Category Archives: Yamamoto

#3127: Yamamoto Tanukioyazi Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen – Japan

#3127: Yamamoto Tanukioyazi Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen - Japan

Today, we have one that was part of Japan Crate’s Umai Crate. So Japan Crate is a subscription service which has all sorts of different options for you. pretty neat stuff from Japan! There’s a coupon code for you too – just use THERAMENRATER to get a special discount at check out.

So here’s what the folks at Japan Crate had to say about this variety -“Get your taste buds ready to savor this spicy tonkotsu (pork flavor) ramen by Yamamoto! The heat is relatively gentle while grubbing down on the noodles, but builds intensity once you start sipping the broth. Get your choice of beverage ready to go beside these noodles.”

Let’s do it.

Yamamoto Tanukioyazi Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen – Japan

#3127: Yamamoto Tanukioyazi Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen - Japan

Detail of the bottom and side (click to enlarge). Unsure whether it contains meat; however probably does. To prepare, add everything to bowl and add boiling water to line. Cover for 3 minutes. Finally, stir and enjoy!

#3127: Yamamoto Tanukioyazi Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen - Japan

Detail of the lid (click to enlarge).

#3127: Yamamoto Tanukioyazi Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen - Japan

The noodle block.

#3127: Yamamoto Tanukioyazi Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen - Japan

A wet sachet.

#3127: Yamamoto Tanukioyazi Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen - Japan

Thick stuff!

#3127: Yamamoto Tanukioyazi Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen - Japan

A dry sachet.

#3127: Yamamoto Tanukioyazi Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen - Japan

Solid garnish.

Finished (click to enlarge). Added scallions, Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, shichimi togarashi, soft egg and chashu. The noodles came out surprisingly much better than expected – I expected spongy but they were not that. The broth was like a think tonkotsu with a spiciness that felt a little like pepper extract. 3.75 out of 5.0 stars. JAN bar code 4979397780016.

#3127: Yamamoto Tanukioyazi Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen - Japan

Yamamoto milling Ponpoko ramen soy sauce 6 meals pack

Watch me cook this up on Instant Noodle Recipe Time!

#2988: Yamamoto Nippon No Curry Udon – Japan

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So here’s what the folks at Japan Crate had to say about this variety -“Looking for a filling feas? Then, this curry udon is for you! Offering two popular Japanese dishes in one, this can be a perfect base for any leftovers you may have in your fridge for a smorgasbord of yummy goodness.”

Curry – let’s get down and give it a try!

Yamamoto Nippon No Curry Udon – Japan

Here’s the back of the package (click to enlarge). Unsure if it contains meat but guessing pork and seafood. To prepare, add noodles to 300ml boiling water and cook for 1 1/2 minutes. Add in sachet contents. Finally, stir and enjoy!

One of the two noodle pouches – this product has two servings.

The soup base sachet.

The powder base.

Finished (click to enlarge). Added tofu puff, Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, shichimi togarashi, scallions, baked chicken with Salt For Life and Pepper, and soft boiled egg. The udon came out very well and was actually slightly engorged which was neat. The broth was a strong salty Japanese curry – very delicious and enjoyable. 5.0 out of 5.0 stars. JAN bar code 4979397390000.

X6 pieces Yamamoto milling Ponpoko ramen soy sauce 6 meals pack

Watch me cook this one up!

#2719: Yamamoto Umakaro Negi Ramen

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So here’s what the folks at Japan Crate had to say about this variety -“This is another ramen from the Umakaro series! This one is a classic green onion ramen with a distinct shrimp flavor.”

It’s nice – they have recommendations for garnishes and this one mentions adding bacon. I have an idea for a bit of a spin on bacon I’m hoping might work well. Let’s delve into this bowl!

Yamamoto Umakaro Negi Ramen – Japan

Here’s the bottom and sides (click to enlarge). Contains seafood. To prepare, add in sachet contents and add boiling water to fill line. Cover for 3 minutes. Finally, stir and enjoy!

Detail of the lid (click to enlarge).

The noodle block.

The soup base sachet/.

A dark powder base.

A second dry sachet.

Looks like spring onion.

