Having difficulty finding some authentic ramen where you live?
I know the feeling.
After moving to the US for school and then Canada to be with my wife, I know how difficult it can be to find a good bowl of authentic Japanese ramen.
But, wait!
Picture this: Ramen you can make easily and from the comfort of your own home.
With this added bonus - it tastes like a bowl of ramen you can have in Japan.
Today, I want to introduce you to:
Nissin’s Raoh Shoyu Flavor Instant Ramen
These noodles is sold by Nissin Food Products Co., Ltd. which was founded in 1948 in Osaka. Nissin is the inventor of instant noodles.
They know how to make good quality ramen in terms of both soup packets and noodles. This Shoyu flavor was released in 2012.
Nissin is a longstanding and reputable brand that make delicious instant noodles. I find the Raoh brand to be a very “high-end” instant noodle brand!
I like Nissin's Raoh series because they taste better than some ramen shops I have been to.
Let's dive in.
Beautiful bright red packaging
But, don't worry! It is not spicy.
5 individual packets come with each value bundle.
Round noodles - the perfect size to fit into a small pot.
Upon closer look, you'll notice some dark grained specks.
Whole wheat flour is used in the production of these noodles.
The best part? The noodles are not fried.
It is a much healthier alternative to other brands of instant noodles.
Liquid soup base packet comes with each individual package of noodles.
Cooking Directions (from the package):
Shoyu ramen is the most orthodox flavour of Japanese ramen.
Shoyu ramen is the most orthodox flavour of Japanese ramen.
So, what does this mean?
This means each instant ramen brand crafts their shoyu ramen in a similar fashion without any crazy or unique twists to this classic.
Just imagine this scenery: Straight noodles in a beautiful lightly-seasoned brown soy sauce soup...
Raoh tells you this is THE ramen.
Raoh tells you this is THE ramen.
1. Bring 450ml (1.9 cups, 15.2oz) of water to boil.
2. Put noodles into the pot.
3. Boil them for 3 minutes.
4. While you are boiling the noodles, put soup packet in a ramen bowl.
5. Put hot water from the pot into the bowl and mix with the soup packet.
6. Put noodles in the bowl.
ENJOY!
Broth ★★★★★
First off, the soy sauce packet is amazingly flavorful. The broth is nearly perfect and I would have to say, possibly even better than some ramen restaurants.
The soy sauce flavor is strong and really close to what you would expect from an experienced ramen shop.
The soy sauce flavor is strong and really close to what you would expect from an experienced ramen shop.
The best part?
You will forget that these are instant noodles.This soup is simple but it has a very nice umami flavour and some oiliness from the lard.
You will forget that these are instant noodles.This soup is simple but it has a very nice umami flavour and some oiliness from the lard.
These added details to the construction of the soup contributes to the high-quality nature of the soup.
The color of the soup is very beautiful. Even before trying it, I already thought it would be delicious. The visual presentation of these noodles is just as appetizing as its fragrant aroma.
Still not convinced?
The soup is placed in an easy-tear packet which allows you to effortlessly tear open and pour the liquid soup base into a ramen bowl.
What’s good about pouring the soup base separately into a ramen bowl?
It makes the pot super easy to wash and clean since the broth was not boiled in the pot.
The soup is simple but not weak, so you can add a lot of vegetable. Even when you put in a lot of cabbage, it will not weaken the flavours of the broth.
There are two soup packets included in each package. One is in liquid form, while the other is in powder form. In order to make a bowl of good ramen, you need to thoroughly mix together the powdered and liquid soup with hot water in your ramen bowl.
Want to know what I love about this specific flavour from Raoh’s series?
There is menma extract in the soup packet. Menma is sliced bamboo shoots, usually found in most ramen. This fragrant aroma from menma gives me a warm feeling of nostalgia because it is the aroma of shoyu ramen in the Kanto area of Japan where I grew up.
There are two soup packets included in each package. One is in liquid form, while the other is in powder form. In order to make a bowl of good ramen, you need to thoroughly mix together the powdered and liquid soup with hot water in your ramen bowl.
Want to know what I love about this specific flavour from Raoh’s series?
There is menma extract in the soup packet. Menma is sliced bamboo shoots, usually found in most ramen. This fragrant aroma from menma gives me a warm feeling of nostalgia because it is the aroma of shoyu ramen in the Kanto area of Japan where I grew up.
Noodles ★★★★★
These medium-thick noodles pairs well with the light soy sauce soup perfectly.
These noodles are delicious. They are very silky and the texture of the noodles is perfect. It tastes like fresh ramen at a seasoned ramen shop.
These noodles provide the perfect base for your home cooked ramen masterpiece.
