Here’s another one, sent by Javier over at Box From Japan. So boxfromjapan.com is a subscription service where you can get a box with four different instant ramen bowls sent to you directly from Japan every month! Rarely have I found a box from them with varieties I’ve reviewed before, and never have I seen varieties available here in the USA. Definitely worth a look if you’re a big fan of Japanese varieties.
Here’s a little about tonkotsu ramen from Wikipedia –
Tonkotsu ramen is a ramen dish that originated in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture on the Kyushu island of Japan, and it is a specialty dish in Fukuoka and Kyushu. It was originally prepared as an affordable fast food for laborers at fish markets. Today, it is renowned for the significant time it can take to properly prepare the dish. The soup broth is based upon pork bones and other ingredients, which is typically boiled for several hours, and the dish is traditionally served with ramen noodles that are hard in the center and topped with sliced pork belly. In Fukuoka, Japan, tonkotsu ramen is referred to as Hakata ramen.
The soup broth for tonkotsu ramen is based upon pork bones, and “tonkotsu” means “pork bones” in Japanese.[1][2][3] The soup broth is prepared by boiling pork bones in water for a significant amount of time, up to eight hours, and the broth is typically cloudy in appearance.[1][2][4] Additional broth ingredients can include onion, garlic, spring onions, ginger, pork back fat, pig’s trotters, oil and chicken carcases.[1] For service, cooked ramen noodles and slices of roasted or braised pork belly are added, and additional ingredients can include kombu, shoyu, chili bean paste, sesame seeds and others.[1][2]
The traditional preparation method for the ramen noodles used in tonkotsu ramen is for the noodles to be hard in the center.[4] Some ramen shops allow customers to select the level of doneness for the noodles, including futsu for regular or standard, barigane for very hard, barikata for al dente and yawamen for soft.[4] Some restaurants also provide a second order of noodles if requested by the customer, in a system referred to as kaedama.[4]
Ichiran is a Japanese restaurant chain that originated and is based in Fukuoka, Japan that specifically specializes upon tonkotsu ramen.[5] Ippudo is a Japanese ramen restaurant chain based in Fukuoka that is well-known for its tonkotsu ramen, and has been described as “the most famous tonkotsu ramen shop in the country”.[4]
Tonkotsu ramen originated in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture, which is located on the northern shore of Kyushu island of Japan, and it is a specialty dish in Fukuoka and Kyushu.[2][4] In Fukuoka, the dish is referred to as Hakata ramen’.[2] The dish is also prepared in ramen shops in other regions of Japan.[2] Tonkotsu ramen was originally prepared as an affordable and easily-prepared fast food for laborers at fish markets.[4] In contemporary times, tonkotsu ramen is renowned for the significant time it can take to prepare a proper version of the dish.[1]
Alright – with that, let’s have a look at this Nissin Japan variety ramen bowl!
Nissin Hakata Ramen Noodle White Tonkotsu – Japan
Detail of the side panels (click to enlarge). Contains pork. To prepare, add in contents of the dry sachets and boiling water to fill line. Cover for 2 minutes. Stir. Add in contents of liquid sachet. Finally, stir and enjoy!
Detail of the top and obverse of the lid (click to enlarge).
The noodle block.
The liquid base sachet.
Fatty and thick.
The dry base sachet.
A fluffy and flecked powder.
A slice of pork.
A close-up.
Finished (click to enlarge). Added Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, fried onion and shichimi togarashi. The noodles sprung to life in the 2 minute steeping time. They’re a thinner gauge and have a good chew and mouthfeel to them. The broth is fierce – very think. Has a kind of pork chowder consistency. The chashu was nice although I prefer the slices in the Raoh varieties produce a little more. However, it hydrated very well and had good flavor. A very nice bowl of tonkotsu! 4.75 out of 5.0 stars. JAN bar code 4902105230411.
A great Nissin TV spot with instructions on how to eat instant ramen on an airplane
