Fresh Ramen Kits at Home

Japanese legend Momofuku Ando, founder of Nissin Foods and inventor of the pre-cooked instant noodle in the late 1950s, forever changed the culinary landscape of Japan. However, over the last few years, marked advances in the ability of ramen manufacturers to produce a high-quality fresh ramen noodle bowl has taken off. I have tried to contact several Japanese distributors and manufacturers in vain about exactly how long this wonderful product as been available to us in the American market (or Japanese, for that matter).
I’ve always loved collecting packets of dried ramen, whether from Japan, China, Korea, or Thailand. My shelves are loaded with them. However, after learning about this new world of the at-home fresh ramen noodle, I’ve haven’t been able to get myself to eat a dry-pack since.
Major ramen producers such as Myojo and Yamachan as well as others appear to be making significant advances in this area.

Two excellent versions of fresh ramen that can be found at Mitsuwa Market & Super H Mart as well as some other Asian groceries around Chicago are:

Myojo Tonkotsu (Shoyu)


and

Yamachan Tonkotsu (Shoyu)


In my opinion, Myojo’s tonkotsu-shoyu ramen is better than any restaurant-served ramen I’ve ever tried in Chicago (“tallest midget in the circus” rule applies here), with the notable exception of Santouka at Mitsuwa (Arlington Heights).

Another good instant tonkotsu broth with fresh noodles is the Yamachan Tonkotsu Ramen (Pork Flavor) and can be found only at Mitsuwa (as far as know). This milky broth actually that mushroom-y profile often found in homemade tonkotsu soups. They are the thinner, square-ish Kyushu style noodles. This soup could be eaten as is but would be enhanced by using adding a tare (soy, miso, or salt) since its base is pure milky pork stock.

I love market recs - many thanks (for this and all of the recent Ramenucation). What is your standard method for getting from the package to the serving: that is to say, how are you doctoring, what fresh items are you adding? Do you keep these additions consistent to better judge the raw product?

Santander wrote:What is your standard method for getting from the package to the serving: that is to say, how are you doctoring, what fresh items are you adding? Do you keep these additions consistent to better judge the raw product?

With fresh ramen, I find that the commonly-used chopped fresh scallion (negi), bamboo (menma), and egg (tamago) are a great base for any style (tonkotsu, shio, shoyu, miso, etc.). These toppings are commonly used with many regional variations of ramen throughout Japan. However, I personally also enjoy using fresh sprouts, bok choy, or spinach on occasion.
I really don’t keep consistent since I feel that the quality of both the broth and noodles, are, by far, the most important elements to what constitutes a great bowl of ramen regardless of how good the toppings are. It’s sorta like eating a hot dog. If the sausage isn’t any good, no matter how great the condiments are, it really won’t make or break the overall experience. They certainly have the ability to enhance things, though.
One other critical measure to take; sprinkling the finished product with furikake – a rice seasoning usually consisting of nori, sesame seeds, salt, and sugar (thanks for the tip, Erik). There are many variations of Furikake that include other ingredients such as egg, fish roe, bonito, or various vegetables. Whenever I go to Super H mart or Mitsuwa, one of my favorite things to do there is check out the many different varieties of furikake on offer.