After 15min the food is cooked and lid can be removed. Then beef was tender and the vegetables and noodles had slight bite to it One of the products that have been added to the Haidilao line over recent years is the “hotpot for lazy people”: a self-heating hotpot, available in various flavors.

Also take into consideration that for China, paying 40 yuan for an instant meal is not that cheap, and people could easily get a full noodle or baozi meal with a drink for the same price, depending on where they are. All in all, trying out the self-heating hotpot is a fun experience in itself. Personally, I favor the self-heating hotpot brand that I tried out here, but Haidilao is not a bad option. Of course, there’s nothing better than actually going to a Haidilao hotpot restaurant, or to make your own hotpot at home. These are the old-school instant noodle brands as well as those that follow similar branding and traditional Thai flavours. Brands and flavours such as MAMA and Tum Yum ‘Hot and Sour’ Shrimp have been around for 50-odd years now and are the staples of instant noodles in Thailand. To be fair: the Haidilao self-heating hotpot really is not bad at all. It is tasty, it is spicy, and has a nice mix of ingredients, the crunchy lotus root is nice with the soft noodles and kelp. Since 2017, self-heating hotpot meals have become somewhat of a trend in China and beyond. These ‘hotpot’ meals heat themselves due to a chemical reaction. When the water is poured over the heater pad, the heater releases enough heat to warm up a pre-cooked meal 100 degrees in approximately 10 minutes.

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With the soup and most condiments, I'd say this bowl is good for 2-3 person. But it's not too much noodles, compared to amount of soup Figure 3: Summary of Mintel’s scenario expectations and the impact on the instant noodle market, 2022 Critical shoppers are more likely to resonate with health factors and have more interest in regional flavours Figure 75: Consumption frequency of non-noodle instant food products – Once a week or more, by food persona, 2022

These are the exciting new instant noodle brands and flavours found on the shelves of most 7-11s and convenience stores in Thailand. Many are international brands and follow wider food trends in Asia, but they are also specific to Thailand and are made for the Thai instant noodles market. Personally, as a wannabe instant noodle aficionado, I do find myself swayed more by my own love for both Asian food and reminiscings of past travels, with a handful of more recent instant noodle obsessions including Japanese tonkotsu ramen, Sichuan mala noodles, and anything with curry or cheese (or both). The more heat the better.

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Please read the cooking instruction and warning carefully before use. This product contains a burn hazard. Use at your own risk. Please sure in a ventilated environment. Otherwise may trigger the fire alarm. The self heating noodles work, no doubt about it. The food got proper heated and it was very easy to make Anhydrous calcium chloride is often used as well. In this case, no chemical reaction occurs, instead the heat of solution is generated. All you need to prepare this hotpot is cold water, nothing more. This makes the ‘self heating’ hotpot popular among travelers, students, and office workers.