I miss Japanese restaurant ramen, so the next best thing without having to produce it myself might be a $3 pack of instant Morimoto ramen that I can store in my kitchen to underwear drawer.
It takes me upwards of 20+ hours to produce my tonkotsu (pork) ramen stock which does not include the tare (flavoring), fat/aromatics, and the toppings which add an additional several hours more to the process which is why I had to see how a $3 (each), 5-pack of instant ramen stacks up (also how I buy my socks and underwear, all in 3 and 5-packs).
Sapporo Ichiban products tend to be the instant ramen standard, so a Morimoto branded product is worth the buy if you already enjoy Sapporo Ichiban Original Soy Sauce to chicken flavor.
Iron Chef Masuharu Morimoto Ramen
If you don’t know who Masuharu Morimoto is, he’s mostly known for a show I loved which was Iron Chef Japan which is a whole better than Iron Chef America (I want to add that American Ninja Warrior and Silent Library is nowhere as cool as the original Japanese one).
I don’t believe that this is an “exclusive recipe from Michelin Star Celebrity Chef Masaharu Morimoto,” but I do believe that Sanyo Foods slapped his name on the product.
Pork or Chicken Flavor Ramen Broth
The vast majority of instant Japanese ramen seems to typically be chicken, so I had to challenge Sanyo Foods by trying their tonkotsu version because most instant versions never taste like the real thing. The only exception are the expensive omiyage (food gifts) style ramen boxes sold in Japan.
How Long to Get it Delivered and How Much
With this order, I decided to go through Amazon because they are typically faster with their turn around times: the time it takes from the time you place your order till the order is shipped, not including shipping times.
What I Ordered:
- I ordered the 5-pack of Sapporo Ichiban Tonkotsu Momosan Ramen.
- The seller is Kayla’s Home Goods.
- The price was $17.99 ($3.59 per pack) via Amazon.com on March 23rd.
- I received my order on March 26th which is about 2-1/2 days, so I consider that fast!
To me, the biggest difference between this ramen and all others is that they do not use fried noodles. Non-fried noodles are my go-to favorites regardless of the brand because they have a better mouthfeel to them. The fried noodles really make it feel as though you are eating instant ramen.
Where Else to Buy From
Due to price, I would rather go through my typical goto place which is Tokyo Central. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, they were inundated with orders, so they were not taking any additional orders during the time I had placed my order (they’re back up again, and I just placed an order through them).
| Amazon (includes shipping/tax) | $17.99 | $3.59 |
| $2.08 | ||
| 365cooking (A Sanyo partner) | $15.99 | $3.19 |
Tastes More Like Chicken Than Pork
Ramen hack: instead of using just water, try adding some soy milk to give your broth more of tonkotsu taste and consistency. Otherwise, this product more on par with chicken ramen.
Of course, it’s not on par with Japanese ramen in a restaurant which is always implied, and if this is a representation of Momosan Ramen & Sake in New York, it’s definitely not the best representation of tonkotsu ramen.
My guess, or my best way of describing the flavor would be like so many versions of tonkotsu ramen restaurants which use a pork and chicken blend.
Instant Ramen Toppings I Recommend
Green onions, egg, pork chashu, kikurage (wood ear mushroom), and menma, but if you want a full list of commonly used ramen toppings, you can check out my full list here.
Conclusion: Review of Sapporo Ichiban Momosan Ramen
For food that you can store in a drawer next to your underwear, I would recommend it if you’re just looking for a quick and simple meal. Although, if you are a ramen lover, and you are not in a major coastal city like Los Angeles to San Francisco, this can be better than most restaurants selling high priced “instant ramen (they’re not producing it from scratch either).”
Sanyo Foods
Sapporo Ichiban
Momosan Tokyo Ramen
PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS
| DESCRIPTION: | Non-fried ramen noodles in tonkotsu broth. |
| NOODLES: | WHEAT FLOUR, MODIFIED STARCH (POTATO, TAPIOCA), SALT, SODIUM CARBONATE, SODIUM TRIPOLYPHOSPHATE, MONO-AND DIGLYCERIDES, SODIUM PYROPHOSPHATE, TOCOPHEROLS |
| SOUP BASE: | VEGETABLE OIL (RICE OIL, GARLIC OIL, CANOLA OIL), SALT, SUGAR, NON DAIRY CREAMER, (PALM OIL, CORN SYRUP, SODIUM CASEINATE [A MILK DERIVATIVE], MONO-AND DIGLYCERIDES, LECITHIN, TOCOPHEROLS), MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS, SOY SAUCE POWDER (SOY SAUCE [SOYBEANS, SALT, WHEAT], DEXTRIN, SALT), GARLIC POWDER, SESAME SEEDS, YEAST EXTRACT POWDER, LACTOSE, LEEK CHIPS, SPICES, FERMENTED SEASONING, SPICE EXTRACT, GLYCINE, DISODIUM INOSINATE, DISODIUM GUANYLATE, DISODIUM SUCCINATE, CARAMEL COLOR, XANTHAN GUM, DEXTRIN, CITRIC ACID, BONITO EXTRACT POWDER, DL-METHIONINE |
| CONDITION OF STORAGE: | Ambient temperature 60-65°F / 15-18°C |
| SHELF LIFE: | 8 months |
| CONTAINS: | CONTAINS MILK, FISH (SARDINE, BONITO, TUNA), COCONUTS, WHEAT AND SOYBEANS. |
| MAY CONTAIN: | EGGS, CRUSTACEAN SHELLFISH AND PEANUTS |
Have you ever tried the Ippudo branded instant version? I was given some once, but ….I don’t remember it knocking my socks off. Of course, I am a big fan of the restaurant and went there because the owner had one so many episodes of TV champion.
I have not tried it since I had not eaten a whole lot of instant ramen or noodles in a while, but as for Ippudo restaurants in the US, I never went out of my way to try any of their restaurant locations because I have low expectations for the Panda Restaurant Group. I just don’t think they’ll be able to properly manage and carry on over the Ippudo brand to the US (I do bet they had done a good job with Pieology tho, haha).
Well what a ya know…here it is. hahah. I agree with your conclusion. Nice! and wow…didn’t know these weren’t fried noodles. Cool!