Ramen review

At the request of @jasonleow, I am writing a brief if not ill-timed food review of a new product I just received. I say ill-timed because my taste/smell have not fully returned after my interlude nearly six weeks ago with Everyone’s Favorite Virus™️.

Most people are familiar with good ol’ Ramen noodles. I’m sure you’ve seen the Maruchan Ramen noodle packs and the Nissin Cup Noodles. In terms of nutrition, Ramen noodles are not that good for you, which is why I stopped eating them several years ago.

Nutrition Facts (funny that supposedly a serving size is 1/2 block of noodles. Who eats 1/2 a block? Here’s the nutrition for one block:

Calories: 380
Calories from fat: 140
Total fat: 14g
Total saturated fat: 7g
Cholesterol: 0g
Sodium: 1640mg
Total Carbohydrates: 52g
Dietary Fiber: Less than 1g
Sugars: 2g
Protein: 8g

My interest was piqued when I saw an ad for a “surprisingly healthy instant Ramen” from a company called Immi. Immi has introduced a fully plant-based alternative to Ramen noodles. Normally, the phrase “plant-based” is an instant turn-off to me. Nevertheless, I decided to give these a go.

Here are the Nutrition Facts for Immi Ramen
Total Calories: 310
Total fat: 14g
Total saturated fat: 7g
Cholesterol: 0g
Sodium: 880mg
Total Carbohydrates: 24g
Dietary Fiber: 18g
Total Sugars: 1g
Protein: 22g

Right off the bat, I notice the same fat but much less sodium (in the powder packet), and much more fiber and protein resulting in only 6 net carbs.

So I prepared a package of Black Garlic Chicken on the stovetop. As I recall, Maruchan Ramen takes three minutes and Inni takes seven minutes. Once it was done, I added the spice packet and it was time for the big taste test. No drumroll necessary because the truth is I can’t really taste much. It definitely doesn’t taste as salty as Maruchan. So I can’t give an official rating on taste, but I can verify the texture. It’s noticeably different from Maruchan, but not in a bad way. It has a slightly more firmness than traditional Ramen, but it wasn’t a turn-off to me, and I’m big on texture. I had the noodles by themselves, but I can see them as a good base in a dish with added protein.

Of course, the big issue most people will have is with the price. You want healthier, you need to pay up. A 12-pack runs $72 for a one-time purchase. If you can stomach that, then perhaps you might want to try Inni as a healthier alternative to traditional Ramen noodles.