Wendyl Wants To Know: Leave out seasoning and noodles are fine

Gong Mi Goreng BBQ Chicken Fried Noodles - $3 for 5 packs. Photo / Wendyl Nissen

Some nasties lurk in the sachet but otherwise they can be a convenient and easy to prepare meal

There is one food I have never been able to ban from my kitchen, and this is it. Instant noodles are the bane of my life and a source of constant disagreement in the convenience food aisle of the supermarket with my daughter.

By her reckoning they are a cheap, tasty, filling snack. By mine they are nothing more than noodles dunked in a chemical cocktail.

We have reached a compromise, however. She has agreed not to eat them every day and I have agreed not to give her a lecture every time she does.

Many of these noodles contain artificial colours and flavours, additives such as MSG but these looked a little bit different.

Ingredients

• Noodles: Wheat flour, edible vegetable oil (contains antioxidant (319), tapioca starch, salt, acidity regulator, vegetable gum (412), colour (101) - Standard ingredients for noodles, however we are unsure what kind of oil is used. The antioxidant used to preserve the oil is tert-butylhydroquinone or TBHQ (319). There are many conflicting studies attached to this additive - some claiming it is carcinogenic in high doses and others saying it has the opposite effect.

The vegetable gum is guar gum (412) a natural substance and the colour is rather refreshingly natural. It is riboflavin (101) otherwise known as vitamin B2.

• Seasoning powder: Salt, sugar, flavour enhancer (621, 631, 627), chicken barbecue flavour powder, pepper powder, garlic powder, onion powder, caramel powder - This is not such a great powder to be eating because it contains monosodium glutamate or MSG (621).

MSG can cause asthmatic symptoms in some people and because of this is required by the NZ Food Standards authority to be labelled either as MSG or by its code 621. Most healthy eaters aim to avoid it. Sodium inosinate (631) is prepared from meat or fish and is used in conjunction with MSG to provide an umami or meaty taste.

The sodium guanylate (627) is commercially prepared from yeast extract or sardines and enhances flavours reducing the amount of salt needed.

• Seasoning oil: Edible vegetable oil (contains antioxidant 319), onion - I presume this is the same oil as above.

• Sweet soy sauce: Sugar, water, wheat, soy bean, spices - Standard ingredients for a budget soy sauce.

• Chilli sauce and fried crispy onions.

My recommendations

There are still MSG and artificial flavours in here, but there is hope because there are no artificial colours, so we're getting somewhere.

If you made these and just left one of the five sachets out you would be doing okay. By all means add the soy sauce, the chilli sauce, the flavoured oil and the fried onions, but leave out the seasoning powder and you'll be throwing away most of the nasties. And it still tastes okay.

Highlights

• No artificial colour.
• Uses MSG and artificial flavour.
• Great if you leave out the seasoning powder.