Review: Tapatio Ramen

Updated

I have to start out this review with a confession: I am no fan of ramen noodles. I ate enough of them in my college years that I had decided I could go the rest of my days without popping open another package of those dehydrated noodles. But . . . never say never.

When that winter storm came through Texas a couple of weeks ago and we had a mid-week break before more snow was bearing down on us (Texans don’t understand that white stuff falling from the sky), I made a run to the nearest store (with every other person in the city) to stock up in case power went out again. At that time, ramen noodles seemed like a wise choice in case there was no electricity to power the fridge (got a gas stove, so I can still boil water). Of course, that shelf was mostly ransacked, but I noticed a few straggling bowls of Tapatio Ramen and decided to snag those.

These are basically just your standard ramen noodles with Tapatio seasoning added to the soup base. (Don’t ask me the specifics. Is that dehydrated hot sauce? And I don’t advise reading the ingredients of a package of ramen.) Turns out I didn’t need them as emergency rations during the storm, but last week I was trying to scrounge up a quick lunch and decided to give these a try. So I boiled up some water, added that to the cup, and waited for ramen magic to happen!

These noodles delivered a reddish broth that was a little bit spicy, but it offered no more than mild heat (I had the original version, though they do have an extra hot available, more on that below). The dehydrated vegetables and other seasonings give it more flavor than the ramen that are just noodles, though the actual taste of Tapatio does not come through very strong. If that is what you are looking for, you’ll need to add some of that sauce to kick this up. I wouldn’t say that these are a whole lot better than any other of the cheap ramen noodles out there, but I liked them well enough that I could see myself eating them again.

I buy the rice noodle bowls which are basically an upgrade from ramen, and with those I usually throw in some fresh vegetables during the part when I steam the noodles. Generally, it is whatever I have in the fridge such as green onions, chili peppers, broccoli, mushrooms, cilantro, etc. And if I have broth, I will use that instead of just water. That freshens up those noodles, so I tried the same with the Tapatio ramen and it worked out quite well.

About a week later I was in the store and saw the extra spicy version of these on the shelf calling my name, so I tossed a cup in the cart.  These are the ones that spicy food lovers need to pick up.  The seasonings for these noodles definitely deliver more of the Tapatio taste and a nice kick as well.  In fact, with the chopped-up serrano I added and the chili garlic sauce, that broth turned molten once all of the ingredients came together!

These are definitely not the gourmet ramen that have become trendy in bistros across the country these days, but they are decent enough for a quick and cheap meal. They come in a nice, big bowl so that you can make them and eat them out of the same container. I paid a little over a buck each which is definitely more expensive than the economy ramen. But it is a decent size serving (two servings per container according to the label) and a dollar is not going to set you back too much. Plus, they offer a little bit more in the flavor department than the package that costs about a quarter.  I plan on keeping a cup or two of the extra spicy in the pantry, ready for when a quick meal is called for.

Ramen are typically wheat noodles and they trace their origin back to Japan in the 1600’s. These days there are different versions of them across each of the various regions in that country. They are currently one of the most popular dishes in Japan with over 24,000 shops selling the noodles according to Wikipedia. The instant ramen that has become so well known here in the States first arrived in the early ‘70s when Nissan Foods started selling them in the U.S. as “Oodles of Noodles”. Tapatio ramen is a good addition to aisle selling these noodles and you may want to seek it out if you are looking for a cheap lunch with a bit of a kick.

Tale of the Tape:
Serving Size: 1.85 oz (53g), 2 Servings per Container
Calories: 220
Fat: 7g (3g Sat/0g Trans)
Protein: 4g
Carbs: 37g
Sodium: 770mg