Finished (click to enlarge). Added a slice of chashu pork I slowly fried as I was devoid of bacon, Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, and nanami togarashi. Noodles were pretty good – not colossal but decent. The broth had this kind of vegetable taste to it I liked – a bit of spring onion taste in there but not overpowering. 4.25 out of 5.0 stars. JAN bar code 4979397770130.

Yamamoto milling Ponpoko ramen soy sauce 6 meals pack

Meanwhile, back in 1966 Tokyo…

The Ramen Rater Top Ten Noodle Bowls Of All Time 2013 Edition

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After more than a year of pondering and reviewing since the last list, here’s the new top ten instant noodle bowls. This encompasses all instant noodle bowls reviewed up to today, June 15th, 2013. With no further adieu, the top ten instant noodle bowls of all time, 2013 edition.

10 – JFC Japanese Style Noodle Soup Curry Flavour – South Korea

Fresh udon noodles and a curry sauce that’s thick and luxuriant. If you’re in need of a curry fix, look no further! Every time I see it on a store shelf, I get this kind of warm, fuzzy feeling. Original review here

9 – Ottogi Spaghetti Ramen – South Korea

A fun bowl of noodles with thick South Korean ramyun noodles, a sweet powder and a sweet and slightly spicy spaghetti sauce. A nice twist on a classic. Original review here

8 – Little Cook Spicy Beef Flavor – Thailand

This one features firm noodles, a spicy broth with beef and curry notes and fake meat that’s surprisingly good. Myriad of different components collide together in an irresistible way. Original review here

7 – Nongshim Chapagetti Roasted Chajang Noodle – United States

Although originating in South Korea, Nongshim now makes these in Southern California. Chajang is a traditional Chinese black bean sauce that is wonderful with noodles and the nice part with this particular variety is that it’s the first I’ve seen in a bowl. What’s more, it’s easy to make and has excellent hearty flavor as well as great noodles. Original review here

6 – Paldo Kokomen Spicy Chicken Flavor King Cup – South Korea

Kokomen is a South Korean ramyun with a light or white broth. It’s got a chicken and jalapeno kind of flavor that’s really quite excellent. The translation from pack to bowl is exemplary, losing none of the quality. Original review here

5 – Little Cook Mushroom Vegetarian Premium Noodle – Thailand

A combination of a great quality noodle and nice broth is one thing, but they add a retort pouch with really nice vegetables that make this seem more gourmet. I’ve never been a big fan of mushrooms, but these are really quite good. Original review here

4 – Yamamoto Ponpoko Tempura Udon Fried Noodles Bowl – Japan

Thick, slightly chewy noodles and a broth with strong soy flavor. The tempura gives a satisfying crunch. Check out the original review as well to see why this one’s got a great name. Original review here

3 – Maruchan Midori No Tanuki Instant Soba Bowl – Japan

The only one from last year’s list to remain. Although it slipped out of first place, this is a seriously excellent bowl of noodles. The buckwheat noodles have a delicate crumble that works so well here and the broth is nice and rich. The disk of tempura is a real treat. Original review here

2 – FoodMon DJ-DOC Instant Ramen Rice Toppokki – South Korea

Topokki are like really thick chewy short noodles. They’re usually served with a spicy red sauce; here they join instant noodles along with the spicy sauce to make a succulent kind of Soiuth Korean lasagna-esque feast. Original review here

1 – Nissin Raoh Rich Soy Sauce Flavor – Japan

All I can say is that this stuff is epic. The noodles are extremely good and of very high quality. The broth is as rich as the name purports as well. What’s more, it comes with a slice of roast pork which hydrates well and has a very good texture and flavor. This is where it’s at! Original review here

So as you can see, a lot of new contenders this year! I hope you enjoyed the list and look forward to bringing you more as time goes by.

#722: Yamamoto Seafood Flavor Ramen

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Some Japanese stuff that’s been waiting for just the right day – and this is it. I may have not translated the title exactly right – a few things mentioned ‘thickening’ and ‘flour,’ so this may be thick seafood ramen. Anyways, shall we?

Here’s what the distributor’s sticker looks like…

The noodle block awaits some boiling water!

A single seasoning packet – pretty big though!

