REVIEW | MR LEE’S NOODLES

I don’t know what it says about me when I pipe up and admit that I am quite partial to a noodle pot every now and again. It’s probably something to be ashamed of, I mean, I know all about the benefits of eating real food that has not been processed; I am very happy to prepare my own dishes from scratch, taking the time and effort it needs to provide my body with good quality fresh food on a daily basis. But sometimes it’s got to be about convenience, especially at lunch time, and that’s when I will turn to a pot of noodles…

The fact is that noodle pots, and I’ve tried a lot of them, are generally made up of a list of ingredients I can’t pronounce and are therefore probably not of completely natural origin. And I would much rather not eat hot chemicals for my lunch, however hungry I might get. Thankfully Mr Lee’s are something better than that. I even exclaimed out loud when I opened my first pot, “oh look, actual broccoli”. Real food, dehydrated, in a pot, that becomes lunch when you add hot water.

Trying Mr Lee’s Noodles

Mr Lee’s noodle pots, described as “gourmet oriental rice noodles in a cup”, are gluten free, contain nothing artificial, and are made from freeze dried vegetables rather than dehydrated ones to both lock in the flavour and keep the goodness in. The six varieties are all low in salt, sugar and saturated fats. They are, for all intents and purposes, healthy.

Oh and they can definitely have extra points for the comical words on the side of the pot; I do like a company that can doesn’t take itself too seriously… I took the advice and took a couple of Instagram photos while I was waiting for my dinner to “cook”.

And as with every other noodle pot on the market, preparation is as simple as it gets; add boiling water to the line (or in this case, one of the two lines – one for a broth style meal, the other for noodles with sauce), and wait. In just three minutes you are ready to tuck in.

The most important bit, of course, is the taste. Flavour wise, these are pretty decent. I’ve no idea how authentic they are to oriental recipes, but I can taste what I expect based on the description on the cup – the chicken tastes like chicken, the broccoli tastes like broccoli, the ginger tastes like ginger, and so on. That’s basically what we want in food, right?! I do think I was hoping for more punch from the flavours, knowing that oriental food tends to be quite full on with its spicing and herbing (if “herbing is a word…). But they are good, and I would certainly go back for more. Of the six different recipes available, I found the Hong Kong Street Beef and Tai Chi Chicken had the strongest flavours and are probably the ones I would choose again if I was ordering some more.

At around 220 calories per pot, these make for a great lunch when accompanied by a bag of crisps or some crackers, and I’ve started to keep a selection in my desk drawer so I’m never without a hot lunch should I want one. They have become a bit of a midday staple, while I’m without my own kitchen in the week to prepare my own meals anyway. They also make an easy meal idea for a day hike if you’re already carrying a little stove for hot drinks.

If you’re partial to a noodle pot at lunch time, or want something easy to take on your next day hike (along with your stove or a flask of hot water), then I would recommend Mr Lee’s Noodles. You can get yours direct from Mr Lee’s own site or via Amazon.

With thanks to Mr Lee’s for the noodle pot care package. It’s always a pleasure receiving food in the post!