MyKuali’s Penang White Curry Instant Noodle

MyKuali's Penang White Curry Instant Noodle

The world’s most sought-after instant noodle is a victim of hipster hype. As a result, many think its short supply on supermarket shelves is a deliberate ploy to generate interest. The reality is it comes from a (currently) small manufacturer who was surprised by the sudden craze.

Half a century after its invention, many instant noodle brands still reek of that distinctive chemical smell and taste like plastic flavoured with MSG. Along comes MyKuali’s Penang White Curry Noodle. The noodles and flavouring taste natural and hipsters all had an instant orgasm.

The saddest thing about the phenomenon is very few pictures, I’ve seen so far, do justice to the goodness of the noodles. A few decent ones do not show the noodles at all, not even the pic on the packaging for some strange reasons. Ironic when It is the soft, thick noodles that is the main draw. So here’s two pics from me in which I added prawns, bean sprouts, fried bean curd (tau pok) and a slice of hard-boiled egg. Yes. It is yummy.

The Malaysian-made instant noodles first became popular when it made it to the Top 10 List at The Ramen Rater. Thanks to the accolade and ensuing scramble, it is now temporarily out-of-stock, worldwide.

Olympus OM-D, ISO 800, f10, 1/80 sec.

MyKuali's Penang White Curry Instant Noodle

Maggi Goreng

The Japanese instant noodles was invented more than fifty years ago. Its block packaging has since evolved into ramen cup noodles. For many students and workers staying away from home, it became a staple food.

As a testament of its success, Nestle’s Mi Maggi or Maggi Mee (from Chinese word ‘mein’) became synonymous with instant noodles in Malaysia.

Funnily, the humble hostel room meal is now offered as a mainstream item in coffee shops. Many restaurants also serve a stir-fried version generically named ‘Maggi Mi Goreng’ in which garnishes are added on top of the sachet of seasoning. Unlike fresh noodles, instant noodles break into characteristic short strips when stir-fried.

The quality of the cooking vary and thus I was happy to stumble upon a really tasty fried version at Kashmir Cafe in Kelana Jaya. The lady boss explained that she uses only the original Maggi brand. Nothing less.

Olympus OM-D, ISO 200, f5, 1/60 sec.

Maggi Mi Goreng