I finally had a chance to sit down and enjoy this very garlicky yakisoba fried noodle from Nissin. Nissin has a line of UFO yakisoba noodles which replicate the fresh fried yakisoba noodle experience. Yakisoba is usually fried in a pan or hot plate with fresh ingredients like cabbage (a must) and mixed thoroughly with a sauce then served on a plate. I usually having their instant ramen, but I'm trying their yakisoba noodles which are slightly thicker and chewier. These noodles are called UFO as their original packaging resembled the pie pan type UFO shape, but Garlic Black Pepper Yakisoba I'm trying is part of their Big line which comes in larger rectangular boxes.
 |
| Very nice packaging. Looks really tasty. Nice bright bold yellow and black colours. Notice the word Garlic at the top in a ghostly white print. I like the cartoon drawing of a pepper mill and a head of garlic at the top too. |
 |
| Angle shot of box. |
 |
| Look at the black pepper on noodles. |
 |
| A look at the bottom of the package. Almost looks like some kind of survival kit or something with the bright yellow and black. |
Making the yakisoba is similar to their instant ramen. You lift one corner of the lid, pour in boiling water up to the fill line, then let it sit for 4-5 minutes (longer to have it less al-dente). You then drain it out of the black tab in the opposite corner. Lifting the tab reveals a series of drain holes for the you to pour all of the water out without losing the freeze-dried ingredients and noodles. You can then lift the lid and empty the sauce packet in. You can then shut the lid again and gently shake the noodles a bit to spread the sauce around. You then peel off the top, give the noodles a final stir, and then shake the black pepper packet on top. Voila, garlic and black pepper yakisoba with cabbage and pork.
 |
| Closeup of the plastic wrap packaging. |
 |
| Once you remove the plastic wrap you see the foil lid underneath with the preparation directions. They pack a lot of print on here. A little packet of pepper is glued to the top. |
 |
| You basically peal the top back starting at the 1 all the way to the 2 line. |
 |
| You can see the big block of noodles inside. Make sure you remove the black packet of garlic sauce inside before filling it with boiling water. When I first opened the box there was a strong smell of fried noodles. |
 |
| The resulting mix of sauce and pepper with the cabbage and pieces of pork. |
The yakisoba was actually quite tasty with an aroma of garlic and pepper. The garlic sauce was pretty garlicky, so if you have a loved one, make sure you both eat garlic, or you're persona non grata. I kind of wish there was a little more cabbage, but I would definitely have this again (good thing too as I have another package for later).
More Ramen and Japanese Pop Culture Posts
