Hime brand are good IMO. 1 bundle is 1 serving for me and this link has 16 bundles for under $15 which I think is pretty good.
Super true! It's really no different than when you first move out and have to build your pantry of spices, ingredients, meats, etc.. You can start out with simple things like garlic, ginger, scallions, etc.. Then depending on how you want to branch out, you can get whichever sauces/ingredients sound good. When I first started out it seemed like every dish required $30+ of random condiments/ingredients I didn't have, but now I keep a decent amount of things on hand and only need to buy maybe one ingredient that I didn't have on hand for a new dish. My personally pantry of Asian ingredients includes:
Ginger
Sichuan Peppercorns
Chili Oil
Sriracha
Hoisin
Tamari soy sauce
Fish sauce
Sesame oil
Cholimex tuong ot
Rice paper
Rice noodles
Ramen noodles (not the cheap bricks, but something like this
Curry paste
Pork floss
Fried red onions
Minus fresh ingredients such as bean sprouts and bok choy, these are ingredients I always have on hand that are pretty much exclusively for asian cooking. Of course there is overlap with other ingredients I use in other cuisines such as garlic, pork, onion, scallions, anise pods, various rices, etc..
I wanted to try my hand at making super traditional Tonkotsu ramen, including the broth and Chashu etc. I haven't done that yet (it's VERY INVOLVED and miso is easy) but when I was gathering ingredients I literally just searched for dry ramen noodles on Amazon and these came up. They're really good and so easy/fast to make! The same company also makes matcha noodles, octopus ink noodles, ramen noodles, etc. I love them.
Some people make them, some are able to buy fresh noodles from their local asian markets, others make do with decent quality dried noodles (I believe these are the usual recommendation, I've used them myself and they're pretty good).
I got these on Amazon to recreate the Chicken in shoyu style ramen meal. They are cheaper in an Asian food mart, but this was convenient because I was able to get the ramen stock base on Amazon too!
Hime Japanese Dried Ramen Ramyun Noodles 25.4 oz (720g) (Pack of 2) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071Z6YX2M/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_1KJBM3F1QTQ5399NREHF?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
I buy the dry ones from Amazon. For me, it's not so much about the quality of the noodles, but the combination of flavors in the chicken.
This is the recipe that introduced me to seasonings that make a dish taste Asian. I spent a year studying in Japan in college, and I'm not an accomplished cook. Finding mirin and miso and sesame oil (and rice vinegar and hoisin and ponzu and furikake, etc.) was a revelation to me. Blue Apron taught me to make the flavors I loved and remembered from my time in Japan.
I got them at an Asian market they are Hime Japanese needles, they are amazing here's a link on Amazon Hime Japanese Dried Ramen Ramyun Noodles 25.4 oz (720g) (Pack of 2) https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B071Z6YX2M/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_WB6RXADG8YEKY8FWJ0EZ?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
I usually have a pack of these for any sort of noodle dish I'm making, and Amazon is probably your best bet if you don't live near an Asian grocery store. Comes out to less than $1 per serving: https://www.amazon.com/Hime-Japanese-Dried-Ramyun-Noodles/dp/B071Z6YX2M/
You can find dried ramen noodles like these at C&C, PAT Mart, and Galleria. Not instant and you will need to find your own soup, but they only take 4 minutes to cook. I'm on my 3rd pack of these, they're very good.
Online is a good option. These are the first result I found on Amazon, and they are not the instant kind. Instant ones will be curly. The straight ones like these are just dried.
Nope, they are these ramen noodles. Our Asian grocer didn't have ramen noodles and neither did any of the major grocers in my city.
I didn’t get a lot of feedback here but in the meantime purchased these Hime brand noodles from amazon and they definitely fit the bill. I have been very happy.
So in case your reddit search turns this up, I would recommend this.
[2 Pack ] Hime Japanese Dried Ramen Ramyun Noodles 25.4 oz (720g) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071Z6YX2M
these ones. tasty af
Here's a link to a super simple shoyu ramen recipe that I've used before!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbJNVnkndS4
As well, here are some good noodles you can get on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071Z6YX2M/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - These are the best combination of price vs amount and taste.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07P8BPH4Q/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - These are the best flavor you can get from Amazon IMO. A bit more expensive than the Hime noodles, but they taste so much better. They're popular enough that they're frequently out of stock on Amazon, though they tend to be in stock again with 3-5 days of them selling out.
I make my own ramen primarily because my husband has a pork intolerance. Many places still use pork broth in their chicken ramen since they just keep a giant pot going.
