How Sun Noodle's Saimin Became Hawaii's Favorite Noodle - Cooking in America

This week on Cooking in America, host Sheldon Simeon visits the Sun Noodle factory: the company responsible for facilitating the US's recent ramen frenzy. While Sun Noodle's ramen is their most famous noodle worldwide, it's their saimin that Simeon is especially interested in. Watch the video above to see how the Hawaiian specialty is made.
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[@lrein077]

Growing up in the 808 SAIMIN was the name most of us was aware of. Ramen was a later introduction. SAIMIN is our version of a good chicken noodle soup. Great job chef Sheldon.

[@sasquatch8268]

Exactly. Growing up we would even call instant ramen Saimin! Haha!

[@AkudamaAkuna]

"ramen is trendy, saimin is life" cheeeeee brah saimin for breakfast, lunch, and dinner

[@Jaymon1231]

Damn skippy!

[@mike-n-jello]

Chee-HOOO reppin da valley...miss my days at Palace Saimin in Kalihi. Thanks Eater for making Sheldon the host of this series.

[@AMHK1024]

Kalihi has so many good places to eat,

[@xenonnboy]

It's been too long since I went Palace! Even my dad always went there when he was a kid, growing up on School Street.

[@brentgarcia7759]

Ducking love this guy!

[@pandaslayer]

Sheldon, next winner of Top Chef. This dude is amazing.

[@SankofaNYC]

my boy Sheldon... stepping into his role as a celeb, story teller, informer of culture, and amazing chef in general... happy its him... good dude

[@cheehee808_]

Palace saimin is my go to spot. Has been since my dad took us there as kids back in the 90s. He was a cop in kalihi for 25 years and he's been coming since he was my age (I'm 30). It's comfort and nostalgia in a bowl

[@jf76]

It is so important to celebrate diversity of culture through cuisine. In Toronto you can find so many different kinds of food. When I lived in Manhattan so many people in the kitchens were Mexican but they learned how to cook many different kinds of cuisine. Even if you don't know another person's language, you know when something is delicious and can make connections that way. What better democracy is there than sharing meals around a table with good food? Saimin? Yes! Tacos? Yes! Peking duck? Yes! Korean BBQ? Yes! Southern BBQ? Yes! Crawfish boil? Yes! French cheeses? Yes! Kofte? Yes! That simple nod and smile and mmm is a universal language.

[@chuchuchuchia]

CULTURE BLENDING IS BEAUTIFUL

[@ngatiramona]

I love true life stories like this. Thank you so much for sharing.

[@benhiew8509]

The description of the food finding its way to the eyelids makes sheldon my next favourite host besides lucas.

[@m3m3sis]

In Finland I bought some santa maria-brand noodles. The shits break to little bits after just 2minutes of boiling. Threw those away and started to buy my shit from a east asian mart. Never looked back. Fuck the imitations.

[@brinkmanns]

I like the content, but I get ticked off and annoyed by the constant re-using of the same footage in a 6 min video. The same shots of making a bowl and making the noodle are shown at least 2-3 times over and over again. If you have such a short video, it would make sense to shoot more B-Roll footage to have more footage on hand for the voice-over sections? Just food for thought on the next videos.

[@ohkutari]

I love that they keep shouting out Chinese and Filipino while I’m just sitting here with my parents being Filipino and Chinese

[@lilyzeftran]

I absolutely love these episodes with Sheldon.

[@randyh.7782]

*Eater*...You folks do an outstanding job of making me hungry with each video.

[@eater]

Thanks for watching! Keep your appetite up!

[@randyh.7782]

Eater A response in less than 60 seconds?! Wow! LOL! I will definitely keep my appetite up. I'm happy to be subscribed. Thanks! 😁🖒

[@robertlee8805]

@@eater More foodie videos PLEASE.

[@Briguy1027]

saimin has more ash? and egg than ramen? I tried listening to what Sheldon said twice but ash sounds like an odd ingredient to add to noodles.

[@eater]

"Ash" is how they measure the amount of mineral content that remains in the flour after milling. Thanks for watching!

