When you buy a case of noodles, you had better like them! I wasn't too worried when I picked up a case of A-Sha's Dan Dan noodles from Costco where you get 12 individual packages for about $12 Canadian, so a buck a serving. I was kind of interested in these as I though there were similarities to the Hi A'Kuan Sesame Broad Noodles I previously reviewed. I was wrong - both of these types of noodles have some spice to them and lots of sesame flavour, bur their flavour profiles are very different. Now I get to eat two tasty types of noodles with very different noodles too!
A-Sha Noodles originated in Tainan, Taiwan, using a 100-year-old recipe. The company revolutionized the noodle industry by introducing air-dried noodles, a healthier alternative to traditional fried ramen. Over the years, A-Sha expanded globally, establishing A-Sha Foods USA and securing partnerships, including a licensing deal and collaborations with brands like BT21 and Hello Kitty. They were ranked among the fastest-growing private companies in the USA and recognized as Taiwan’s #1 ramen noodle. A-Sha specializes in air-dried noodles with various styles and flavors.
 |
| The big red box of A-Sha noodles from Costco. |
 |
| The top of the box shows some tasty looking noodles coated in sauce. These are supposed to be a stir-fried type noodle, not a soup noodle. I'll have to try it with some wonton's like on the photo. |
 |
| Since I bought these in Canada, once side is English, while the other is in French. You can see you get two flavour sachets with every noodle. |
 |
| These noodles are air-dried and have a more roundish cross-section rather than being flatter like many instant noodles. |
 |
| Ingredients and nutritional info. |
 |
| Cooking instructions on the bottom of the box. You cook the noodles for five minutes or more in boiling water and then pour the water out to leave the noodles behind. I always leave a little bit of extra water (I mean a few spoonfuls) so the sauces mix a little better. The water will be starchy from boiling the noodles and will help glue sauce to noodle. |
 |
| There are twelve clear packages inside the box, each with a sesame paste sachet and a spicy soy sauce sachet. |
 |
| The noodles right out of the water. The sesame paste is very firm and hard to remove from the sachet. I recommend you run it under hot water from the tap until it liquifies a bit. Then put both the sesame paste and soy sauce in a bowl. Then put the noodles on top and mix. |
 |
| The noodles will be lightly coated in the mix of sauces. |
You definitely have the aromas of soy sauce, some chili, and sesame from the mix of sauces. The noodles will smell quite savory and tasty. On tasting the noodles, the flavour had the salty and slight sweetness from the soy, some heat from chilies, and plenty of sesame flavour. It tastes really good and should be appreciated by people who like a mild spiciness to their food sometimes, like me. The noodles have a good chew to them, are firm, and bite cleanly. This is a tasty noodle that can belong in your cupboard.
So what was the main differences between this A-Sha and the H'Akuan noodles I mentioned earilier? The A-Sha is more of a regional adaptation from the Sichuan style Dan Dan noodles like H-Akuan Sesame noodles. The H-Akuan had more sesame and numbing spice (Sichuan peppercorns) to them, and the noodles are obviously very different as they are broad noodles. The A-Sha has less emphasis on the spice with more balance in the soy sauce, so I guess to me, it was more of a comforting balance. I do like both kinds of noodles though!
 |
| I added green onions and pieces of roasted chicken to my noodles. |
 |
| Closeup of the noodles. |
Other Anime Related Articles
Other Japanese Pop Culture Articles
Follow me on Twitter or Instagram at @Tostzilla or my feedburner.
Comments
Post a Comment