Let’s face it, when it comes to a quick meal, the satisfying slurp of instant noodles is a tough thing to beat.

But if you think your flavour choices are limited to only beef, chicken or the ever ambiguous ‘seafood’, you couldn’t be more wrong. In fact, Instant joy comes in the form of hundreds (maybe even thousands) of wild flavours… many of which you’ve probably never heard of. Curious? Here is just a tiny sample of some unique instant noodle flavours you can sample from all around the world:

Curry laksa, Singapore

For those feeling like a proper gourmet experience, the Prima Taste Singapore La Mian comes with shrimp, a sachet of laksa curry paste and even coconut powder to get that sweet milkiness we all love and crave. Definitely a step up from MSG and water! In fact, they’ve been named the #1 noodle by a bunch of websites and newspapers.

Bacon, England

Trust the Brits to put bacon in anything. If you’ve been hunting for a new side dish to your eggs and toast, these Batchelors Super Noodles come in a savoury bacon (flavoured) sauce, making for an insta-breakfast any lazy can whip up. PS: According to the packet, it’s also vegetarian friendly!

Chicken Tortilla, USA

Conventional cup noodles gets a flavourful twist with Maruchan’s Instant Lunch line, which features out-of-the-box flavours like chipotle chicken, cheddar cheese and yes, chicken tortilla! If yakisoba is more your thing, they also offer a range of instant yakisoba products, with delicious flavours like teriyaki chicken and beef taco.

Abalone and oyster, Japan

Nissin is the noodle giant behind the ubiquitous late night saviour, Cup Noodles. With a large handful of companies under its corporate umbrella, Nissin dominates the noodle market with dozens of unique flavours at any given time (producing hundreds of winners throughout the years), including wacky ones like pizza and ratatouille. Abalone and oyster though brings the luxurious taste of abalone to the masses (it normally costs over $100 per pound!), perfect for feeling instantly fancy.

Green curry, Thailand

This cup noodle from MAMA brings the hearty deliciousness of green curry to the ramen world. Packaged with its own little sachet of curry paste and other spices, it makes for quick curry magic, perfect for those midnight Thai cravings. PS: MAMA also does instant pad thai.

Borscht, Poland

The deep red colour of Amino’s borscht instant noodles should already tell you: this ain’t your regular ramen noodle! Borscht is a popular Eastern European soup made primarily with beetroot, onions and garlic. Coupled with light noodles and a variety of spices? Mmm, a perfect comfort food.

So tell us, what’s the craziest flavour of instant noodles you’ve ever tried?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Christina is a travel blogger and snack enthusiast who will be blogging twice a week as a MunchPak ambassador, covering epic foods and destinations from around the world. When she’s not planning her next adventure, she is usually seen faceplanting into burrito bowls. For more of her oddball humour, check out her blog and Instagram.