Finally, got hold of one of the most expensive ramen. I saw this in Japan and even in local supermarkets in Malaysia but just couldn’t get myself to spend that money. It costs over RM100/box. I only bought two packets of the curly version when I was in Osaka in 2019. Then, my bro came back with a box when he came back from Singapore. It was not cheap not too. After conversion to MYR, it’s around RM120.
I always wonder what the inside of the box looks like. Now I know… Hahaha… Check out the video to find out. If you ever wonder how to open the box like me, then check out the video too. I didn’t know how to open it. It’s such rocket science. How silly am I?!? It’s so easy! I didn’t know what I was thinking. Why didn’t I think of that?!?
I tried looking for instructions on how to cook it online even though it’s available at the back of the packet and on its official website. In the end, I settled with the instructions on the official site. I did not follow the exact steps recommended on the packet and website too. I made a bit of modification to the step that is to switch the heat to the lowest while adding the soup (this was mentioned in Donki’s listing on Shopee on how to cook it). The original instructions should be to switch off the fire, then pour the soup into the pot. Whichever way, I tried both, it was OK. Still tasted good.
However, I was told that cooking the noodle based on the instructions is not the right way.
Here’s the method my friend taught me:
- Soak the soup packet in hot water.
- Boil 450ml water in a pot.
- Cook the ramen for the duration as suggested on the packet.
- Separate the ramen and water. DO NOT pour the water away. Keep it!! Put the noodle in a bowl.
- Open the soup packet and mix the soup with the ramen.
- Pour the boiled water that you cooked the ramen with into the bowl of ramen.
- Add the red seasoning powder to the spiciness level of your liking. If you can’t tolerate spiciness, you can skip it.
- Ready to eat.
The soup is flavourful and salty. The water needed is 450ml but using 500ml is also fine. I’ve never tasted the real thing from the official shop so I can’t do any comparison. However, the ramen tastes much better than in some local ramen shops.
The red seasoning powder is spicy. You can add accordingly or just skip it altogether. For me, half a packet gives me just enough heat. One whole packet is spicy enough but I can still take it. I prefer to have the red seasoning to elevate the taste. I will feel that something is missing without it.
Whether it’s worth it or not to spend so much on instant ramen, I don’t know… I definitely won’t spend such an amount of money on it even though it tastes good. If I would, then I would have purchased it when I was in Japan. It’s really up to you.
By the way, this is non-halal as alcohol and pork/lard are part of the ingredients of the ramen.
Have you tried the real thing? Have you tried the instant version?