MAMA Tom Yum

The MAMA TomYum (product of Thailand) is another of my favorites that floated around the kitchen table in that pile of wrappers. This is the shrimp flavor version of the MAMA products, and believe me, there are many, many more.

One of the things I have noticed about the many ramens I have tried, is that the best ones have at least 3 flavor/base/oil/veg packets. This one has the requisite 3. There is a base consisting of fish sauce, palm oil, chili's, sugar, etc..., A "flake" which has salt, dried leek, lemon grass, kaffir lime leaf, etc... and one marked chilli powder. 

Now this one is a bit zippy and just the way that I like it. But if you don't like that then perhaps you should go easy on the last one. 

The thing that makes the broth stand out to me is the kaffir lime leaves. It's not something that you usually find in a packet and it's hecka yummy. The noodles are a wonderful soft texture, but I tend to leave mine in longer than the recommended 3 minutes.

I also, tend to augment mine with a few fresh elements like, scallions, enoki mushrooms and bean sprouts... yum yum..

and here is the loot from the market this morning...

HooRooRook

 Here it is... The one that made me do it.

This is not your $0.19 packet of sodium and starch, but your introduction to awesomeness. This ramen is simple, delicate, and yet so complex.

First of all the noodles are a wonderful smooth texture, and no matter how many times I've tried to make them at work just using hot cooler water and a microwave, they seem impervious to overcooking. The broth is light but still very flavorful, and the "flake packet" is comprised of dried green onions, a couple of chili rings, seaweed flakes, sesame seeds, bamboo shoots and what I think are very small slivers of zucchini? It's just an awesome warm comforting bowl of ramen that has a ton of character without being too salty or funky.

As we've learned there are some very different ramens on the market and if you're willing to take a leap of faith since you'll have no idea what the package says, we'll try to help you avoid things that are too odd or just plain gross.

This blogging thing is very new to me, but I want to geek out over one of the best, cheap, imports we can get in this country, and maybe just maybe entertain you all a little bit. Spread the word.... Since I've finally opened the flood gates, I think we'll bring back all of those lost empty wrappers so they can have their moments of fame too....

Intro and the catalyst...

For quite some time my husband and I have been joking about keeping a database so we could remember which ramens we loved and which ones we didn't. We were going to organize it by photos of the packaging mostly because the names aren't in English and we don't speak any Asian dialects (AKA: white people). At one point we had a dozen or two empty wrappers floating around the kitchen, but we never got around to making it happen and those wrappers just became trash on the table and we threw them away. Since then we found even more that we liked and the bags just went directly into the trash.

Then it happened. The catalyst arrived home on Sunday afternoon after a trip to the Southeast Market (http://www.southeastmarket.com/). This new ramen, purchased solely on it's handsome packaging, was the one that would make me throw down the statement, "That's it! I'm starting a blog." Through this blog I will attempt to bring to you the best ramens that we can find, and hopefully inspire you to step away from the Maruchan and Nissan brands and experience a complexity you never could have imagined could cost only $1-2 (sometimes $3 if you get the crazy high-tech bowls).

Next Post: The first, but not the last...