That being said, I've gotten it down to around an 8-hour process, four of which are just the instant pot doing its thing. So that's not so bad compared to three days! It's a good event meal, less work than your average Thanksgiving.
I use this site for the seasoning liquids for my chicken/menma/ajitama, and this one (loosely) for the broth, and this one for a miso tare. My GIANT shortcut is to make the broth with chicken legs, then after it's done cooking use the meat as the actual topping. I know, I know, boiled chicken is gross... but the seasoning liquid linked above is so strong that it honestly just tastes like extremely tender, delicious meat.
Find some good dried noodles to keep around (I like this brand, I find it at HMart) and you're good to go! I genuinely prefer my ramen over many ramen shops near me - and I live near a major city - since it's a very full-bodied broth.
Yeah sure! Here’s the noodles:
Hime Japanese Dried Ramen Ramyun Noodles 25.4 oz (720g) (Pack of 2) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071Z6YX2M/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_4EZQ80TGTH9SWAQ034E7?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
And here’s the pork ramen stock:
Japanese Noodles Tonkotsu Ramen Concentration Pork Bone Soup, 1-Pounds, 10 Packs https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00K69ZK46/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_5Z494HKCZ2WM0FEG9FHE?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
The noodles are about half that price at my local market but the stock isn’t too far off. If you don’t have an asian market near you though they’re a great option :)
I have a couple I got from Amazon that I really like.
​
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071Z6YX2M/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - These are the best combination of price vs amount and taste.
​
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07P8BPH4Q/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - These are the best flavor you can get from Amazon IMO. A bit more expensive than the Hime noodles, but they taste so much better. They're popular enough that they're frequently out of stock on Amazon, though they tend to be in stock again with 3-5 days of them selling out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbJNVnkndS4 - I've used elements of this recipe recently, with some alterations for more high quality ingredients. This might be a good start for you if you like shoyu!
​
As well, here are some good noodles you can get on Amazon.
​
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071Z6YX2M/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - These are the best combination of price vs amount and taste.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07P8BPH4Q/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - These are the best flavor you can get from Amazon IMO. A bit more expensive than the Hime noodles, but they taste so much better. They're popular enough that they're frequently out of stock on Amazon, though they tend to be in stock again with 3-5 days of them selling out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbJNVnkndS4 - I've used elements of this recipe recently, with some alterations for more high quality ingredients. This might be a good start for you if you like shoyu!
As well, here are some good noodles you can get on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071Z6YX2M/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - These are the best combination of price vs amount and taste.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07P8BPH4Q/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - These are the best flavor you can get from Amazon IMO. A bit more expensive than the Hime noodles, but they taste so much better. They're popular enough that they're frequently out of stock on Amazon, though they tend to be in stock again with 3-5 days of them selling out.
I definitely second Sun Noodles if you can find them. If you can't, here's some good ones from Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071Z6YX2M/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - These are the best combination of price vs amount and taste.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07P8BPH4Q/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - These are the best flavor you can get from Amazon IMO. A bit more expensive than the Hime noodles, but they taste so much better. They're popular enough that they're frequently out of stock on Amazon, though they tend to be in stock again with 3-5 days of them selling out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbJNVnkndS4 - I've used elements of this recipe recently, with some alterations for more high quality ingredients. This might be a good start for you if you like shoyu!
As well, here are some good noodles you can get on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071Z6YX2M/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - These are the best combination of price vs amount and taste.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07P8BPH4Q/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - These are the best flavor you can get from Amazon IMO. A bit more expensive than the Hime noodles, but they taste so much better. They're popular enough that they're frequently out of stock on Amazon, though they tend to be in stock again with 3-5 days of them selling out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbJNVnkndS4 - I've used elements of this recipe recently, with some alterations for more high quality ingredients. This might be a good start for you if you like shoyu!
As well, here are some good noodles you can get on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071Z6YX2M/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - These are the best combination of price vs amount and taste.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07P8BPH4Q/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - These are the best flavor you can get from Amazon IMO. A bit more expensive than the Hime noodles, but they taste so much better. They're popular enough that they're frequently out of stock on Amazon, though they tend to be in stock again with 3-5 days of them selling out.
https://www.amazon.com/Hime-Japanese-Dried-Ramyun-Noodles/dp/B071Z6YX2M?ref_=fsclp_pl_dp_1 were they similar to this product?
You can check the sidebar for recipes, the new wave shoyu is fairly simple. I made a giant pot of the broth a while ago and am still eating it.
Just in case you want something even simpler, here's some links to some good videos.