[@eater]

You can give someone a fish...Thanks for watching!

[@itscloudyinside]

Eater so shady hahahaha

[@XDivineintervensioNX]

Eater love it best channel out man love you guys.

[@BlueButtonFly]

Why do all your comments end with "Thanks for watching!"? Tryin to make a change :-\

[@LT-ml2ki]

Now I'm craving Saimin! Where in Europe do you export??? I can't seem to find any here in the Netherlands. PS SHELDON SHOULD OF WON TOP CHEF! I mean Brook and Shirley are badasses too. Like I think this was the first season they got the top 3 correct!, But I was hella rooting for Sheldon since the beginning! For god sakes he made Filipino kinilaw and pinakbet that within itself is a big win!

[@UwU-lm9or]

I live in hawaii i dont kmow if they have it anywhere in the us and stuff but yiu can make saimim at home! -local from hawaii

[@Mike-Eye]

Saimin is life 🤙🏾

[@thanhdinh3179]

Hawaii might be a pacific island, but there's a lot of Asian culture. No wonder why I want to go there so much. 😂

[@iknowcommonsense395]

It’s like a blend of Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese, and Filipino in a bowl. There, I added Filipino since they played a big role during the early days of Hawaii plantation era.

[@OCSleazy]

it's hard starting your own business these days. the market is saturated and Walmart destroys all small businesses.

[@ivykaneshiro7554]

The best of the best saimin…..good texture, good taste, good slurp…..yum…also good for fried saimin…the best.,.broke da mouth..need the bed..put Hana..I wish they would sell the Yakisoba sauce, the dry type that comes in the yakisoba package…please go find out and let me know..thanks

[@garygerman2685]

I just returned to Hawaii after many years of growing up there. Siamin was top of my list. WSent to Janes Fountain for it and was not sad. Then tried Zippys. Zippys is not as good as it used to be. I must have eaten 8 bowls of Saimin over 4 days.

[@dboy4306]

Saimin always good for hangover & when you pau drink. That's automatik no static chheeeheeee💯

[@thedevilinthecircuit1414]

They didn't start in 1981. We were eating S&S Saimin on Oahu in the late 1960s. You could buy it in any grocery store there.

[@janeblue3053]

After school, you’d run home, eat Siamin and watch Checkers and Pogo

[@winniengo5448]

Watching this and wondering why his mask is pulled down then realized this video was precovid

[@KeepingItRelle]

Sun Noodle noodles are so so yummy!

[@adijayaification]

Eater has only 374k subscribers. Tell me why..

[@eater]

We like to keep it casual.

[@Nicd671]

Couple years later they’re now at 2.09 million subscribers!

[@justaddmusclecom]

Loved this episode. Now I have to go find some Sun Noodles in Florida.

[@eater]

Happy hunting! sunnoodle.com/store-locator/

[@justaddmusclecom]

Eater Thats why I love Eater. Thank you so much 😊

[@MissSabzSays]

@@justaddmusclecom did you find some? 😁

[@CalebMcLellan]

Cheeeee!!!

[@BoyBastos759]

#SAIMINISLIFE

[@MissSabzSays]

Zippys gotta be their biggest customer. PALACE SAIMIN 🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽 childhood faves!

[@newvillagefilms]

I've been looking for this in my town and just recently found it at 99 Ranch. HMart doesn't carry it.

[@koesliftsingles9069]

Sheldon is the man !!!!

[@chenggonglee4992]

That pidgin tho...

[@weauduhmee1138]

Iwamoto noodles better

[@tayogidni1654]

I really want to try these! I'm starting to hate the ramen from stores around here...might have to hit up Amazon

[@khryllim9264]

is it available here in the phils? we love noodles here but i havent heard of this one until now. id like to try it :) maybe someday itll go global too

[@vergelvelasquez]

It makes tou sleepy because of vetsin! Hahaha msg

[@ufinc]

Ivan Orkin made Sun Noodle great.

[@timlaunyc]

Wish their east coast consumer operations was bigger.

