Instant Noodles around the World 9 - Campbell's Curry Noodle

I went to C1000 the other day and was surprised to see Campbell's instant noodle!

I hate to say this but instant noodle market is dominated by Asians. You don't see instant noodles made by Western companies doing well in the market. Face the reality: Asians are more familiar with this type of noodle (not pasta). In terms of flavor, Asian taste has a lot of advantages because we mostly drink thin, clear soup (creamy or thick soups are considered Western food most of the time). You don't really find any instant noodles with thick soup unless you are buying something like instant curry udon.  And (pssst) Asians know how to use MSG better. LOL.

Nevertheless, there is no reason not to try something new. After all, I might like it. Well, let's start with the evaluation part, as usual.

What I find interesting is the fact that it can be either cooked by hot water for 3 minutes or boiled for +/- 3 minutes. You see, boiling for about 3 minutes and letting it sit in an open bowl for 3 minutes is very different. Unlike cup noodles, there is no lid to cover the bowl (at least the instruction doesn't say you need a lid to cover the bowl).

I tried cooking it using the hot water method just to try it out, and it didn't really work out well.

The noodle was still uncooked on the inside and by the time it's done, the soup has become somehow cold. The weakness with this method is the fact that the place this instant noodle is sold, the Netherlands, has generally low temperature aside from summer time. Even in the tropics we still use the aluminum lid provided in cup noodles to keep the heat from escaping, and the cooking time is still 3 minutes. Also, generally cup noodles have thinner, softer noodles than noodles in packs.

That aside, the flavor was lacking. There was no kick to the flavor, and the flavor does not coat the noodle very well. The condiments made it look more value added but I did not see it as a big plus point.

Maybe if I cook it over the stove it would taste better. Soups that are no longer warm slightly loses its taste and you cannot smell the aroma, which is part of the eating experience.

I'm not sure if I will buy this product again because I still prefer other Asian brands like IndoMie, Shin Ramyun and MAMA.