The Way of Ramen has a great, great 10 minute shoyu recipe. His videos are very underviewed for the quality. I've used this recipe before and it is great, I can 100% vouch for it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbJNVnkndS4
As well, here are some good noodles you can get on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071Z6YX2M/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - These are the best combination of price vs amount and taste.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07P8BPH4Q/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - These are the best flavor you can get from Amazon IMO. A bit more expensive than the Hime noodles, but they taste so much better. They're popular enough that they're frequently out of stock on Amazon, though they tend to be in stock again with 3-5 days of them selling out. ((Which I've been eating my words about recently consider there's been times where it took over a month for them to restock. I wouldn't count on these immediately, the Hime noodles are pretty good and more readily available ATM.))
Here's what was my go-to pork belly chashu / ajitama recipe. Compared to most of the recipes online, this is a very low-effort recipe, but it still turns out absolutely delicious. - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUvjiiFINyc&list=PLw4JrwxwvSjhfOmumJ-59rlxs1-STHCRq&index=5&t=1s
If you have a sous vide, that's is a better, albeit more time-consuming chashu recipe. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNX3WVTseSE - I use this sauce, pork belly not rolled, at 135F for 48 hours. It sounds odd, but the length of time plus that temp does kill the bacteria in the meat, albeit slowly. It'll take about 8 hours to kill the bacteria, and since you're going for 48, you'll be fine.
You can check the sidebar for recipes, the new wave shoyu is fairly simple. I made a giant pot of the broth a couple days ago.
Just in case you want something even simpler, here's some links to some good videos.
The Way of Ramen has a great, great 10 minute shoyu recipe. His videos are very underviewed for the quality. I've used this recipe before and it is great, I can 100% vouch for it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbJNVnkndS4
As well, here are some good noodles you can get on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071Z6YX2M/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - These are the best combination of price vs amount and taste.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07P8BPH4Q/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - These are the best flavor you can get from Amazon IMO. A bit more expensive than the Hime noodles, but they taste so much better. They're popular enough that they're frequently out of stock on Amazon, though they tend to be in stock again with 3-5 days of them selling out. ((Which I've been eating my words about recently consider it's been over a month since they last restocked. I wouldn't count on these immediately, the Hime noodles are pretty good and more readily available ATM.))
Here's also my go-to pork belly chashu / ajitama recipe. Compared to most of the recipes online, this is a very low-effort recipe, but it still turns out absolutely delicious. - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUvjiiFINyc&list=PLw4JrwxwvSjhfOmumJ-59rlxs1-STHCRq&index=5&t=1s
Not sure if these will be available differently in the UK compared to the US, but here are my 2 go-to dried noodles that I can get on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071Z6YX2M/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - These are the best combination of price vs amount and taste.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07P8BPH4Q/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - These are the best flavor you can get from Amazon IMO. A bit more expensive than the Hime noodles, but they taste so much better. They're popular enough that they're frequently out of stock on Amazon, though they tend to be in stock again with 3-5 days of them selling out. ((Which I've been eating my words about recently consider it's been over a month since they last restocked. I wouldn't count on these immediately, the Hime noodles are pretty good and more readily available ATM.))
You can check the sidebar for recipes, the new wave shoyu is fairly simple. I'm making a giant pot of the broth right now.
Just in case you want something even simpler, here's some links to some good videos.
The Way of Ramen has a great, great 10 minute shoyu recipe. His videos are very underviewed for the quality. I've used this recipe before and it is great, I can 100% vouch for it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbJNVnkndS4
As well, here are some good noodles you can get on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071Z6YX2M/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - These are the best combination of price vs amount and taste.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07P8BPH4Q/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - These are the best flavor you can get from Amazon IMO. A bit more expensive than the Hime noodles, but they taste so much better. They're popular enough that they're frequently out of stock on Amazon, though they tend to be in stock again with 3-5 days of them selling out. ((Which I've been eating my words about recently consider it's been over a month since they last restocked. I wouldn't count on these immediately, the Hime noodles are pretty good and more readily available ATM.))
Here's also my go-to pork belly chashu / ajitama recipe. Compared to most of the recipes online, this is a very low-effort recipe, but it still turns out absolutely delicious. - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUvjiiFINyc&list=PLw4JrwxwvSjhfOmumJ-59rlxs1-STHCRq&index=5&t=1s
The Way of Ramen has a great, great 10 minute shoyu recipe. His videos are very underviewed for the quality. I've used this recipe before and it is great, I can 100% vouch for it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbJNVnkndS4
As well, here are some good noodles you can get on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071Z6YX2M/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - These are the best combination of price vs amount and taste.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07P8BPH4Q/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - These are the best flavor you can get from Amazon IMO. A bit more expensive than the Hime noodles, but they taste so much better. They're popular enough that they're frequently out of stock on Amazon, though they tend to be in stock again with 3-5 days of them selling out.