Here’s the seasoning powder. Very light and a good amount of it.

Finished (click image to enlarge). Added some stir-fry veggies, narutomaki, Ajishima Kim Chi furikake and some Sushinori. The noodles are good – a little thinner than most in a bowl and just slightly firmer. The broth is nice – salty and has a bit of that ‘of the sea’ flavor going on. I liked it – good stuff! 3.5 out of 5.0 stars. UPC bar code 4979397770024 .

Japanese seafood market

Eskimo Disco 7-111 featuring Pingu

#661: Yamamoto Ponpoko Tempura Soba

2 Replies

Hey it’s tempura time with the ponpoko! I think if you don’t know about Ponpoko or Tanuku, you should check out this review before reading any further. I’m curious how this soba will be – direct from Japan!

So when I bought the Japanese bowls I’ve been reviewing lately, I went and used the UPC codes on them to identify them – they had literally no English and the label on the bottom was very light on the details. I decided to write on the bottom of a couple the names of them. Well, here’s one of them and with a little Photoshop magic, it’s at least somewhat readable!

One single packet of seasoning!

Here’s the seasoning atop the noodle block – buckwheat noodles!

Here’s the tempura disc – should be good! Haven’t had bad tempura yet.

Here’s the finished product (click image to enlarge). I added one fried egg with a dash of pepper, a little kizami shoga (pickled ginger), a little sliced turkey breast and some sushi nori (seaweed). First off, the noodles are wonderful – they are of a very nice quality and very tasty. The broth is equally if not more enjoyable with a slightly sweet taste that is uber slurpable. The tempura adds a tasty crunch to everything! All said and done, this was very nice to eat – I loved it. 4.25 out of 5.0 stars – worth finding! 4979397370026 .

This is awesome – didn’t expect to find a local video about this, but this is close to where I grew up!

The Y3K kit from 12 years ago…

#646: Yamamoto Shoyu Flavor Ramen

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Today seemed like a good day for as fancy Japanese bowl of noodles.

Here’s what was on the bottom of the bowl…

Here’s what was on the side of the bowl! Click to enlarge.

One single packet – I somehow expected multiple packets.

A lot of interesting stuff in the packet.

Click image to enlarge. I thought it’d be good in a regular bowl. I added two fried eggs, some Tony Chachere’s Creole seasoning, some Kizami Shoga (pickled ginger), some fried shallot and a little ham. Wow – this is good stuff! Shoyu is soy sauce, by the way. The noodles are pretty decent. The broth is nice and tasty – lots of flavor. The veggies were very ample and enjoyable. I loved it! 4.25 out of 5.0 stars! UPC barcode 4979397770017 .

How to make shoyu ramen

I don’t like anything to be floating around me in the tub.

#619: Yamamoto Ponpoko Tempura Udon Fried Noodles Bowl

4 Replies

What an awesome bowl of noodles. First, it’s a new brand to me – Yamamoto. Second, it’s got tempura in there as well as udon. Third, there’s a couple tanuki on the label.

What is a tanuki Here’s the Wikipedia link – they’re common in Japanese folklore and often little statues of them can be seen outside restaurants and temples. The word tanuki translates to raccoon-dog. What’s strange about the statues is that, like the animals themselves which do exist – they have disturbingly large testicles. Now tanuki doesn’t appear in the title of this bowl, but ponpoko does. All I could find about ponpoko was that there was a video game released along time ago – here’s a link with info on that. Then there was Pom Poko, a Studio Ghibli movie about a war involving tanuki!

Here’s a sticker that was on the underside of the bowl.

A single packet of seasoning powder.

The seasoning powder is atop the udon awaiting a boiling water bath for a few minutes.

A nice disc of tempura is a wonderful finishing touch.

Click image to enlarge. Added one fried egg and its done. Oh man – the noodles are awesome – thick and slightly chewy. The broth had a salty and soy taste. The Tempura lent a satisfying crunch and I also let some intermingle with the broth and it made it a bit richer. This was worth the $3+. 4.75 out of 5.0 stars. delish!

If you really were wondering about the prowess of the tanuki, look no further than this commercial.

Here’s a real one

Another real one…

Studio Ghibli movie trailer