[@hypnozpie4071]

Who's favorite ramen shop is Manichi?

[@RayfilWong]

Noodles is the breakfast of champions for Asians

[@joyjoyoo]

Rayfil Wong congee or soy milk for me =]

[@RayfilWong]

Soy milk. I'm AsianFoodNerd on Instagram

[@joyjoyoo]

Rayfil Wong glorious posts =]

[@LiangHuBBB]

awesome

[@HopeHempstead]

😁"You have a pillow?"....I say that too!

[@atribecalledjudah5436]

That’s call the “ITIS” bro.

[@2lmkerns]

What kind of broth is the noodle served in?

[@jtaggueg]

looks like MIKI noodles on panci cabagan

[@BoyBastos759]

Jarl Joshua Taggueg sun noodle also makes pancit

[@jtaggueg]

we call pancit noodles in our place miki, there are different pancit noodles, our miki is made from cassava flour

[@kbkealoha]

Yeah sheldon!!! Palace saimin is the best!

[@astex6560]

Proud Pinoy here Chef Sheldon. Proud of you.

[@DankUrbanBoss]

Saimin seamen eh .. jk it sounds good

[@blackdragonwingz]

omg sheldon you're the best

[@jindesc4690]

mustache adds flavor

[@RoamTheWorld]

It has ash?? Whaaaat. I'll still eat it. I had one at Ken's House of Pancakes in Hilo. It was pretty good!

[@eater]

"Ash" is how they measure the remaining mineral content of the flour after it's been milled. Thanks for watching!

[@RoamTheWorld]

Oh cool. You learn something new everyday. Thanks Eater :D

[@deathpyre42]

So, with the wonton wrappers, what happens to the offcuts?

[@joeykarate3148]

deathpyre42 they are released into the wild

[@lokiwestlind1522]

this guy smokes the reefer

[@YoMamaRice]

Better to be in Hawaii!

[@thanhdinh3179]

It goes to your eyes???😳

[@muhammadirvinefidelliomaiz5887]

More lucas! 😝

[@swamidan277]

So where's Sheldon from? like was he born in the US?

[@eater]

Sheldon was born in Hilo, on Hawaii's Big Island. kzbin.info/www/bejne/r6HTkmmamJ2onJI

[@swamidan277]

Cool, I had a feeling i'd get a reply ;)

[@livewire9414]

I love noodles

[@jeffn.8491]

When will I see it in the stores of NY?

[@eater]

Sun Noodled is already available in NY. They have a noodle factory in NJ!

[@ApolloandMuse]

Want... :(

[@weiistone]

hek yea!

[@EntrigenT]

Bravo

[@MightyRoy]

Noodles were invented in China, it's all Chinese isn't it? This Char Siew Noodle Saimin soup looks like Hong Kong's Wanton Noodles

[@illatease]

Sheldon is freaking awesome. I want Sun Noodles!

[@balochistanitechsupport3996]

all them NOODLE they IS originated at QUETTA form Balochistan b4 dinosaurs born

[@balochistanitechsupport3996]

also SHELDON he look LIKE jihadi

[@kale1doscope]

You type like an indian tech support, incomprehensible.

[@1819-p1k]

Does the speaker suffering from sinositis? Nose clogged? Or that's his natural voice? I'm bothered

[@tommygun328]

Saimin is Cantonese for "thin noodles", so there's your clue about the origins of the dish. Probably what makes it Hawaiian is the contemporary mish-mash of toppings.

[@LorenzoRM85]

so he is a chef, he grew up with saimin and doesn't know what actually is. that's bs stop calling yourself chef!

[@Ryan.usa73]

Don't be a donkey. No one knows the specific origin of saimin.

[@LorenzoRM85]

@@Ryan.usa73 are you idiot? Did I mention origin of saimin?

[@singhpipa87]

I feel disgusted looking at this

[@OCSleazy]

Pipa HK why?

[@eater]

No Sheldon Simeons were harmed in the making of this video. Thanks for watching!

[@vitalicomedy]

stfu