These Thai MAMA brand instant noodles recently appeared in my local supermarket, and so when Tamarind and Thyme recommended then too, I thought I'd better give them a go. There was only one variety though, so shrimp tom yum it was.
As you can see the noodles came with a couple of different flavour sachets and a whole sachet of ground chilli. The noodles themselves also seemed to be flecked with chilli powder. So unsuprisingly the cooked noodles were pretty hot and spicy. In fact I cunningly anticipated this and didn't add all the chilli sachet initially. Even with just a light sprinkling of chilli the noodles left my lips tingling and by the end of my meal I had a distinctly rosy glow about my person. I think this was just the right amount of heat for me, but I will admit to being rather wussy about chilli so someone more robust than me could probably have coped with the whole packet. These noodles were full of flavour and did a pretty good job of capturing the hot and sour flavours of a tom yum soup. The addition of a few prawns and vegetables would turn this into quite a substantial meal, but even on their own these noodles made a quick and tasty supper.
I think I still prefer the more subtle but still intensely savoury flavours of Indomie's mi goreng instant noodles, but the MAMA shrimp tom yum instant noodles are a very different, but good, spicy alternative.
I rate them 7.5/10
Cost: Approximate £0.40 per packet.
