My wife bought this “MISO RAMEN SOUP”. Now she loves ramen and will usually buy her favorite, Korean Shin Ramen, which is very good. It costs more. She made this and when I asked her what she thought her review was pretty short: “I’ll never buy this again”
Inside the cup there’s some noodles which don’t look like the dried ramen you are used to. These are straight wheat noodles which look semi-dry (pre-boiled?). There’s not a lot of noodles. There’s a dried packet of stuff (the soup) plus a little clear packet, which we thought was one of those drying packets and almost threw it away. Nope, its part of the ramen set; The clear packet contains a little bit of oil you add along with the dry packet of miso soup.
I tasted her ramen and here’s what I thought of this product.
The Good: The broth was actually pretty decent. Better than I expected. It tastes like a Japanese miso soup broth. There was even a piece or two of wakame (seaweed) floating around in the soup. Some umami from seaweed and mushrooms. The Ingredient list reads fairly natural; you don’t see wierd names of chemicals just dried ingredients. Broth 7/10
The Bad: Ramen? Well they really messed up the “ramen” part of this “miso ramen soup”. Noodles are lousy. We both thought the noodles were not very good and to add insult to injury they are very skimpy with the noodles. These noodles are not dry but a little flexible, like a semi-dried, pre-boiled noodles? They barely had any texture or bite to them after the recommended six minutes. Very MEH as they should be the star. Noodles 5/10
The Sodium content is listed as 870, which is almost 40% of your daily recommended level of salt. We cut that down by only using about 3/4 of the packet. Naturally that will make the broth a little less strong. It was fine for us. All instant ramen tends to have quite a bit of sodium. Always check the labels. This really applies to all the Asian products at TJ’s.
If you decide to actually try this, it may be better if you try adding a poached egg and chopped scallions as they suggest.
$1.89
I had an idea that since the broth was not bad but the noodles are Meh I thought one might combine this with the packet of cheap ramen dried noodles you might have in the house. I used to get them 5/$1 a few years back!
If you want good ramen, Korean Shin Ramen runs rings around this and most instant ramen though it costs more.
(NOTE: Since when I originally wrote this, Trader Joe’s came out with another flavor called, “SPICY GARLIC AND SESAME SAUCE” (black package). I recommend that version (black)over this one (red) as the sauce in that version is much better than this one! (But the cooking ideas in this post apply to both)
Trader Joe’s Squiggly Knife Cut Style Noodles with Soy and Sesame Sauce
One could easily call me a noodle loving foodie, as I will go for most any Asian noodle dish you put in front of me.
So when I first saw these Trader Joe’s Noodles they looked very promising. Not to mention they say “Made in Taiwan”. Asian wheat noodles like these with ruffled edges are quite typical and prized as the ruffle edges hold onto a sauce. I often see these type of noodle for sale, dried in a Chinese/Asian supermarket. So nice to see them at Trader Joe’s as for most of us that is way more convenient.
Soon after Trader Joe’s came out with these noodles I learned they really blew up on social media like Tiktok and Instagram. They became such a big thing that trying to find them at Trader Joe’s became next to impossible (at that time). These were selling so fast, shelves were emptied almost as soon as they were filled*. Things got so nuts, that “food scalpers” were even actually RESELLING THEM for profit* for way more than they cost! Argh!!%#@$
(Update-2, Aug 2023) Things seem to have calmed down with these noodles, and I’m able to find them on on the shelves.
(2025 ; this MIA issue doesn’t seem to exist anymore, they are way easier to find now, almost always on the shelves)
So my first big question was : Why are they so popular? Are these really that good? I had a feeling one simple reason was simply the price.
For $4.99 for a package of 4 (or $1.25 each) I was pretty sure people basically were viewing these as “dollar ramen”. And I mean the cheap kind, $1 ramen (or 2 for $1) and NOT quality Korean or Japanese ramen packages that cost $4-5 each.
I grant you these “squiggly noodles” look better than cheap $1 ramen. Though, if you only cook them as them as directed, meaning just eat these noodles and the (frankly crappy) “soy and sesame sauce” these come with, my answer to the question, “are they that good” is qualified on how you make them. Make these exactly As Is (noodles plus sauce packet)? Like that, these are at best, Mediocre. Make them as directed on the package and I give these maybe a 4/10.
HOWEVER I think these noodles have POTENTIAL , if you bother to fix them up! Make a little effort to fix them up a bit and you can come up with a tasty noodle dish.
