Sustenance & more Sustenance. That’s what I’ve termed S&S Saimin, my favorite work lunch and overall resort-to meal. S&S has been a household name for Saimin in Hawaii for generations.
Itoen recently sold the brand to H&U Inc., dba Sun Noodle.
I’ve doctored the bowl shown above with Menma (marinated bamboo shoots). Otherwise it comes ready-to-serve in a bowl with FRESH noodles, powdered dashi soup base and all the garnishes including luncheon meat, Kamaboko, and green onions . Simply empty the dashi packet in, add boiling hot water, let it steep for about a minute or two and enjoy. Oishii!
The container bowl is made by a type of poly-styrofoam (with cover) that stands up to the microwave rather well. Since I keep them in the freezer, I usually have to nuke it after adding hot water to restore its heat.
They’re available in the refrigerator section at most Hawaii grocery stores, and also by “bulk” in a box of 12 (5.0 oz. each) for about $8.00. This yields you a “complete” meal for under 80 cents. What a deal! Even if you need to eat two to feel full (like me), that’s still cheap! Love it.
Before these ready-to-serve bowls came out, S&S Saimin was sold in basic form in sealed plastic bags with just the noodles and powdered dashi. You had to add your own garnishes. I’m glad they stepped on the convenience wagon and made it so easy now to enjoy a good bowl of Saimin.
Now that Sun Noodle is running the ship, I hope they take note and do the same thing with their fresh Ramen! Imagine being able to enjoy Chashumen with all the garnishes - just add hot water. That’d be awesome!
Tasty Island Rating:
6 comments
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October 15, 2006 at 7:15 am
Chubbypanda
Looks good. I need to bounce down to my neighborhood Marukai and see if they stock those.
- Chubbypanda
November 1, 2006 at 9:42 pm
Chubbypanda
Test
November 1, 2006 at 10:39 pm
pomai
Test. Test. 123. Test
November 2, 2006 at 8:56 pm
Creen
Oh yum–white castle. My first wc burger was in Chicago many years ago and I still remember how it simply melted in my mouth. I’ve never tried the frozen/packaged version, but glad to hear your report.
I don’t know of any wc chains in NYC or Northern Cal, but right now I live near an In-and-Out. Animal-style, yo! And of course, we have Jollibees, a Filipino fast food chain that has a popular “Aloha Burger” complete with a slice of pineapple. Never tried Sonic but have heard amazing things about them.
November 6, 2007 at 6:47 am
Mel
S&S Saimin… Costco was selling it by the box. Don’t know how many S&S saimin container in the box. Does the ingrediants in the S&S saimin includes kamabuko?
Is there a way for me to send some S&S saimin to my son in El Paso Texas? If it has to be refrigerated than I will have a problem sending it.
November 7, 2007 at 8:12 pm
pomai
Mel, the S&S Saimin ready-to-eat bowls are sold in a box of 12 for $7.99 at Oahu’s Costco and Sam’s Club locations. As mentioned in my write-up, it includes the Kamaboko, luncheon meat and fresh green onions. The only thing it DOESN’T include is the Menma (bamboo shoots). That’s a great deal, considering you’d likely spend double that (or more) buying this stuff individually in a vending machine.
The only problem is it takes up a lot of space in the refrigerator. Still, it’s worth the convenience, and those bowls are worth washing and reusing, as you might notice in my post about Pig’s Feet Soup!