Sunrise Ramen- February 2024
Japan is often referred to as the “land of the rising sun”, a fitting title as the sun does indeed rise in the east. February is in many ways the sunrise of the year, with January’s cold nights passing into a month of winter and early signs of spring. The ramen in this box is curated to keep you warm and comfortable, with hearty new tastes that recently hit the store shelves, like the first ray of light in the morning.
Tenka Ippin Akan-Kotteri Kyoto Toripaitan from Sanyo Shokuhin
Allergens: wheat, egg, dairy, soy, chicken, pork, gelatin Cooking time: 4 minutes How to cook: 1. Remove half of the lid and take out 4 bags. 2. Open the dried ingredients bag over the noodles, 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, open powder and liquid soup, stir well, and enjoy. ※Please adjust and sprinkle the hot special spices if you like The forbidden fruit, er, no, the forbidden Ramen! “Akan” is Japanese Kansai dialect for “No way!” often used with the subtext of something you shouldn’t do because it’s surprising or a little crazy. The famous Ramen shop “Tenkaippin” cleverly uses this with a wordplay on the word as it also alludes to the color red, which happens to be the color of the stock. As you can likely guess, you’re in for a spicy treat! Its base is chicken, pork and garlic, while it also comes with added spices and toppings.
70th Anniversary Goma Miso Ramen Cup from Sanyo Shokuhin
Allergens: crab, wheat, egg, dairy, sesame, soy, chicken, pork Cooking time: 3 minutes How to cook: 1. Remove half of the lid and take out two bags. 2. Open two bags over the noodles, pour boiling water up to the indicated line, and cover. 3. After 3 minutes, loosen the noodles, stir well, and enjoy. Everybody loves a good old miso ramen, but this one is a bit out of the ordinary! In the wake of their 70th anniversary, Sapporo Ichiban re-releases their “Sesame Miso ramen” which hasn’t been seen on shelves in Japan since 1983! This sesame blast from the past packs a hearty punch with the richness of the sesame aroma, as well as iconic miso, mixed with pork and garlic broth. The toppings include a crab flavored kamaboko, corn and green onion.
Aji-Yoka-Tai Tonkotsu Ramen Kumamoto from Marutai
Allergens: wheat, egg, dairy, sesame, soy, chicken, pork, gelatin Cooking time: 3 minutes How to cook: 1. Remove half of the lid and take out two bags. 2. Open powder soup over the noodles, pour boiling water up to the indicated line, cover, and place the seasoning oil bag on top of the lid to warm. 3. After 3 minutes, add seasoning oil, loosen the noodles, stir well, and enjoy. Tonkotsu, or pork bone in English, is one of the fundamental types of ramen that regularly tops the list of people’s favorite. But what if you went even further beyond, and added garlic, another fundamental favorite. This ramen uses the southern region of Japan, Kumamoto’s signature black maru oil, made by sauteing garlic in oil till it’s black and finely grinding it. The strength of the two aromas compliments each other well, providing a flavor that’ll have you wanting another box!
Assari Torigara Shoyu Ramen from Daikoku Shokuhin
Allergens: dairy, wheat, soy, chicken, pork, gelatin, sesame Processed in a facility that also processes buckwheat, egg, shrimp, and crab Cooking time: 3 minutes How to cook: 1. Remove half of the lid and take out two bags. 2. Open dried ingredients bag over the noodles, pour boiling water up to the indicated line, and cover. 3. After 3 minutes, open the liquid soup, loosen the noodles, stir well, and enjoy. We made sure to include a lighter option among the strong flavors in this month's box. Thanks to the refreshing topping and how long the chicken and pork rested in the soy sauce base, you get a soup that perfectly pairs with thin noodles and hits you with a crisp soy sauce flavor. A great way to start the day as it’ll fuel you for whatever’s to come!
MARUCHAN QTTA Carbonara flavor from Toyo Suisan
Allergens: shrimp, wheat, egg, dairy, squid, sesame, soy, chicken, pork, gelatin 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. What is this?? Did my Japan box turn into an Italy box? Look again, it’s QTTA Carbonara(men)! Wordplay aside, this is really ramen noodles in the famous Italian sauce. Japan is an island nation with many people not finding many opportunities to travel abroad, which leads to foreign flavors being very interesting. How close is this ramen carbonara to the real thing? You be the judge!
Maruuma Nagasaki Agodashi Udon from Acecook
Allergens: wheat, egg, dairy, mackerel, soy, chicken Processed in a facility that also processes crab and shrimp 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. Nagasaki is famous for its flying fish broth used in all manners of cooking, and this cup ramen from Acecook is no exception! While not everyone has the luxury of traveling all over Japan, even within the country, this cup along with its series was designed for the feeling of travel, while staying at home. The umami is a 10/10 in this one as on top of the flying fish broth, you get shiitake mushrooms, kelp and bonito. Topped with eggs and green onion, this may be your new favorite.
Nisshin Yakisoba U.F.O. Perori Katsuobushi Kaoru Dashi Sauce from Nisshin
Allergens: wheat, dairy, pork, chicken, soy, apple Cooking time: 5 minutes How to cook: 1, Remove half of the lid and take out a bag. 2, Pour boiling water up to the indicated line, and cover with the lid. 3, After 5 minutes, peel off the drain opening, hold the cup firmly, and slowly invert it to discard the hot water through the drain opening. 4, Peel off the lid, add powder seasoning, mix well, and enjoy. Peroriii! That’s the onomatopoeia for licking your lips after eating something delicious and satisfying. So it’s not without significance that U.F.O. uses this word for its new line of yakisoba offerings, they expect you to love it. We at ZenPop side with them, as the bonito flavored soup keeps your taste buds active from beginning to end without getting bored.
