the right consistency: you can sometimes see floating cream particles that do not dissolve into the soup, and they normally give you this unpleasant grittiness in your mouth. I thought the cream would be in the oil-based seasoning, but I guess not.

Judging from the packaging, this MAMA instant noodle must be an export-quality product. The main language of instruction is still English, though.

It turned out much better than I expected. The cream didn't dissolve very well, but it didn't give grittiness. The only warnings I have for preparing this noodle is the fact that the noodle gets soft really easily (maybe because it's thin?). You can even prepare this noodle by pouring boiling water into a bowl of unprepared instant noodle and it will be ready to eat in about 3-5 minutes. It's the perfect instant noodle for people who are too lazy to wash the pan. I don't mind washing dishes, but I have certain moments when I just don't feel like doing so. For example, in the morning.

The portion size is also a bit small compared to other instant noodles, so it is most likely not enough for people with big appetite. But the good news is that when you want to eat something rather light and refreshing, MAMA instant noodle is a good choice. I'm not too sure about the caloric content because it's somehow not stated in the packaging (yet it's an export-quality product - maybe I missed it).

My verdict: I LOVE IT!