Nissin Big Cup Noodle BBQ Spare Ribs Review

Nissin Big Cup Noodle BBQ Spare Ribs is a new flavour introduced in the spring of 2023.  I think it is a limited edition run for the lead-up to summer and the summer months. This flavour is simulates the umami and sweetness of grilled pork ribs in BBQ sauce you might have at a camp cookout or backyard barbecue.  Nissin says the flavour is based on soy sauce with the flavor of pork, vegetables, and red chili peppers to produce a rich, sweet and salty taste. The satchet of "special sparerib-style oil" intensifies the flavour of the soy sauce, garlic, and adds the richness of grilled pork fat.  

3/4 view of BBQ Spareribs Cup.  The oil satchet is lightly glued to the lid of the cup.

Front view of the cup.  There is a deep red background that seems to signify the fiery heat of a BBQ with zippy red spices.  BBQ is in dark green letters with yellow outline to contrast with the red (maybe an outdoorsy colour?). Spare ribs is in Japanese lettering underneath to let you know it is something big and tasty.

Another  3/4 angle view of the cup with the full lid showing.

The lid lets you know there is a BIG BBQ ribs thing going on.  The picture of the meat, cabbage, and carrot in the BBQ flavoured soup looks delicious.

Closeup of the front. You can see a little picture of the ribs off to the top right!

Nutritional information.

Ingredients, allergens, and prepartion directions.  Manufacturing info at the bottom left.

The flavour oil satchet.

Popping the top reveals lots of BBQ soup stock powder., cabbage, and meat cubes.  No carrots.

Another view of the cup contents before adding water.

The rehydrated noodles, cabbage, and meat after boiling water was added to the fill line and waiting 3

A first look inside the cup showed noodles coated in a red pepper / paprika type coloured soup base powder.  It looked intensely flavourful. There was an aroma of spices with a hint of a meaty smell from the meat cubes or the powder.  There was a good number of the meat cubes and bits of cabbage.  I did not see any carrot like the picture on the lid.

There was a smokey BBQ scent after rehydrating the noodles. I then mixed the soup powder and flavour oil in with a good stir.  The smell and taste had a real soy sauce BBQ vibe with the smokiness of the char, the taste of togarashi red pepper, and a bit of salty and sweet. A pleasant taste experience came from the broth that wasn't thick at all.  The meat cubes were a nice touch along with the cabbage, but the carrots were in really small pieces and you could see flecks of them along with some red pepper.  Cabbage and carrots are a common Japanese BBQ accompaniment.  The noodles were your typical medium thick noodles found in these cups and they came out with a nice bit of chew and firmness.  A very nice change for a ramen soup for the summer.

Closeup of the noodles, meat, and the dull orange fleck is carrot?

 

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