Orange You Glad We Tried the Two New Maruchan Yakisoba Flavors?

Before today, I was a total instant yakisoba noob. You’re telling me that alongside instant ramen and mac and cheese, another instant noodle had secretly entered the chat right under my nose? Wild. Apparently, ramen giant Maruchan has been making various flavors of instant yakisoba for years now and I just never noticed. Next time, please make sure I know about the noodles. I truly don’t know who I am addressing here, but if there is a higher being out there—please keep me abreast of any future noodly matters, please and thanks.

Now, if you are wondering what yakisoba is, it is kind of like the Japanese equivalent of chow mein—wheat noodles stir-fried with various sauces and vegetables. It’s pretty dank, if I do say so myself.

All of that is to say, Maruchan yakisoba (the instant ramen company’s take on a classic Japanese dish) is not new, but two of its flavors are: Maruchan Orange Chicken flavor Yakisoba and Maruchan Chili Cheese Yakisoba, and we gave them a go to determine whether they’re yummysoba or a yuckysoba.

New Product!

Maruchan Yakisoba Orange Chicken Flavor

Pros: This package of Maruchan yakisoba comes with a packet of veggies and a packet of sauce powder. The noodles are like traditional ramen noodles. And the flavor? Lovely. I could smell the orange and black vinegar before I took a bite. These noodles taste like orange peel, tanginess, and saltiness. The bits of cabbage in the mix taste really good, like the saucy, oily, flavorful stir-fried cabbage in restaurant chow mein. As the sauce sat and got thicker it improved tremendously and began to taste kind of like the chow mein directly under your orange chicken at Panda Express, minus the spice.

Cons: This iteration of orange chicken sauce is not spicy at all. The Panda Express orange sauce is a little bit kicky. Not sure which iteration is correct or if there even is a “correct” in this case, but figured I’d note it. I wanted a bit more umami and a bit more chicken flavor from this one, and perhaps a little less citrusy sweetness. Powdered chicken appears in the ingredients list, but it doesn’t come through a whole lot. But hey, if this new Maruchan yakisoba was going for a thick and tangy citrus and soy sauce, they pretty much nailed it.

Rating:

7/10

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New Product!

Maruchan Yakisoba Chili Cheese Flavor

Pros: Maruchan’s chili cheese yakisoba is made with thick, chewy, ribbony-looking noodles, which gave me high hopes as I ripped open the packaging. Unlike the orange chicken yakisoba, this came with only one packet (no veggies), a bright orange cheesy looking mixture that smelled like cumin, chili powder, and cheese as I mixed it into the noodles. As for flavor, this one kind of blew me away. I am not typically a chili cheese girlie, but this yakisoba has a huge amount of rich, salty cheesiness that balances out the earthiness of the cumin, chili powder, and other spices. This cheesy, salty, cumin-forward, creamy mess also has a hint of spice, not too much or too little. The smooth, silky texture of the flat, ribbony noodles is lovely. This yakisoba is rich and creamy, and it gets creamier as it sits. And I gotta say, I like these wide noodles better than the traditional ramen noodles in the orange chicken yakisoba.

Cons: Some may find this a bit too salty, but as a salt fiend myself, I was quite happy with the salt level. The sauce does start to congeal after a few minutes, like any mac and cheese sauce does, though it remains delicious as you eat. One gripe: This product isn’t really anything like traditional yakisoba. Instead, it’s more like someone asked, “What if chili mac married some fettuccine?” and then made this as an experiment. Personally? I am here for it.

Rating:

8.5/10

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