My life this summer has been excruciatingly hectic with launching the Asian Culinary Forum in San Francisco and working on a writing project. To take away from the pressures of putting together a home-cooked food every day, I’ve resorted to taking an instant ramen holiday.
Stop laughing. When I was in Hong Kong this spring, what were people snacking on for breakfast and lunch? Instant noodles. They were paying for it! My first morning in Kowloon, I had a shallow bowl of instant ramen noodles with a lovely fried pork chop and some Chiu Chow chili oil. In Central on Hong Kong side, young people hovered in stalls eating instant noodles during their lunch breaks. Instant noodles are cheap and fast. You can doll up the ramen with practically anything.
That got me thinking about instant pho noodle packets sold at many Chinese and Southeast Asian markets. Hell, at the humongous Ranch 99 in Milpitas a few days ago, there was an entire aisle devoted to a pan-Asian selection of instant noodles. My interest was in the Vietnamese stuff and I had a number of revelations over the course of several meals of instant noodles.
1. Instant ramen vs. Instant pho noodles: The Vietnamese noodles (labeled “an lien” meaning eat right away) actually tastes like okay pho. The ramen doesn’t come close to ramen. It’s likely related to how the ramen noodles are processed. My friends, they are fried. That’s why as a kid, I used to eat instant ramen noodles straight from the package dipped in the MSG-laden soup packet. The other day, I bought Nissin brand because it was the world’s first instant ramen. Sadly, it didn’t come close to the levels of authenticity that the Vietnamese Vicom’s pho noodles reached.
2. So what’s in the instant pho? A bundle of dried rice noodles that are noticeably thinner than what you’d get in regular packages of dried pho noodles. The thinness allows you to “cook” the noodles in about 3 minutes after you’ve poured in the boiling water, and then steep your concoction, covered. Then, there are small packets of sparkly granules of soup base, crinkly dehydrated vegetables and bits that look like meat, and some fat. The first time out, I used all the stuff and instantly realized that the dried scallion and bits of chicken were disgusting; I chopped some scallion, cilantro, and shallot and added them to the bowl, and that made the soup more real. There was leftover grilled chicken and I dropped some in. The soup base and the fat, however, are essential. With some chiles on the side, the pho was like a cheap bowl in Vietnam or abroad. Not bad at all. I wouldn't pay more than say.... 50 cents for it!
3. Beef vs. chicken vs. vegetarian pho instant noodles: Both were decent enough to be flavorful. Amazing. But we generally liked the chicken more. It’s easier to mimic chicken broth than it is beef broth. Adding fresh garnishes like basil, mint, cilantro, chiles and lime – helps both of the soups say, “I am pho.” The vegetarian pho didn't turn me into a vegetarian. Rory hogged up his beef pho bowl.
4. Vifon and Oh! Ricey brands: Both are from Vietnam and cost 39 and 50 cents a package, respectively. The Oh! Ricey had more stuff but the soup base was heavy handed in spices. For the chicken, it was too much. For the beef, it was alright. Vifon was more delicate but if I added too much water, I was sorry because the broth was too watery tasting. When buying Asian foodstuffs, I go for the middle to upper price range as the little price difference means a lot.
5. Bun Rieu Cua (crab noodle soup): Surprisingly, the instant version of bun rieu cua had okay funky, sea-like broth. There were chunks of dried tomato that rehydrated really well. A small packet of fried shallot wasn’t too bad. The bun noodles, however, tasted weird.
Conclusion: I would keep a stash in my cupboard for an quick fix of pho. Instant noodles will never be like a freshly prepared bowl with good meat. If you add some leftover chicken, beef, and fresh garnishes, you have a decent bowl of Vietnamese noodle soup. Definitely, for quick taste of Vietnam, I'd go for it!
If you’ve tasted some instant Vietnamese noodles and have recommendations, let us all know!
Related information:
I guess we're just lucky to live in San Jose where a good bowl of pho is just 5 minutes away.
Posted by: Nate | July 31, 2008 at 02:51 PM
Andrea, those Ramen noodles have some serious die-hard fans who love them. I'll say "Howdy" to them, and move on to say I've never been happy eating Ramen. It's always seemed like such a sad little meal. Full of flavors that are really really trying, but aren't ever actually convincing. Even after trying to dress up some Mama Pork Flavored Instant Noodles with an egg, scallion, cilantro, etc... Eh, still a sad meal.
So I was kind of shocked and surprised to find that Instant Beef Pho was not bad at all. It's not great - but it's better than I expected. It's not my own Pho, not a bowl from a good shop, but better than expected.
I had the same surprise trying some instant Chao Ga for the first time. Maybe I was expecting something awful, but it seemed passable for an (almost) instant product.
I don't "stock" either one normally, but picked some up the other day to have on hand for a long-term houseguest who will probably appreciate having them on hand, and never more than a few minutes away from eating.
Posted by: Simon Bao | July 31, 2008 at 05:16 PM
Simon, were you and on the same eating wave length or what? It's something about the rice noodles for pho -- you can rehydrate them pretty well.
Instant ramen is like a post-modern facsimile of real ramen. It's in a class of its own.
