Abstract: Reduction of frying oil uptake is effected when preparing instant fried noodles by aggregating a plurality of gelatinized noodle dough strips to form a cake mass, subjecting the cake to heat to reduce its moisture content to an amount in a range of from at least about 10% and less than 30% by weight, frying the partially-dried cake in a mass of an edible oil and separating the fried cake from the frying oil mass. In another aspect of the invention, oil uptake reduction is effected by employing a dough having a protein content of from about 8% to about 13% by weight and/or containing an added proteinaceous substance ingredient, such as gluten, and/or containing maltodextrin as an ingredient.