Ramen Noodles and Go-Chu-Jang Sauce: An Asian Food Review

There is just something fun about ramen noodles. Crazy long and curly, the college-student staple is one only a few slurp-appropriate foods. Inexpensive and easy to prepare, they’ve been the center of many a late-night debate — is it one continuous noodle strand or not?
Unfortunately, ramen noodles are notoriously not very good for you. Deep-fried to remove the moisture, the average pack of ramen is high in saturated fat and usually contains a healthy dose of MSG.
Not so with Annie Chun’s 100-percent natural, restaurant-quality, fresh-cooked noodles.

I hadn’t had a bowl of ramen noodles in a long while, so when the good people at Annie Chun’s sent FBE a box of samples, I eagerly volunteered for the assignment.

The rubbery block of pre-cooked noodles was a bit funky, but I guess no funkier then that rock hard brick of noodles that I am used to. Although microwavable, I chose the stove-top cooking method for my first batch.

The two-step cooking method seemed a little redundant but I dutifully rinsed my saucepan, added more water and then the soup broth packet.


Annie Chun recommends adding fresh vegetables and your favorite protein to the bowl of soup, but I wanted my first test to be au naturale.
The hot bowl of noodles on a cold day was soothing and warmed my belly, but I found the broth to be a bit weak and watery. Surprisingly, though, the 230-calorie dish contained 8 grams of protein and kept me full for the afternoon.

Fearing the same outcome with the Chicken Vegetable flavor, I purposely cut the broth water back to half cup, which gave the mild dish a little more zing but obviously made it less soupy.
I had really been looking forward to the Thai Coconut and made it as a side with baked fish; unfortunately, the coconut flavor was disguised by an overabundance of curry and red chili peppers that left a little burn in the back of my throat.
Next, I zapped the Spicy Chicken ramen to test out the microwave-ability and was pleased with the results. The high-heat factor warning had me a little worried, but it wasn’t that hot at all and ended up being my favorite flavor.
The Soy Ginger ramen received the deluxe treatment. Leftover rotisserie chicken, grated carrots, pea pods and diced water chestnuts tossed together with the wheat noodles and an additional splash of teriyaki made for a more balanced meal.
Personally, I favor some of the label’s other products (they have noodle bowls, sushi wraps, potstickers and sauces, as you’ll see in a minute), but if you’ve got a craving for Japanese style soup, Annie Chun’s budget-friendly ramen noodles are a quick and nutritionally sound choice with only one caveat. All of the single-serving packages contain little to no saturated fat and a decent serving of protein; however, like many convenience products they contain a lot of sodium.