(I found their “Soy and Sesame” sauce pretty crappy)
So my suggestion is do not even bother with the included (crappy) sauce packet. Its not good. “Soy and sesame” sauce? Ha! Just check the ingredients which reads as mostly chemicals. I say don’t use that cheap crappy “sauce”. ADD YOUR OWN SAUCE. Yes you heard me. To fix these up use the noodles plus your noodle! (again, the black package has a much better sauce!)
Consider the noodles a blank canvas that you will fix up. With a little effort you can turn these noodles into a decent tasting noodle dish. Basically you will make some sauce, and likely add some of your own things.
Then they go up to perhaps 7/10.
The package says: “Cook the Noodles in boiling water for four minutes, drain, then toss in the Sauce and prepare to be pleased.”
I did that and was not very pleased at all. Very mediocre. If you do it bare bones, simply cook these and mix with their packet of crappy “soy/sesame” sauce (again — the other “spicy garlic” version in the black package actually has a sauce that is way better which comes as two sauce packs).
Cooking (as per the package’s instructions):
The very first time I made these, I did it exactly as it says on the package: “Bring 4 cups water to a boil. Add noodles. Cook 4 minutes. Drain and add sauce packet”. Result? A big Meh. So mediocre as the sauce packet that comes with this version kind of sucks. If you only cook noodles and mix in the packet you will end up with an extremelymediocre noodle dish.
Now while these aren’t superb noodles, the noodles are decent enough. They have potential. The ruffled edges are actually great at holding sauce. So you need some kind of good sauce with these.
So my first advice about TJ’s Squiggly Noodles (Soy/Sesame) is simple. Come up with your own sauce. Add other things. Do this and these noodles can become a dish you will really enjoy. It won’t take much effort. Really!
So the second time I made these noodles I took a different take. First, I knew I would add my own sauce, and not use that packet it comes with. I also thought I would use these noodles to make a Stir Fry dish. So here’s what I did.
First I cooked (or more like par-boiled) the noodles. I reduced the time from 4 minutes to 2 minutes. I am par-boiling them as they will be cooked more stir frying them then adding some sauce.
Cook 2 minutes, drain them, and run under cold water. Put drained noodles in a bowl temporarily. Mix in 1 tsp of oil, stirring to coat (this helps noodles from sticking together).
In a wok I sautéed chopped garlic, ginger, green onions and a few veggies I had in the fridge for a minute in a tablespoon of oil. I pushed those things up the side of my wok and poured in a little more oil I made a scrambled egg in the center of the wok. When the egg was about 75% cooked I tossed in the par-boiled noodles, and stir fried everything together for about a minute or two. Now I added my sauce* mixture and stirred everything gently to coat the noodles. I gave them 30-60 seconds like that to come together and let the sauce reduce a bit.
I plated the noodle dish, tossing on some chopped scallions, cilantro, sliced cucumber. Drizzled on a bit of Toasted Sesame Oil. Wow, this noodle dish was so much better it wasn’t funny. These noodles now tasted good! Here’s the dish (and yes I know I should have cut the cucumbers way thinner!)
So most important is make or add your ownsauce. Add a few things. Here’s some basic ideas….
(Quick basic Chinese saucerecipe: In a small bowl add 2 cloves garlic, crushed. Add 1 tbl soy sauce, 1/2 inch fresh grated ginger. 1 tsp brown sugar. Add 3 tbl of water and mix well.
OK, that’s a start. If you want more flavor consider adding : 1/2 tsp oyster sauce, 1 tsp black vinegar (sub: rice vinegar), toasted sesame oil, 1 tsp Gochugang. ) A heaping tbl of crunchy peanut butter can work great in a sauce with these noodles. If you use that, mix it with 2 tbs water to thin it out.
Oh come on, is that too much work for you? Ok, then just use a prepared Asian sauce for example TJ’s SOYAKI sauce plus Chili Onion Crunch. Maybe TJ’s GOCHUJANG sauce mixed with 2 tbls water, 2 cloves of crushed garlic and some Soy sauce. Maybe TJ roasted sesame oil.
Still too much work? Fine, add some soy sauce, butter and black pepper.
Almost anything will be better than the poor “soy and sesame” sauce this comes with. If you insist on using the included packet, use no more than half of it, then add a little a bit of low sodium soy sauce and a clove of crushed garlic, and peanut butter thinned out with some water. Toss on Chili Crunch.
