Just like many Indonesians, I’ve developed a high tolerance for salty snacks and MSG. I grew up on Indomie and MSG-laden munchies, most of which were produced by Indofood (I somehow survived, but probably lost some brain cells in the process).
Like many Indonesians did as kids (and I’ve seen adults do this as well), I have crushed up Indomie, poured the seasoning powder into the packaging and shaken it up to be enjoyed in its raw state a la Anak Mas, a legendary 90s noodle snack (which was also produced by Indofood).
Fast forward to present day. I’m now a woman in her mid-20s, going about my day at work and scrolling through social media when I came upon something my MSG-influenced imagination had never conceived of before: Indomie Chitato. Wait, what? A potato chip-flavored Indomie goreng? Do we really need a reverse of the Indomie-flavored Chitato crossover that was released in 2016?
I haven’t been that impressed Indomie’s latest experiments, which fused their instant noodles with trendy flavors like salted egg noodles (in my opinion, their version tastes like a burnt tire). That said, I found myself liking their Ayam Geprek flavor, which, in my opinion, is a very satisfactory Indonesian take of the extremely spicy Samyang noodles from South Korea.
Back to the Indomie Chitato. As you might have heard before, this special edition of Indomie was released to celebrate Chitato’s 30th anniversary. And, as the packaging suggests, it tastes just like the beef barbeque variant of the snack.
I just knew I had to get my hands on this crossover of two beloved Indonesian food brands, especially as beef barbeque is my favorite Chitato flavor. So I bought a box of 20 Indomie Chitato packages from Indomie’s official Tokopedia store, where it’s available exclusively, which set me back IDR100,000 (US$6.94) before delivery.
Like a kid, when my package arrived, I eagerly took one pack out of the box as if Christmas came early. And like the OG Indomie Goreng, the pack contained seasoning, sweet soy sauce, oil, and sambal sachets, with the ingenious added bonus of Chitato crumbs.
According to what’s written on the packaging, Indomie Chitato’s noodles are made of potato, and I could smell that was the case before I put it into boiling water. Yes, it smelled potatoey, but I found the noodles were thinner than the usual Indomie.
As I stirred the noodles with the package’s seasoning packets, it began to smell more and more like wet beef barbeque Chitato chips (which, to me, is a good thing). To finish the dish, I poured the Chitato crumbs onto my noodles (which I had to repeat many times for the perfect Boomerang clip).
And with my first bite, I was delighted to realize that it tasted just like the classic beef barbeque Chitatos, only with the added bonus that it’s also friggin’ Indomie. Plus, it’s not as salty as I feared. Eight-year-old me was screaming in glee knowing that her wildest instant noodle dreams had come true.
All in all, Indomie hits the sweet spot with this crossover, and I’m game to try any more experimental flavors they throw our way.