I saw the instant Chao Ga rice soup and was skeptical. Guess I have to go back to the store.
Posted by: Andrea Nguyen | July 31, 2008 at 06:00 PM
I'm so happy that you posted this. A while back, I bought a package of instant pho, for a quick lunch, but I've been too afraid to try it. To me, pho is a very complex dish (at least for this simple beginning cook) so turning it into an "instant" package has to a bit scary.
Unfortunately for me, the nearest good pho restaurant is 30-45 minutes away; I'll have to give it a try sometime.
Posted by: Andrea... (a different Andrea) | July 31, 2008 at 09:51 PM
Different Andrea, it *is* a bit scary... trying to even think of an "instant" Pho. And you won't mistake it for the best bowls available in your community. BUT... it's still better than I imagined it would be. No substitute or alternative to Real Big Bowl of Pho, but still, sorta kinda OK as a quick noodle soup lunch.
And I was scared to try it the first time too. I was *sure* it would put me in a foul and grumpy mood and I'd be excoriating whoever invented the stuff. :-)
Posted by: Simon Bao | August 01, 2008 at 07:54 AM
There is not a more wonderful quick 'entree' item than noodles. I don't think anyone in the world can disagree with that statement.
Posted by: California Beauty Salon Insurance | August 01, 2008 at 10:11 AM
These are VERY handy and satisfying when I'm in a backpack trip for 4-plus days in the backcountry. I live on these packets for breakfast and dinner because having a hot meal that slightly reminds me of home is better than no Pho or Chao at all! Granted, there is nothing like the real thing, but when my body is aching for something other than granola and bagels, these packets definitely feed my soul.
There are times, when I'm craving a quick fix , that these are great for too. When I was in college and away from home and away from my mom's stock pot, these packages saved my life and kept me sane and comforted from my butt broke, hectic college days. There's a time for everything, especially for me now when I crave something hot,quick and Viet for breakfast rather than a rich omelete or a bowl of cereal.
My body just can't take a rich, sweet, or egg-y breakfast everyday! I need soup for breakfast, even if it comes from a packet.
Posted by: White On Rice Couple | August 04, 2008 at 09:53 PM
Duh, I forgot to mention some of my favorites. All of those brands you have are good and I've tried them all. I usually doctor them up a bit and drop a crushed piece of ginger in and a star anise for extra flavor. I really like the glass noodle packets (mien) too because they are light and satisfying, just enough to keep me satisfied.
Posted by: White On Rice Couple | August 04, 2008 at 09:57 PM
Just a quick contribution that has little to do with instant Vietnamese noodle, but more along the line of ramen.
I discovered an interesting version of the instant noodle called Mee Goreng by Indo Mie. What's different is that you don't mix the condiments and flavoring in the soup, but rather you boil the noodle, drain and mix with the stuff afterwards -- a fried noodle (mee goreng) kinda thing. It is refreshingly addictive.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IndoMie_Mi_Goreng
Posted by: Binh | August 05, 2008 at 04:39 PM
WORC - Ginger in the broth -- now that's quite a neat trick. I need a little protein in the morning so noodle soup is perfect too. Don't you worry about the noodles getting crushed when you're out hiking in the wild?
Binh - Mee Goreng sounds good. I'm going to look out for that!
Posted by: Andrea Nguyen | August 10, 2008 at 09:09 PM
can't believe they have instant bun rieu. Amazing...One of my favorite instant noodles is the spicy Korean variety - Nong Shin Ramyun . I never use all of the flavoring packet. Can't be beat with a dropped egg and scallions.
Posted by: Michelle | August 27, 2008 at 09:26 AM
honey! i'm so glad you posted this! i can't even tell you how many times i've been blasted by extreme Asian foodies because I like to eat instant noodles...
Posted by: Jaden, Steamy Kitchen | August 28, 2008 at 11:59 AM
I recently bought some instant Pho Bo and Pho Ga. They are "Mama" brand, are labeled "An lien," and the maker is President Rice Products Public Company Limited in Bangkok. They even have a web site: http://www.mama-ricenoodles.com
They do satisfy my cravings for a bowl of Pho, although they're not really a substitute for a good bowl of Pho at a restaurant.
I think it's some of the spices that say that this is Pho. The noodles aren't really the same as in regular Pho, and the beef or chicken broth isn't that close to the real thing. Still, it's nice to have this when I want a bowl of Pho and I don't feel like driving to one of the few Vietnamese restaurants in my area.
Posted by: Stuart | September 11, 2009 at 01:21 PM
My wife and I frequently get a pho craving in the early AM...I have discovered that the Vifon brand especially with the addition of freshly sliced eye of round with fresh Thai basil and ngo gai make for a reasonable substitute for real pho.
Posted by: Dennis M Reed | March 23, 2010 at 08:04 PM
Dennis, So glad to know that you're in the instant pho camp. It's a quick and easy fix.
Posted by: Andrea Nguyen | March 23, 2010 at 08:35 PM
I searched instant pho and found your website. Brilliant idea to whoever created instant pho. I wonder if you can get them in Vancouver Canada?
Posted by: TAC | June 27, 2010 at 05:03 PM