Of course you can add veggies. Proteins. Just look in the fridge or freezer and see what you have that you could add. With just a bit of effort will figure out what you like on these noodles.
(AGAIN, noodles in the the red package has a pretty bad sauce, but sauce packs that come with the black package is pretty OK! I would only buy the black package of noodles)
TJ’s “SQUIGGLY NOODLES” $4.99 (4 noodle packs). “Product of Taiwan”
I would suggest try them at least once as a stir fried dish, as I detailed above. You could come up with a great sauce topping the way Aaron of “Aaron and Claire” makes this (Check out Aaron’s Chili Garlic Noodles recipe from YouTube). With ground pork or ground beef you can make a fantastic noodle dish. Even if you just add a runny fried egg, soft scrambled eggs or a 6 minute soft boiled egg on top, that can make these better. Chopped scallions and Cilantro if you like it. A really nice topping could be my hack for easy CharSiu made with TJ’s Carnitas Pork. Proteins? Sliced Baked tofu. Sliced chicken. I usually look through my fridge and whatever leftovers I find that could work go into my dish. TERIYAKI CHICKEN MEATBALLS!? For sho’
Watch Aaron, of “Aaron and Claire” doing a Garlic Chili Noodle dish (video). One could definitely try this with these noodles which look like noodles he is using. I’ve watched so many of Aaron’s cooking videos, and I know this has really upped my cooking game for making Korean & Asian dishes especially using noodles. So check him out too if you want to up your noodle game.
920 mg SODIUM (Note: That is nearly 1/2 the recommended amount a person should eat in a day. As some packaged Asian foods have very high Sodium levels be sure to check the label when shopping for them).
Check and you will see way, way too many chemical names listed, at least for my tastes.
“Trader Joe’s Argentinian Red Shrimp are caught off the southern coast of Argentina. They have a sweet lobster like flavor and texture. Grill, barbecue or sauté. Serve with pasta, on salads or as an entrée…” (Wild, Raw, Peeled, Cleaned and Deveined Frozen Shrimp)
WILD CAUGHT, PRODUCT OF ARGENTINA
Ingredients: shrimp, salt
FYI – Shrimp is the most popular seafood in the United States, but in reality only a tiny fraction comes from domestic U.S. sources. Ninety percent of the shrimp we eat is Imported, and almost all of that comes from shrimp farms in Southeast Asia and Central America.
If you’re looking to buy shrimp at Trader Joe’s I would check out their wonderful Wild Argentinian Red Shrimp. These are the best shrimp Trader Joe’s sells. In fact these are some of the best shrimp out there, period. These Patagonian Red Shrimp are from Argentina. First off, these are Wild Caught, not farmed, shrimps. Wild shrimp are said to have better flavor than farmed, plus be better for the environment.They’re large, meaty and actually do have a sweet lobster-like texture and taste. Some people think of these shrimp as “poor man’s lobster”.
Patagonian Red Shrimp, are fished from the icy waters off Argentina’s coast in Patagonia. They are individually flash frozen, cleaned (and deveined) and ready to use. They’re a quite decent size (20/25 count aka “Large”).
Are these truly “the sweetest shrimp in the world”? … well even if some marketer came up with that, they actually do taste kind of sweet and have what many people think of as a “lobster-y” texture as well as taste.
How To Use These Shrimp: You use these red shrimp the same as any other. Be careful NOT to overcook them of course. If I’m not using the whole bag I just take out as many shrimp as I need , and close the package up super tight with a twisty, and double bag the package inside a Ziplock freezer bag (double bagging these will help keep out freezer burn).
So first things first, what are the best defrosting method(s) for these frozen shrimp?
DEFROSTING : The best method to defrost them is the traditional overnight thaw in the fridge in a covered glass bowl. Thats the best way. Still if you didn’t plan ahead to do that, the next best option is to put them in a plastic baggie, and run a light stream of cold running water over the bag (you can weigh down bag with a cup or plate). The shrimp should be defrosted in about 15 minutes or so. This last method works OK too in a pinch: I’ve simply put the frozen shrimp in a bowl, covered them with an inch of cold water, and stirred them every 5 minutes or so. Defrosting this way should take maybe 15-20 mins. Cooking from frozen: No way, I would not recommend doing that. They will shrink up a lot and be tough. Microwave also a no-no, you will ruin the texture of the shrimp.
