Noodles for the New Year - January 2024
Ding, dong!! The clock strikes 12 AM, yet there is no smell of gunpowder or bright fireworks. Instead, the scent of incense is on the calm night wind, and dim paper lanterns light the path to the shrines. And you are slurping a bowl of Kamodashi soba. Why noodles you ask? Toshikoshi noodles, is a Japanese tradition to slurp soba noodles the moment the clock strikes 12 AM to bring the good of the last year with you into the new year.
Gekimen Kouhaku Mochi Ramen from Toyo Suisan
Allergens: wheat, egg, dairy, soy, pork, gelatin Cooking time: 3 minutes How to cook: 1. Remove half of the lid and take out two bags. 2. Open the mochi and powder soup bag over the noodles, pour boiling water up to the indicated line, and cover. 3. After 5 minutes, loosen the noodles well, stir well, and enjoy. We’re entering the celebration season and for Gekimen Wonton noodles, it’s not just new years that’s cause for celebration! It’s the 45th anniversary of this product, so Toyo Suisan is releasing a special version which you are looking at in your box! This special wontonmen is topped with red and white mochi to create a feeling of festivity, as both the colors and mochi represent just this. And we haven't even mentioned the taste yet! Gekimen is all about young people living passionately, and this bowl embodies this with a hearty stock and honest crunchy and flavorful toppings like green onion, bamboo shoots and Naruto.
Ippin Sozai Toyama Shiro-Ebi Shio Ramen from Sugakiya
Allergens: wheat, shrimp, crab, sesame, soy, chicken, pork, gelatin Cooking time: 4 minutes How to cook: 1. Remove half of the lid and take out two bags. 2. Pour boiling water up to the indicated line, cover, and place the liquid soup on top of the lid to warm. 3, After 4 minutes, loosen the noodles well, add the liquid soup and another bag, stir well, and enjoy. “The Jewel of Toyama bay” may sound like a legendary treasure from a historical text, but it just so happens to be an ingredient in your bowl of ramen, right here in your box! The Jewel refers to the “Shiroebi” or white shrimp, which is an especially fragrant shrimp from Toyama bay. The soup stock base is made on chicken and pork, in order to create a rich backdrop to the aromatic roasted white shrimp taste that truly takes center stage. With crisp and chewy noodles, light chili and shrimp flake toppings, this bowl was a no-brainer for our box. This bowl is part of the “Special materials” series, which uses local delicacies from around Japan.
Miso Ramen Donburi Madai Dashi Shiage from Sanyo Shokuhin
Allergens: shrimp, wheat, egg, dairy, soy Processed in a facility that also processes crab and fishes Cooking time: 3 minutes How to cook: 1. Remove half of the lid and take out two bags. 2. Pour boiling water up to the indicated line, cover, and place the bag on top of the lid to warm. 3. After 3 minutes, loosen the noodles well, stir well, and enjoy. Who needs a Michelin star restaurant when you have ZenPop? This bowl is a remarkable dish to have been transformed into instant format, thanks to master chef Kasahara-san, who supervised its creation while also running several restaurants and writing a million seller cookbooks. Red Sea bream holds a special place in the hearts of Japanese people. You’ll see it sacrificed to the shinto gods, prepared for new years and feasts, and also as an integral ingredient in your Ramen. To really complete the Japanese tradition, the stock is made with ginger and 3 different types of Miso (fermented soybean paste). The cherry on top is no cherry at all, but flower shaped kamaboko, and shrimp dumplings. And for anyone wondering, the Red Sea bream used in the stock was caught domestically in Japan.
AKAGI Chuka Soba from Daikoku Shokuhin
Allergens: egg, dairy, wheat, soy, chicken, pork Processed in a facility that also processes buckwheat, shrimp, crab, and fishes Cooking time: 3 minutes How to cook: 1. Remove half of the lid and take out three bags. 2. Open the seasoning bag over the noodles, pour boiling water up to the indicated line, and cover. 3. After 3 minutes, loosen the noodles well, add another two bags, stir well, and enjoy. There’s plenty of hearty ramen bowls in this box so we’re happy to introduce you to this taste breaker! Chuka Soba focuses on a more crisp soy based soup that goes well with the chewy thin noodles. This combo creates a refreshing nostalgic taste that takes you back to the origin of Ramen in Japan. The toppings include green onion, bright egg, Naruto-maki, bamboo sprouts and even freeze dried grilled pork!
Cup Noodles Singapore-fu Laksa from Nisshin
Allergens: wheat, egg, dairy, shrimp, pork, chicken, soy, sesame, gelatin Cooking time: 3 minutes How to cook: 1. Take the bag on top of the lid and open the lid halfway. 2. Open the seasoning bag over the noodles, pour boiling water up to the indicated line, and cover. 3. After 3 minutes, loosen the noodles well, add the bag, stir well, and enjoy. Just like the whole world is captivated by Japan and its many flavors, so is Japan fascinated by the rest of the world! This limited edition cup noodle from the origin of instant ramen, Nissin, is inspired by the flavors of Singapore, the garden city of Southeast Asia. It stands out among ramen with a mellow coconut base and spicy accents, which are characteristics of southeastern Asian cuisine. The real kicker, though, is the lemongrass and special laksa paste, that cling to the evergreen Nissin noodles. Laksa paste, for those uninitiated, is a paste that gives soups a color as orange as the flaming Singapore sunset, made with chili, tamarind, shallots shrimp and galangal.
Men-no-suke Tategata Kamodashi Soba from Toyo Suisan
Allergens: wheat, buckwheat, egg, dairy, sesame, mackerel, soy, chicken, pork, mountain yam Cooking time: 3 minutes How to cook: 1. Take the bag on top of the lid and open the lid halfway. 2. Open the seasoning bag over the noodles, pour boiling water up to the indicated line, and cover. 3. After 3 minutes, loosen the noodles well, add the bag, stir well, and enjoy. Toyo Suisan delivers a symphony of flavors and ingredients with this duck, bonito based ramen cup. The soba noodles are a perfect transistor for the tingle of the seven spice chili seasoning. But this tingle dances upon not only the elegant fatty duck flavor, but also the umami of shiitake and seaweed. Duck based stock is known to be a healthier alternative in Japan, though we won’t promise any effect in that department… That said, the amount is very satisfying, especially coming in a convenient cup!
Sapporo Iciban Cup Star Curry Udon from Sanyo Shokuhin
Allergens: wheat, egg, dairy, beef, mackerel, soy, chicken, pork Cooking time: 3 minutes How to cook: 1. Remove half of the lid. 2. Pour boiling water up to the indicated line, and cover. 3. After 3 minutes, loosen the noodles well, stir well, and enjoy. FInishing off the list of noodles, we’ve got a Curry Udon cup from the Cup Star series! It’s characterized by the sweetness of seasoned fried tofu and a special soup stock heavily based on seafood, which is common in Japanese style curry. Worry not, as any good curry, it is filled with 17 carefully chosen spices that give the stock just the right amount of spice to balance the sweetness. The soup's journey to your taste buds is brought to you by especially curvy udon noodles that soak the soup better than most noodles. Add your toppings and let this sweet and spicy cup recharge you for 2024!
