We continue our exploration of Sun’s ramen offerings with their Miso flavor. If Shoyu is the most popular/well known of the base ramen flavors in the US, Tonkotsu and Miso battle it out for the number two spot. For instance, my wife is not a big fan of Tonkotsu, but usually prefers Miso. Conversely, my friend Hsien loves Tonkotsu over all others. It’s all based on palate preference. While the Miso flavor is still a good choice, it is certainly not my favorite of the bunch. However, it does allow for a more rounded choice when picking out a favored flavor from Sun.
The Cook
As always, Sun brand ramen comes with a flavor packet and uncooked noodles.
The Miso paste flavor packet is, consistency-wise, similar to the Tonkotsu packet, so you’ll want to defrost it a bit before placing it in your bowl (if you’ve kept yours in the freezer). There is a bit of oil surrounding the paste, which adds to the flavor and the glistening look of the surface ramen tends to have.
Add your 10-12 oz water and stir it up.
Meanwhile, add your noodles to a boiling pot of water. I tend to be impatient, so I’ll cook at 3 minutes from frozen, but typically you’ll want to thaw them first and cook 1 1/2-2 minutes from thawed.Strain your noodles, add them to the broth, and you’re ready to eat! As always, feel free to add any ingredients you want to spruce up your ramen: pork, narutomaki, nori, soft-boiled egg, whatever you want. I like to test out the base offering first, which is why I don’t add anything extra during these reviews.
The Review
Sun continues to impress with perfect noodles (the same from the Shoyu package), and a fairly authentic flavor with the Miso broth. Although I’m not a huge Miso ramen fan, this tastes close enough to what I’ve had in the field that I believe it’ll hit the spot for anyone wanting a bowl at home without too much effort. It doesn’t quite reach the level of authenticity the Shoyu or Tonkotsu did, but it came close.
The Miso broth has a slight kick to it as well – there’s a touch of spice to it, making it a good choice for a cold day. However, if you’re not a fan of spice, you may want to opt for a different flavor.
The Miso broth is also oilier than the others, with a fairly slick surface. I wish they’d held back on the oil a bit. In the two servings I’ve tried, the oil level has remained consistent. You could probably remove some of the oil from the paste before adding water, though this probably defeats the purpose of a quickie packaged ramen. It’s up to you and whether you think the broth is too oily and you love Miso.
If you’ve never had Miso ramen but you like Miso soup, know that they are two very different things. Don’t expect this to be like the Miso soup you get before a sushi dinner at a Japanese restaurant in the US.
Overall, I can heartily recommend this based on the fact that it’s Sun and will always be better than the freeze-dried variety of packaged ramen. While not as good as the Tonkotsu or Shoyu, it certainly rounds out the holy trinity of ramen flavors and gives you an option should you grow tired of the other two.
Pros:
- Delicious noodles
- Fairly authentic broth
Cons:
- Slightly spicy (if you don’t like that)
- More oily than necessary
