(713)748-5552
Amazonsnacks@yahoo.com
9999 Bellaire Blvd, Houston, TX 77036, USA
Product Description You’re about to enjoy some classic Japanese comfort food. We’ve combined delicate Japanese-style broth with thick, hearty, Udon noodles. Shiitake mushrooms, bok choy and tofu round out this Asian feel-good flavor bowl. It’ll be ready in minutes, and you’ll be completely nourished – body and soul. Delicious, easy-to-enjoy, Asian-inspired cuisine that you can feel good about. That’s our promise, and we don’t take it lightly. It’s what drives us each day to make our foods easier to enjoy and better for you, without sacrificing the vibrant aromas, flavors and textures that we all love. About the Brand Annie Chun was born and raised in Seoul, Korea, and came to Northern California as a young adult, where her family owned and operated a top-rated Korean restaurant in San Francisco. Annie began selling her signature Asian sauces at the Marin County Farmers’ Market in the early ’90s. It wasn’t long before her loyal customers began to encourage her to start her own company and package the products for the retail market. So, in 1992, with $500 and a lot of help from friends and family, she founded Annie Chun’s Gourmet Foods. Her goal was to deliver healthy, authentic Asian foods to Western consumers, and to make Asian cooking “as easy to prepare as spaghetti” for Americans. Many of her products are based on traditional recipes that have been part of her family for generations. In 1997 Annie moved beyond Asian sauces, introducing the first line of specialty Asian pastas produced in the United States. Her award-winning products are now distributed throughout North America and in some parts of Europe. Annie lives with her husband and two children in Northern California.
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Debbie J. –
These used to be my favorite instant Udon, but the price has increased, and it doesn’t seem as good as it used to be. I still really like the flavor of the broth, but there don’t seem to be as many toppings and the noodles are hit or miss. It’s still an easy snack to curb a salty/umami craving, but I don’t know if it’s worth the money any more.
Stef Walker –
This soup is a fairly tasty meal that can be made fairly quickly, and it is low in calories. The udon noodles are the best part of the soup; thick and hearty, they really make the meal. The miso paste smells savory and gives the soup its distinctive flavor. But the packet of dried “vegetables” is not very pleasant. Even when rehydrated, they retain their cube-like shape and must be stabbed apart with a spoon. Mixed into the vegetable block are a few cubes of painfully gritty tofu. Actually, the chalky white substance hardly bears any resemblance to tofu; it’s almost like the marshmallows in Lucky Charms cereal.
My other qualm about the soup, which lowers its rating, is the extensive and unnecessary cooking instructions. In lieu of following the directions, I always placed all the ingredients in the bowl in which they came, then added a cup of boiling water. Then, I let the bowl sit for about 5 minutes and stirred it.
Overall, I do not regret purchasing this soup, but I won’t be buying another case.
Harriette –
I LOVE IT!!!!!!! Definitely will order more. The taste is smooth and delicious.
Sabiene :) –
Battlestarwars Galactica –
I absolutely love Japanese food well frankly Asian food in general and since this pandemic I’ve become quite the Asian chef if I don’t say so myself. Not bad for a guy who usually just cooks cheeseburgers and chicken. But sometimes they’re are lazy days where you just really don’t want to cook anything except something that you can throw in the microwave a nuke for a few minutes. I absolutely love miso soup, I order it every single time I go in to any Asian restaurant that has it so that I can try it compared to the other places that I’ve been. The same ritual I use for food whenever I’m in a Vietnamese restaurant. As for this product specifically obviously you can’t expect to get a homemade or restaurant grade product out of a microwavable bowl. The flavor isn’t as intense, the ingredients of course are not anywhere near restaurant quality but for being a two dollar a bowl three minute in the microwave option these actually aren’t too bad . I just wish that the flavor was a little bit more bold and miso like I think they were a little light on the miso paste or something. Lastly the noodles unfortunately have kind of a overly chewy texture compared to the real deal and I am fairly certain they’re the wrong noodle type though I haven’t looked on the back specifically to see if that’s correct but suspect it is. Anyway it is a decent option and if you love miso soup I would recommend having a few of these lying around for those times are you just don’t feel like going out. I would however avoid this brands Pho as it doesn’t even use rice noodles.