Cooking: Cook these red shrimp the same way as any shrimp. However these do seem to cook a wee bit faster so be careful not to overcook them. If you are say using a sauce, you can simmer the (defrosted) shrimp slowly in the sauce at the very end, cooking them in the sauce for maybe 2 minutes or so (turning them over once). As soon as they are no longer translucent and look firm these are cooked, and/or at least should be removed and then added back to your dish at the end. Not over cooking will keep them plumper and juicier. When you overcook shrimp they become chewier and shrink up.
TIP: If grilling them, you can marinate them for 15 min in lots of TJ’s CUBAN SPICE BLEND. Or any spices of your choosing. Ajika blend also is terrific as is TJ’s spicy Peri-Peri Sauce. Another great spice for these? TJ”s new blend HOT & SMOKY PAPRIKA
These shrimp are terrific simply sautéed in olive oil with lots of garlic, scampi style. You can blot them with a paper towel, optionally sprinkle them with a little seasoned flour and sauté them in oil and butter. One trick I saw on MilkStreet recently was to pan fry shrimp on one side only, then take them out of the pan and later finish them in your dish for 30 seconds at the end. This is a great idea, as you won’t overcook them.
These shrimp are of course great grilled / sautéed and excellent in a pasta dish. You can put them on a skewer and broil or grill them (brush with oil). They are equally great gently poached, about 3 minutes, which is a good way to make them for cold cooked shrimp or for the top of a salad.
If you try these shrimp you will probably like them as much as we do. I find them super convenient to have in the freezer. TJ’s sells the Wild Argentinian Red Shrimp (1 lb. bag) for $9.99
*UPDATE-1 (Feb 2021) price increase to $10.99. UPDATE-2 (Apr 2022) price up again, now 11.99
On this site not only do these get top ratings, they are called the “lobster impersonator”
More cooking ideas follow.
Dishes: I made a nice Thai Shrimp Curry with the shrimp, veggies and TJ’s Thai Red Curry sauce – adding the shrimp the last 2 minutes (a no-recipe recipe follows below).
THAI STYLE SHRIMP CURRY – Sauté some onions, garlic, and chopped ginger in oil for 4-5 minutes. Throw in chopped up carrots, celery, potatoes (optional add ins: mushrooms, peas, sweet potatoes, scallions) …sauté everything for 5 more minutes, then add 1/4-1/2 cup liquid (water or broth (Option: Add a 1/2 cup Coconut Milk for the liquid)) Simmer for 10 minutes, then add in a jar of TJ Thai Red Curry sauce and simmer another 10 minutes or until all the veggies are just tender. The last 2 minutes of cooking, you add your shrimp and simmer gently in the sauce, stirring occasionally. Serve the curry with jasmine rice and add chopped scallions on top.
Shrimp Roll on Brioche Bun (aka The Poor Man’s Lobster Roll)
Here’s one more: As these shrimp are kind of “lobster-y” they are perfect to make a New England style Shrimp Roll (aka the Poor Man’s Lobster Roll). Gently poach the shrimp 90 seconds or so just until opaque and pink (don’t over cook them). Rinse them under cold water. Split or cut them up and mix with a little mayo and lemon juice, then put them in a lightly toasted buttered Brioche bread or Brioche Bun (spread with a little mayo). If you have some, sprinkle a little Old Bay seasoning or dill seasoning on top. Easy and delicious.
(NB: TJ’s recipe here says cook the shrimp for 5-10 mins; I suggest thats too long unless you want overcooked shrimp. I say cook these shrimp about 2-3 minutes)
Ramen? Yes. I used the shrimp in (“Roy Choi style”) instant ramen with a slice of cheese and butter.. (crazy but it works, see video below). For this dish which was a dinner, I made a veggie stock instead of using the included packet of seasoning* and added some fresh mushrooms. I added the defrosted shrimp at the very end of cooking, and only cooked them about a minute or two. See they look juicy (not overcooked)? TIP: That little flavor packet included with instant ramen is just loaded with Sodium (like 50-70% of daily recommended level)? Bad for you, so better to use your own stock or a low sodium stock and maybe just add a pinch of the flavor packet. Worst case, use only half the packet and if it tastes too flat, add something to flavor it up without adding much sodium (a dash of low sodium soy sauce or a few drops of Nam Pla (fish sauce).
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