04-016 Demae Itcho

04-016
Demae Itcho

Rice and noodles are the main staple food in Chinese culture. We eat rice and noodles almost every day. Traditionally, rice is the main staple food for southern part of China. While in the north, because of the cooler weather, wheat grows better than rice. Noodles are more popular in the north.

However, rice cooking took more than 40 minutes. Cooking a bowl of noodles only takes 10. Noodles adopt much better than rice in this busy city.

But there is a slight problem on preparing noodles. Cooking noodles has more steps than cooking rice. You need to boil the noodles first, rinse them in cold water and recook it before eating. Also, traditional noodles are made fresh and can only store for a few days. It is not the cooking part but the buying part that bothers most people. Noodles stores inside wet markets are closed after office hours. Office workers can only manage to buy fresh noodles during the weekends. And they have to finish them in a couple of days or else the noodles spoil.

Demae Itcho, served with luncheon meat

Things changed in 1969. Nissin Food created the first bowl of Demae Itcho 出前一丁 in Japan and imported it to Hongkong in the next year. Demae Itcho is not the first instant noodles ever made. But it is the first instant noodles that has a separate packet of the soup powder. Demae Itcho also uses sesame chili oil alongside its soup to create a richer and spicier flavor.

Soon, Demae Itcho became one of the most popular unhealthy foods in the city, thanks to MSG. Parents keep telling their children not to eat too much but continue feeding them Demae Itcho almost every lunch. In 1985, we have our local Demae Itcho factory.

Menu of local restaurant "Canteen" has a Demae Itcho section

Piles of Demae Itcho before cooked

Set C2 on the menu -- Demae Itcho with spiced pork cube and fried egg

Now, the term “Demae Itcho” becomes a local equivalent to instant noodles. Demae Itcho also becomes a part of local culture. Most tea restaurants (Cha Chaan Teng 茶餐廳) in Hongkong have instant noodles on their menus. Many emphasize that their instant noodles are all Demae Itcho, not any other brands. Some serve other brands but provide Demae Itcho as an upgrade option, charging $5 extra per bowl. In order to prove that the instant noodles are really Demae Itcho, they will give you the packet of sesame oil. A sesame oil packet comes with each Demae Itcho pack. It somehow serves as a “Proof of purchase”.

Set C1 on the menu -- Demae Itcho with luncheon meat and fried egg
Note the sesame oil pack "proof of purchase"

My son is a big fan of Demae Itcho

Apart from eating outside, Demae Itcho is always a hot item in supermarket. And it is developed into many different flavors, beef, seafood, curry, etc. Each pack costs around US 40 to 50 cents.

Different flavours of locally produced Demae Itcho

Some shops import Demae Itcho from Japan. Their taste is a bit different from the locals. The noodles are made by wheat grown in Hokkaido and tastes a bit saltier. And instead of just oil, there are sesame grains inside the sesame oil packet. An imported pack costs around US 70 to 80 cents.

Imported Demae Itcho, selling at a much higher price

Nissin also sells macoroni under the Demae Itcho brand

Some smaller shops even sell "industrial grade" Demae Itcho to individuals. "Industrial grade" Demae Itcho is sold to restaurants as a bulk pack and is not intended to be sold separately. It tastes the same as a normal Demae Itcho. But the packet does not have the transparent open window on it. "Industrial grade" Demae Itcho is not necessarily cheaper than normal Demae Itcho. It is just that the shop wants to seek a cheaper source and maximize the profit.

"Industrial grade" Demae Itcho

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