Juliet –
I have a lot of dietary restrictions and food allergies, so I can’t eat at most restaurants. When I am at home, I cook all my own meals, so I am used to eating healthful, nutritious food. When I travel, I often have to rely on packaged foods. This is one of the best instant "hot meals" available. It doesn’t require a refrigerator or microwave, and it is safe for most common dietary restrictions. It’s not overly salty, sugary, or greasy. It’s not really all that nutritious (mostly refined carbs and salt water, like most noodle bowls). However, it has a little bit of soy protein and fiber, and the noodles have a nice texture, so it feels like you are eating something substantial. After a long day of travel in an unfamiliar city, the broth made with fresh miso can, in the words of Les Stroud, "make you feel human again."
My "cooking" method is:
1. If a sink is available, open the fresh-pack noodles and rinse them. I’ve noticed that fresh-pack noodles have plasticy smell to them if you don’t rinse them first. If no sink is available, I do two iterations of step 2.
2. Put the noodles in the provided bowl and fill with boiling water. Cover with lid. Let sit for 2-3 min. Break up noodles with chopsticks, then drain water. Repeat if desired until plasticy smell is gone from noodles.
3. Add the vegetable pack and the miso paste. Fill with boiling water to a bit over the "fill to here" line. I find that the soup is too salty with only the suggested amount of water.
4. Wait about a minute, stir, then wait another 5 minutes or so until the spinach and tofu have fully reconstituted.
I have never tried preparing this meal with a microwave (if I had a microwave available, I would be eating something else).
Amazon Customer –
So dissappointed. I got the revamped updated flavour – apparently the original updated flavour was very spicy, and the company issued this new version.
The good news is it’s no longer spicy. The bad news is it’s gross. I didn’t even finish the bowl before throwing it out. I’ll be giving away the remaining 5 bowls I purchased.
I can only compare to the original recipe, so this may be a great improvement over the spicy version, so others may be delighted by the changes.
First thing I noticed is the instructions no longer have you loosen the noodles in hot water and then drain. I did this anyway because the noodles seemed to have an unpleasant smell. Rinsing them didn’t seem to help much. The seasoning packet is no longer the formed block, but loose seasoning that are maybe a fraction of the old amount. There were 3 or 4 of the red pepper rings (again, they weren’t spicy at all), a ton of tofu cubes, and maybe 3 or 4 tiny cubes of mushroom, as well as some seasoning and green things. I dislike tofu, so I picked out all of the blocks (at least half the volume of the add ins) and threw them away. I added all of the remaining vegetables and the entire liquid seasoning packet. While microwaving, I noticed an unpleasant smell coming from the microwave in the last 30 seconds. I don’t know what this smell is, but I found it unpleasant.
I tried the soup anyway. The mushrooms were firm and chewy after the full cooking time. The other vegetables seemed to cook fine, and I didn’t have much of a problem with any of them, including the red rings which I expected to be very spicy but weren’t.
So, the soup would be totally fine, evening having to pick out the unwanted tofu and the texture of the crappier mushroom pieces, but the flavour of the broth is totally different from the original flavour. It’s mild, so some may like it, but i found the new taste very unpleasant and very… Sweet, maybe? Which makes sense as there are 7 GRAMS of sugar per serving. Totally disgusting. Won’t be purchasing again.
Jyn –
I like this type of noodle, udon. I get tired of eating ramen. It’s really nice to have microwavable/instant udon soup. The first time I tried Annie Chun’s udon was from Trader Joe’s (TJ). I think TJ had the original version because it tasted different and I don’t recall seeing the label: “NOW TASTES EVEN BETTER!” on the box cover. Unfortunately it doesn’t taste better… The reason I ordered this on Amazon because I really enjoyed it but TJ doesn’t stock them anymore. It has more of a mushroom taste now and I don’t really like mushroom… Oh well, it’s still tolerable but if it gave me a choice between the original and the new, I definitely choose the original version. However, maybe the original had MSG. I don’t know. I never looked at the ingredient list. I assume the updated version is “healthier” compared to the old.
By the way, I tried the udon soup from Nongshim brand and I still prefer Annie Chun’s. Nongshim in my opinion, has too much soy sauce and portion is a little big for me (I have small stomach). Although, it’s my fault for putting entire packet of soy sauce.