These noodles are delicious. They are very silky and the texture of the noodles is perfect. It tastes like fresh ramen at a seasoned ramen shop.
These noodles provide the perfect base for your home cooked ramen masterpiece.
I’d have to say, they taste like a restaurant order.
These noodles are not fried and they have a much lower sodium content than other instant noodle brands.
This will be your go-to packaged noodles. It is almost impossible to find another brand or instant noodle that can beat this one.
These noodles have a nice roasted aroma to it because they are made out of whole wheat flour.
If you take a closer look, you will find some black grain powder on the noodles. This is the characteristic of whole wheat flour.
When the noodles are covered with shoyu soup, they give you a nice flavour inside of the mouth.
I am thankful for the existence of Nissin since this masterpiece was made by this corporate giant. For sure this is the ramen king (as their brand name suggests)!
You might think the portion is a little bit small. Do you know Japanese people eat ramen after drinking? We crave a bowl of ramen all the time after drinking. This serving size might be perfect for just that.
Toppings ★☆☆☆☆
Sadly, this ramen doesn't come with any toppings.
But, just wait!
The toppings below will go well with Raoh's shoyu flavor instant ramen. I find traditional toppings go well with this this ramen.
Eating this ramen without topping is still good, but if you add toppings to them, it will elevate your entire meal!
Eating this ramen without topping is still good, but if you add toppings to them, it will elevate your entire meal!
Traditional Japanese Toppings:
Traditoinal Options:
Chashu
Ajitama
Menma
Green onion
Naruto
Nori (Seaweed)
Other Options:
Chicken
Ham
Pork
Cabbage
Carrot
Bean sprout
Shiitake mushrooms
Sriracha
Corn
Aroma ★★★★★
I can smell a fragrant and appetizing aroma of menma from this ramen. This smell will increase your appetite.
My Thoughts Overall ★★★★★
It is nearly impossible to make restaurant quality noodles at home without the right tools and equipment.
How can you beat that?
Using Raoh’s shoyu flavour will help you achieve this easily. This is top-notch ramen hands down!
One pinnacle of instant noodles is the soy sauce flavor. It is expensive compared to regular ones but let me tell you, it deserves every single penny.
In a nutshell, I love every bit of it.
...And I am sure you will too.
Maruchan's Seimen vs Nissin's Raoh
These two key corporate players in the ramen world have tried to reproduce the taste and flavour of raw noodles - Nissin with it's Raoh series and Maruchan with its Seimen series.
They both have been successful in achieving their goals when it comes to the reproduction of raw noodles in dehydrated form.
These two key corporate players in the ramen world have tried to reproduce the taste and flavour of raw noodles - Nissin with it's Raoh series and Maruchan with its Seimen series.
They both have been successful in achieving their goals when it comes to the reproduction of raw noodles in dehydrated form.
It is important to know, however, that their products are not the same. Actually, I would have to say, they are very different.
Maruchan's Seimen shoyu flavor has a more traditional, orthodox, and old-fashioned taste. Noodles are thiner and softer. They are very comforting. I think Maruchan's Seimen tries to target markets is over 40 years old.
In contrast, Raoh's shoyu flavor has a more modern taste. This soup has a little more oil that its competition. But this is what gives the noodles its unique taste and “raw”-noodle taste. Noodles are a little bit stiffer. Soup and noodles both really stand out. I think the company tried to market this series to a younger generation.
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Maruchan's Seimen shoyu flavor has a more traditional, orthodox, and old-fashioned taste. Noodles are thiner and softer. They are very comforting. I think Maruchan's Seimen tries to target markets is over 40 years old.
In contrast, Raoh's shoyu flavor has a more modern taste. This soup has a little more oil that its competition. But this is what gives the noodles its unique taste and “raw”-noodle taste. Noodles are a little bit stiffer. Soup and noodles both really stand out. I think the company tried to market this series to a younger generation.
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There is another recipe on the package which teaches you how to make tanmen out of this product.
Tanmen is a delicious type of ramen that includes a lot of vegetables.
How to make tanmen:
1. Fry vegetables and meat in a pan.
2. Pour 450 ml of water into the same pan.
3. After the water boils, put in noodles and cook for 4 minutes.
4. Mix the soup packet.
1. Fry vegetables and meat in a pan.
2. Pour 450 ml of water into the same pan.
3. After the water boils, put in noodles and cook for 4 minutes.
4. Mix the soup packet.
ENJOY!
Making it this way, allows you to taste the original flavors from vegetable and meat.
Nutrition Facts (from the packaging)
Calorie 342
Protein 8.6g
Fat 6.8g
Carbs 61.6g
Natrium 2300mg
Sodium 5.8g
Calcium 143mg
Vitamin B1 0.15mg
Vitamin B2 0.25mg
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