#64 - Ko-Lee Go Noodles Bomabay Masala Flavour

• Brand: Ko-Lee Go Noodles
• Flavour: Bombay Masala
• Cost: £0.45
• From: Tesco
• Description: Delicious Noodles, Any Time
• Weight: 65g (265g when made as a noodle soup)
• Allergies: Soya, Wheat, Gluten

Back to Ko-Lee Noodles, this time it's another pot. I've already reviewed one pot (Tom Yum) and one packet (Xtreme Hot & Spicy) and both did really well in the Noodle League. This version is Bombay Masala so I'm expecting some real Indian flavours in there, let's see. 

Prep is really easy, add 200ml boiling water for a noodle soup or 150ml for a noodle snack, as usual I went for the noodle soup. For some reason Ko-Lee insist on putting a fork in the pot. Normally I'd have a big rant about this but I'm going to temper that for once. The reason for this is that I've found out that in South East Asia you can get boiling water in all sorts of places for your noodles, I'm talking on trains, in shopping malls, all sorts of places. To this end I understand how a fork may be convenient - I'm still not happy about it but that's all I've got on the subject for today. The rest of the pack is unrecyclable but they still get one out of two for ease of prep and the fact you can eat straight from the packaging.

How do they taste? The answer is interesting. There's a good level of heat in there but it's not a proper chilli hit, it's more of a citric acid hit, not my favourite. According to the ingredients there's more chilli powder than citric acid in there. There's a funny flavour in there too which I can only guess comes from the tomato powder. It's not great but it's not bad, it's just a bit of a mess. Just 1.5 out of 4 here.

Do they remind me of a traditional Masala dish? The answer is no, they need many more spices than chilli and garlic powder to achieve that. There is a bit of an Indian taste profile but honestly, the flavour is a little like a slightly improved Bombay Bad Boy. That's 0.5 out of 2.

How do I feel now I've finished it? The answer is a bit disappointed, but satiated. 1 out of 2.

Conclusion: Ko-Lee should stick to SE Asian flavours.

Need 4 Noodle Rating: 4/10 (this score would have been the same as Pot Noodle's Bombay Bad Boy but Pot Noodles are entirely recyclable, adding the extra point from the first section)

#63 - Mama Shrimp Flavour (Tom Yum) Noodles

• Brand: Mama
• Flavour: Shrimp Flavour (Tom Yum)
• Cost: £0.40
• From: Tesco
• Description: Oriental Style Instant Noodles
• Weight: 60g (410g when rehydrated)
• Allergies: Wheat, Soy and Shrimp

AWESOME!

First of all I need to avoid confusion, this is a shrimp flavoured, hot and sour soup. The term Tom Yum is dervied from two Thai words, Tom and Yam. The Tom refers to a boiling process and Yam relates to a Thai (or Lao) spicy and sour saladm thus Tom Yum is the term for hot and sour soup.

Now that's cleared up, let me say one thing - I love Tom Yum and I've been quite impressed with the Mama range of noodles, bring it on!

Typical Mama packaging, nothing is recyclable but I love how they give you a sachet of chilli powder so you can decide how hot to go. My opinion is "if it's in the pack, add it" which is good as I like spicy food. Prep is very simple, just add hot water, cover and leave for 3 minutes. As soon as you add the flavouring you get a real hit of citrus and chilli in the air - excellent.

How do they taste? The answer is good, very good! The chilli is quite intense, as is the citrus and the shrimp flavour manages to peak through over them both. It's a delicious bowl of noodles.

Does it remind me of Shrimp Tom Yum? The answer is yes, yes, yes! The main ingredients of Tom Yum are stock, lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal, lime juice, fish sauce and chilli peppers - you can taste something that tastes like each of these in this dish, and with the shrimp flavour there too I am really impressed.

How do I feel now I've finished? Apart from the horrible moment after seemingly trying to inhale the broth I feel great, love the flavours left on the palette, enjoyed eating it too. If anything this bowl of noodles has cheered me up when I didn't even realise I needed it.

Conclusion: AWESOME!

