Today we have a two-fer! Jess and I decided to try Myojo Chukazanmai’s Oriental and Soy Sauce flavored ramen. Considered amongst packaged ramen folk to be of a higher quality than your typical American grocery store ramen, these two offerings pack quite a bit of flavor in a freeze-dried packet.
The Cook
Both packets come with a soup base and a seasoning pack. The soup base is your typical dried flavor packet, similar to what you’ll find in your average Top Ramen. What makes this most import brands of ramen better than those you can easily find at any US grocery store is the second packet: here, it’s called liquid seasoning.Liquid seasoning is, basically, the oil base with flavor that gives ramen that nice, glistening surface. It also helps to keep the noodles separated for easy slurping. The second packet is fairly common in Asian countries, not so much in the US.
Get 2 1/2 cups of water boiling – this is more than your typical ramen cook, but it provides for a more realistic serving, so I’m happy with the amount.
Throw in your noodles once boiling – most ramen calls for 3 minutes to cook from freeze-dried, but I like to give this brand two minutes due to the thinner, wavy noodles. They’re slightly easier to slurp that way, and have a nice texture to them. Your mileage may very, depending on the kind of stove you’re working with.
Add your flavor and liquid seasoning and mix it up!Serve it to your adoring family and enjoy.
The Review
I had the soy sauce flavor and Jess tried the oriental, though we tasted each as well. The soy sauce flavor was not like your typical shoyu ramen – it was earthier, and greasier than expected. It actually caused the noodles to be almost TOO slick. The flavor was good though, very robust. The earthiness of the shoyu reminded me of the ramen I typically make, like a provincial shoyu rather than a Tokyo shoyu.
The noodles themselves are a good consistency – they’re not as thick as your typical Top Ramen, which can lead to mushy, hard to slurp junk. The thinness of the noodle makes it easier to get a good helping on your chopsticks.
If I had to do it over, I would probably use a little less of the flavor packet that includes the oil, and make sure the noodles are slightly less cooked. All in all, it’s a good bowl of soup, but some modification may be required depending on your taste.
The oriental flavor is a fishier broth, not unlike a seafood miso. It has a slight bite to it when going down that is not unpleasant, almost as though there’s a slight tanginess in there. It’s a thinner broth than the shoyu, but still includes that same level of greasiness. It’s quite tasty if you’re looking for a seafood style broth.
Both packets contain an ungodly amount of sodium, over 3,000 mg, so do be aware of that – it’s probably the saltiest packaged ramen I’ve ever eaten. I like salty, so I didn’t mind, but make sure you have a glass of water on standby.
Overall, I preferred the soy sauce flavor, and Jess preferred the oriental flavor, but I can see either hitting the spot, depending on what you’re in the mood for.
Pros:
- Robust broth
- Great noodles
Cons:
- Greasy
- EXTREMELY salty
