Every year, I celebrate the life and innovative achievements of Momofuku Ando, the inventor of the instant noodle. This year, I thought it’d be neat to show different varieties of Cup Noodles, a global brand that celebrated its 45th anniversary last year.

Cup Noodle (or Cup Noodles) were realized while Mr. Ando was travelling. He noticed businessmen adding chunks of instant noodles to their coffee cups, filled with boiling water. This concept reaches a new level by creating noodle blocks that go into the cup and are elevated slightly. Boiling water is introduced and the space above and below the block allow the boiling water to reach all surfaces of the noodle, making them prepare evenly.

In this video, I take a look at six different Cup Noodles varieties from around the world as well as a recipe for yakisoba using Nissin Yakisoba from Japan.

Nissin Yakisoba – Japan

Finished (click to enlarge). So I made the yakisoba using the standard instruction. Second, I also added some chashu pork and karashi mayonnaise.

To get the mayo to look like this here’s what I do. I take a sandwich baggie and add mayonnaise to one end. On the other, poke three holes in the corner. Squeeze the mayo at one end over to the other. I usually give it a squeeze over the sink to make sure which side it will squirt out of. This saves an epic mess. Finally, I just go back and forth over the noodles and chashu and end up with this effect. Actually, its kind of like a piping gun – this way you can just chuck the baggie in the trash. Specifically its very convenient. Also, if you have any yakisoba that comes with a sachet of mayo, you could poke a push pin in the end.

Happy Momofuku Ando Day to everyone! A great day to thank the man who brought one of our favorite foods into the world!