Need 4 Noodle Rating: 8.5/10 - had they have been in a recyclable packet, that you can eat straight from, these would have scored 10, they're really, really good!

#62 - Koka Tomato Flavour Noodles

• Brand: Koka Noodles
• Flavour: Tomato Flavour
• Cost: £0.39
• From: Tesco
• Description: N/A
• Weight: 85g (485g when rehydrated)
• Allergies: None Listed

Tomato flavour noodles??? Really??? 

I don't think any UK producer would go for something so simple. That said, if you take a look at a Beef & Tomato Pot Noodle there's no attempt to make the thing taste of beef so maybe they should?

Non recyclable packaging but easy to prepare, they get 0.5 out of 2.

My preconception is that these would just be a bit of tomato powder and a sachet of ketchup. I was wrong, you add the flavour sachet (all powder) at the end of cooking with this product and it's clearly packed with tomato extract. As soon as it hits the hot water you get the same smell as when you open a tin of chopped tomatoes, very interesting...

How do they taste? The answer is quite nice. They're a bit sweet, a bit salty and a bit tangy. There's no massive blast of flavour but what you get is quite refreshing. I'll give these 3 out of 4 I think.

Do they remind me of a traditional tomato dish? The answer is yes and that dish is tinned tomato soup. So they don't taste like a tomato exactly but when I cook with tomatoes I always add a bit of sugar and when I serve them I always add salt - doesn't everybody? However, there is an artificial edge to the tomato taste so, out of 2, they achieve 1 point.

How do I feel now I've finished? Well, the flavour has descended into a kind of meaty after taste which isn't great but I'm pretty happy, another 1 out of 2.

Conclusion: Tomato flavour noodles??? Yes!

Need 4 Noodle Rating: 5.5/10

#61 - Mama Pork Flavour Noodles

• Brand: Mama
• Flavour: Pork Flavour
• Cost: £0.40
• From: Tesco
• Description: Oriental Style Instant Noodles
• Weight: 60g (410g when rehydrated)
• Allergies: Wheat, Soy

More Mama noodles today which makes me happy. The last ones I tried, Kimchi Flavour, were a knock out so here's hoping :-)

The first thing I'd say about these is that they've got different branding than the Kimchi Flavour. The pack is slightly smaller and they're a bit cheaper - actually a whole third cheaper. The packet is still just as unrecyclable, the sachets are pretty much of the same style but the prep is different. All you need to do is add everything to a bowl with 350ml of boiling water, cover and leave for 3 minutes - that's it! Still only get 0.5 out of 2 but I thought that was pretty cool.

How do they taste? The answer is nice. The prevelant taste sensation is the heat from the chilli powder but there's also a deep umami, almost shellfish like, taste that comes right through. There is also a hint of leek flavour too. I like these, they get 3 out of 4 for flavour.

Do they remind me of a pork dish? The answer is only if that pork dish is swimming in chilli and onion. You can't really get any pork flavour but at least they've tried by adding 0.2% artificial pork flavour. Unlucky really, 0.5 out of 2.

How do I feel now I've finished it? The answer is a bit oily. I've got a bit of a slick in my mouth which is coating everything. In terms of satiation I'm good and I do enjoy the lingering sensation of the chilli, it'll have to be 1.5 out of 2.

Conclusion: The difference in the price comes through with the quality but these are still worth a look.

Need 4 Noodle Rating: 5.5/10

#60 - Mama Kimchi Flavour Noodles

• Brand: Mama
• Flavour: Kimchi Flavour
• Cost: £0.60
• From: Tesco
• Description: Oriental Style Instant Noodles
• Weight: 90g (490g when rehydrated)
• Allergies: Gluten, Soy, Milk & Celery

Mama Noodles are one of the most popular instant noodle companies in the world, owned by Thai President Foods they are certainly the largest noodle manufacturer from Thailand.

As usual the packaging isn't recyclable but preparation is simple, everything in the pan, 400ml of boiling water, cook for 4 minutes or so with the odd stir and serve. Inside the packaging with the noodle block you get dehydrated vegetables, kimchi flavouring and some chilli powder. 0.5 out of 2. If you aren't aware of how the scoring works in this section you get half a point if you can eat it straight from the packet, half a point if they're easy to prepare and a full point goes to recyclability.