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UPDATE 4/18/2019
It has been four years since my original review and I’m still enjoying these udon bowls. However, I been mainly buying the “miso” flavor. I doubt these instant noodles are healthy but it’s convenient to have at home. The size is just right for me as well. These are mild flavor. If you like more flavoring you can customize it with your own ingredients from home. I personally don’t mind that. I eat enough strong flavored food regularly. I sometimes want to eat light especially when I am feeling unwell.
**Images provided with review is for Miso version**
Lambpost –
The noodles aren’t fried in this soup, which is a big plus – traditional ramen soup noodles are fried and high in fat. One major tip when making this soup: dont use more then 1 cup water or it will substantially dilute the flavor. The noodles are soft and reconstitute nicely – its sufficient to just add all the contents to the bowl, add 1 cup boiling water, cover and steep for 2-3 minutes. If you are on the go but still want to add some more food to this, you might consider canned, white meat chicken breast. The broth is mild and not spicy, and tastes mostly like soy sauce, and is tasty, especially with more soy sauce. Personally I wish there was a little more sodium, so I could add more broth and have it still be flavorful. In a few reviews some people said it was spicy, but I think this is due to the fact that occasionally you will get a red pepper flake to chew on that does taste spicy (i love when that happens), but the soup itself generally isnt spicy at all.
Overall I would recommend this flavor. There isnt much to the vegetable packet, but they do reconstitute nicely. I think you are paying largely for the gimmicky stuff – the cornstarch packaging, charity donation coupon, organic ingredients, etc.. but its a bit expensive to buy locally ($4.79! What a ripoff!).
Amazon’s good price makes this soup worth buying, but at anything over $3 really feels like its pushing it for what you get. I’ll take regular plastic packaging if it will get me one full piece of mushroom or tofu. Plus, you have to use the coupon for them to donate 50 cents to their charity, and its only up to $25,000, so it doesnt really change how much money gets donated anyway. The whole thing is gimmicky, but it is a good overall soup to keep on hand. I keep this in my mix of soups from Simply Asia and Thai kitchen. (Less expensive and more tasty in my opinion)
HuzuBarista –
Overall it’s yummy and feels healthier than regular udons as it’s doesn’t taste as salty.
Now straight to the point —
1. I heated in microwave for 2.5 minutes as I like mine extra hot. And it was extra hot as I had to get some paper towels to take it out of the microwave. And let it stand for a bit. Maybe I’m just so used to cup ramens. Noodles typically need a little more time than the instruction says to get to that right texture and taste. Typically.
2. Container – It feels very sturdy and nice quality. It doesn’t feel cheap paper-ish and actually feel more gourmet. (Although there’s really no such thing as gourmet instant food. "Gourmet" and "Instant" or "microwave" just can’t exist together when it comes to food.
3. Look – It looks like… Udon. 🙂 It’s got thick udon noodles and the soup looks like udon soup. Nothing fancy here.
4. Smell – Surprisingly good! It’s very close to the normal udon smell and that’s a good thing.
5. Taste (soup) – First got a spoonful of the soup and ate it. Mmm… pretty good. Typically udons could get really salty, but this one wasn’t. It felt just right amount of sodium at least for me. If you like things salty, you could probably add a little more soy sauce or something. But I liked the mild taste of the soup.
6. Taste (noodle) – Then got a chopstick full of the noodles and had it. Ah~ this is where a star deduction happens. The noodles didn’t quite suck in enough soup to give it some flavor on my tastebuds. Being a thick udon noodles, I could see why, but still. It probably also has to do with the soup being mild. This happens quite often with a lot of the noodle or rice cake dishes. It takes time for the noodles to take in the flavor from the surrounding soup. So typically that’s where spoons come in and help. Get a spoonful of soup then noodles then spoonful of soup. That’s how typical mild soup noodle dishes are eaten anyway. I still wish the noodles sucked in the soup flavor a little more.
7. Feel – It felt good. I was satisfied after eating it. Typical instant ramen have not-so-good after tastes, but this one felt pretty good.
So overall I was pleasantly surprised. It’s good stuff. I was a little skeptical because of some bad reviews, but glad to have stocked up with these. Perhaps it has stronger flavor before? or probably MSG? This one’s Non-GMO and Vegan, so I guess the taste had to be toned down, perhaps?
Regardless, I liked the taste and how it felt. It suited my needs quite well.