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MyKuali Penang White Curry versus Prima Taste Singapore Laksa 面对面 Instant Noodle Shootout

MyKuali-Penang-White-Curry-Prima-Taste-Singapore-Laksa-面对面

MyKuali Penang White Curry Noodle 槟城白咖哩面 and Prima Taste Singapore Laksa La Mian are the two most popular instant noodles now in Malaysia and Singapore.

Both noodles have their fans. I thought it would be interesting to do a comparison of the two hot favourites (which are similar in many aspects).

Side by side, Prima Taste's packet dwarfs MyKuali's pack. The net weight of Prima Taste's is 185 grams, whilst MyKuali's is only 110 grams.

A packet of MyKuali retails for about RM1.80 while Prima Taste retails at around RM7.25 a packet - quite a big premium.

MyKuali-Penang-White-Curry-Prima-Taste-Singapore-Laksa-面对面

The noodle blocks look very different. Prima Taste's noodles are air dried, so they look cleaner and are grease free. On the other hand, MyKuali's noodles are conventional generic oil fried pasta. There is a slight film of grease on the noodles.

MyKuali Penang-White-Curry-Prima-Taste-Singapore-Laksa-面对面

The seasoning pastes and powders. Prima Taste's come with two large sachets of laksa paste and laksa premix. MyKuali's come with three smaller sachets of chili paste, seasoning powder and non dairy creamer.

MyKuali-Penang-White-Curry-Prima-Taste-Singapore-Laksa

Prima Taste's laksa paste has a stronger dried shrimp (hae bee
 虾米) aroma. The aroma of MyKuali's chili paste on the other hand is dominated by blended curry spices. 

Prima Taste's "laksa premix" is mainly coconut powder. MyKuali's packaging did not specify what the sachet of non dairy creamer is made of. Non dairy creamers are usually made of coconut or palm kernel oil.

MyKuali's package also has a sachet of seasoning powder.

MyKuali-Penang-White-Curry-Prima-Taste-Singapore-Laksa-面对面

The two instant noodles were prepared following instructions on the packet to the letter. When cooking MyKuali, the aroma of curry spices and lemon grass filled the air. When cooking Prima Taste, the dominant aroma was the smell of coconut.

MyKuali-Penang-White-Curry-Prima-Taste-Singapore-Laksa-面对面

MyKuali's noodle felt generic. They were curly, soft and spongy. Acceptable but ordinary. Prima's noodles were thicker, straighter, firmer, more chewy. They were a little like properly cooked spaghetti in texture. Prima's noodles have a stronger wheat taste.

Most people who have tried both prefer Prima's noodles.

MyKuali-Penang-White-Curry-Prima-Taste-Singapore-Laksa-面对面

MyKuali's broth has a more layered blend of flavours resembling the curry laksa in Malaysia which are made with a blend of Indian and local spices. Prima's broth is simpler and the dried shrimp hae bee 
虾米 flavour is dominant.

MyKuali's broth is spicier than Prima's broth. MyKuali's broth has a hot sting which lingers for a while. I like. Prima's broth is mildly spicy with not much kick.

MyKuali's broth has medium weight body and a subtle graininess similar to those at the curry laksa hawker stalls. Prima's broth is heavier bodied and smoother, slightly creamy.

I personally enjoyed MyKuali's broth more.

MyKuali-Penang-White-Curry-Prima-Taste-Singapore-Laksa-面对面

Now for the dip stick test.

MyKuali-Penang-White-Curry-Prima-Taste-Singapore-Laksa-面对面
MyKuali-Penang-White-Curry-Prima-Taste-Singapore-Laksa-面对面

I was a little surprised at the amount of grease stuck to the dip stick from the MyKuali broth.  On the other hand, the Prima Taste broth was less greasy.

Prima Taste also seems to the the healthier choice based on the labelling on the packet which states that no MSG, artificial flavouring, colouring or added preservatives were used. 

There are MSG and preservatives in MyKuali's broth.

Both instant noodles are certified Halal.

MyKuali-Penang-White-Curry-Prima-Taste-Singapore-Laksa-面对面

Both noodles were scored 6.5/10 by Instant Noodle Grader.