How do they taste? The answer is really nice. The bits of veg give a great bit of texture, the noodle to broth ratio is perfect and the spice is just awesome, they're getting 4 out of 4.

Do they remind me in any way of traditional kimchi? The answer is yes. For those who don't know, kimchi is the Korean national dish and is basically fermented vegetables with chilli. This gives a slightly pickled flavour and a lot of heat which is exactly how these taste to me, 2 out of 2!

How do I feel now I've finished? Well, my mouth is on fire but in a good way. I feel light and refreshed and ready to take on the afternoon! These are great! Another 2 out of 2.

Conclusion: Mama are the size they are for a reason - awesome!

Need 4 Noodle Rating: 8.5/10

#59 - Koka Curry Flavour Noodles

• Brand: Koka Noodles
• Flavour: Curry Flavour
• Cost: £0.39
• From: Tesco
• Description: N/A
• Weight: 85g (485g when rehydrated)
• Allergies: None Listed
  
  
   
  Very tasty, just a tad too salty in the end

Back with the Koka packet noodles. I had the vegetable flavour yesterday and they did alright, plus I've already reviewed the curry flavour pot which did rather well, so I'm looking forward to these.

So they come in a non recyclable packet but are easy to prepare so that's 0.5 out of 2 in the first round. When you're preparing these though you get a great scent of Chinese curry (chip shop curry) and I love that so I'm looking forward more and more...

How do they taste? The answer is lovely. They've got a very slight level of spice, great sweetness and perfectly seasoned. It's just a shame there's nothing in the broth in terms of vegetables as that would have really set it off nicely. 3 out of 4 for out and out taste.

Do they remind me in any way of a curry dish? The answer is yes. Just like their sticky chip shop counterpart these noodles taste very good, the only difference is that these are in a broth and that doesn't bother me at all. 2 out of 2 for tasting like what they say they taste like.

How do I feel now I’ve finished? Wishing I had more, I'm not a massive eater but I could keep going with these. There is the old Koka salty taste coming through now though so only 1 out of 2 as it's a bit overpowering.

Conclusion: The pot version is 50p more but it contains a myriad of veg. The taste is very similar but you get more in the packet - tough one to call.

Need 4 Noodle Rating: 6.5 /10

#58 - Koka Vegetable Flavour Noodles

• Brand: Koka Noodles
• Flavour: Vegetable Flavour
• Cost: £0.39
• From: Tesco
• Description: N/A
• Weight: 85g (485g when rehydrated)
• Allergies: None Listed
  
   

Very nice!

So far I've only reviewed the Koka products in the pot, this is the first of the packet types and I've gone for a simple vegetable flavour although I did find a total of 6 flavours in the Tesco I was in (Forster Sq, Bradford) which will be reviewed before too long.

As usual there's nothing recyclable about the packaging but the cooking is one of the quickest I've seen, noodles in a pan and cook for 2 -3 minutes adding the flavourings, that's it and that's speedy! Still only 0.5 out of 2 for this section though.

Just before I move on, here's the entire ingredients list (noodles aside); Salt, MSG, Vegetable Flavouring, Soya Bean Extract & Spices - compare that to any packet of Super Noodles (at nearly twice the price too) and see which you prefer the look of. In fact, have a look at this review where I listed all the ingredients in the Southern Fried Chicken Super Noodles, I think it's astonishing I really do.

How do they taste? The answer is nice. There's a fair bit of salt knocking about but it really helps to bring out the other flavours. The main ones I pick up are onion and mushroom.

Do they remind me in any way of a vegetable dish? The answer is yes. They taste a bit like vegetable soup, they are salty though.

How do I feel now I’ve finished? Salty but contented, the broth / noodle ratio is bang on and the taste isn't bad at all.

Conclusion: Do not buy UK produced noodle products - unless they're Kabuto - Asian products are usually a lot better.

Need 4 Noodle Rating: 5.5 /10