In a perfect world, we would have a package that uses MyKuali's seasonings and Prima Taste's noodles and retails at a price somewhere between the two (but preferably closer to MyKuali's price :D  ).

For the price sensitive, MyKuali has the edge. 

For taste and flavour of the broth, I prefer MyKuali.

For the health conscious, Prima Taste would be more appealing. However, I prefer smaller packets of instant noodles rather than the current "up-sized" packets of Prima Taste.

If I have to choose, which one will it be? 

I am with Prima Taste, mainly for health's sake. 

Of course, choice is a matter of personal preferences.

There you have it, the shootout between the two most popular instant noodles in Malaysia and Singapore.

Join the Instant Noodle Facebook group for more fun with instant noodle fans.

16 comments:

  1. I think the Prima tastes more likely to Katong Laksa compared to Malaysian flavored laksa.

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  2. Not a good apple to apple comparison. Singapore laksa is known to be sweet with mainly coconut base. Malaysia laksa in my opinion is more curry and spice. But yes, both will taste good with some chicken shreds.

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  3. Actually no need to compare. Anything with non dairy creamer is nothing short of poison in the form of transfat

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  4. I agree with Anonymous(7March2014). Singapore laksa is nyonya laksa, that's why you have strong coconut and hae bee taste. Penang curry is totally different type of curry from Singapore style. However, it's a good review, but not a comparison. Thanks for your hard work.

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  5. I just can't resist - for good health, better to avoid all instant noodles ;) But thanks for the excellent review. Good pics.

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  6. Prima Taste Singapore Laksa La Mian is my favorite instant noodle. I even bring it back to the USA as souvenirs for friends and family. I eagerly tried My Kuali Penang White Curry because it is much cheaper, and I thought that perhaps it would be a more authentic souvenir taste of Penang. The MSG caused such a bad reaction in my mouth that I couldn't even finish the bowl. I threw away the rest of the packages. (I would have kept them to resell if I'd known they were so hard to find.) Prima Taste is still my top choice.

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  7. In terms of taste, Prima anytime. But then again... it's SO DAMN EXPENSIVE. So, I'll stick to Mykuali. But the problem is, it's SO difficult to get that Mykuali...

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    Replies
    1. You can buy it from Block 554 Ang Mo Kio Econ mini mart.

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  8. Hi Chan Kuok Chou, you can buy it from blk 554 Ang mo kio Econ Minimart..

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  9. No MSG, no artificial this and that.. vs Full MSG and artificial this and that...

    I'm with prima, wait for Sheng Siong have sale then buy more at one shot lor.. bo bian..

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  10. Ellen from America17 September 2014 at 09:54

    THIS REVIEW; REVIEWED

    My primary problem with this instant noodle review was that the two brands were referred to both in photo and in text in alternating orders. It was confusing particularly when the brand names don’t mean anything to me.

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  11. No way prima can beat Mykuali. Accept it.

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  12. Prima wins hands down. Mykuali is just MSG laden spicy soup.

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  13. mykuali anytime... Prima is not instant noodles at all. What you can't cook to become soft will remain intact in your stomach. So when you eat Prima noodles it will not be digested.

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  14. Lol. Thanks for the review but it seems you have also fallen into the trap. Prima has an excellent marketing team. Ask yourself this. If Prima is indeed healthier, why does it have 24g of saturated fats (mykuali is around 9g). Much higher calories too though noodles air dried. Also, "no msg added" is not the same as no msg. Conclusion is Prima costs more but also more unhealthy than MyKuali. 1 serving Prima will exceed total daily fats intake recommended by health promotion board.

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  15. Hi, it's me again. According to HPB, saturated fats intake per day for woman is 17g, man should be 21g but Prima's so called 'healthier' noodle has 24.6g already per serving (it was a female local blogger who pointed this out). Also, FDA and also ajinomoto site (scroll to bottom of FAQ) https://www.ajinomoto.com.sg/faq/ has warned about "No MSG added." To conclude, both have MSG except one states it while the other hides behind creative labelling.

    ps: I enjoy reading your blog and usually don't comment but now felt I had, after reading you prefer Prima because you thought it was healthier. Take care :)

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