Here's also my go-to pork belly chashu / ajitama recipe. Compared to most of the recipes online, this is a very low-effort recipe, but it still turns out absolutely delicious. - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUvjiiFINyc&list=PLw4JrwxwvSjhfOmumJ-59rlxs1-STHCRq&index=5&t=1s
The Way of Ramen has a great, great 10 minute shoyu recipe. His videos are very underviewed for the quality. I've used this recipe before and it is great, I can 100% vouch for it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbJNVnkndS4
As well, here are some good noodles you can get on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071Z6YX2M/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - These are the best combination of price vs amount and taste.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07P8BPH4Q/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - These are the best flavor you can get from Amazon IMO. A bit more expensive than the Hime noodles, but they taste so much better. They're popular enough that they're frequently out of stock on Amazon, though they tend to be in stock again with 3-5 days of them selling out.
Here's also my go-to pork belly chashu / ajitama recipe. Compared to most of the recipes online, this is a very low-effort recipe, but it still turns out absolutely delicious. - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUvjiiFINyc&list=PLw4JrwxwvSjhfOmumJ-59rlxs1-STHCRq&index=5&t=1s
The Way of Ramen has a great, great 10 minute shoyu recipe. His videos are very underviewed for the quality. I've used this recipe before and it is great, I can 100% vouch for it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbJNVnkndS4
As well, here are some good noodles you can get on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071Z6YX2M/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - These are the best combination of price vs amount and taste.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07P8BPH4Q/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - These are the best flavor you can get from Amazon IMO. A bit more expensive than the Hime noodles, but they taste so much better. They're popular enough that they're frequently out of stock on Amazon, though they tend to be in stock again with 3-5 days of them selling out.
Here's also my go-to pork belly chashu / ajitama recipe. Compared to most of the recipes online, this is a very low-effort recipe, but it still turns out absolutely delicious. - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUvjiiFINyc&list=PLw4JrwxwvSjhfOmumJ-59rlxs1-STHCRq&index=5&t=1s
The Way of Ramen has a great, great 10 minute shoyu recipe. His videos are very underviewed for the quality. I've used this recipe before and it is great, I can 100% vouch for it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbJNVnkndS4
As well, here are some good noodles you can get on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071Z6YX2M/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - These are the best combination of price vs amount and taste.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07P8BPH4Q/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - These are the best flavor you can get from Amazon IMO. A bit more expensive than the Hime noodles, but they taste so much better. They're popular enough that they're frequently out of stock on Amazon, though they tend to be in stock again with 3-5 days of them selling out.
Here's also my go-to pork belly chashu / ajitama recipe, though this will take you longer than an hour. However, it still tastes amazing and is a lot less labor-intensive than a lot of chashu and ajitama recipes - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUvjiiFINyc&list=PLw4JrwxwvSjhfOmumJ-59rlxs1-STHCRq&index=5&t=1s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbJNVnkndS4 - I've used elements of this recipe recently, with some alterations for more high quality ingredients. This might be a good start for you if you like shoyu! And, honestly, the Way of Ramens videos are incredibly underviewed for how high quality they are.
As well, here are some good noodles you can get on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071Z6YX2M/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - These are the best combination of price vs amount and taste.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07P8BPH4Q/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - These are the best flavor you can get from Amazon IMO. A bit more expensive than the Hime noodles, but they taste so much better. They're popular enough that they're frequently out of stock on Amazon, though they tend to be in stock again with 3-5 days of them selling out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbJNVnkndS4 - I've used elements of this recipe recently, with some alterations for more high quality ingredients. This might be a good start for you if you like shoyu! And, honestly, the Way of Ramens videos are incredibly underviewed for how high quality they are.
As well, here are some good noodles you can get on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071Z6YX2M/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - These are the best combination of price vs amount and taste.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07P8BPH4Q/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - These are the best flavor you can get from Amazon IMO. A bit more expensive than the Hime noodles, but they taste so much better. They're popular enough that they're frequently out of stock on Amazon, though they tend to be in stock again with 3-5 days of them selling out.
IIRC, he used some home made noodles. He has the recipe on his channel, though here are a couple Amazon listings that I personally like using.
https://www.amazon.com/Hime-Japanese-Dried-Ramyun-Noodles/dp/B071Z6YX2M/ref=sxts_sxwds-bia?keywords=hime+noodles&pd_rd_i=B071Z6YX2M&pd_rd_r=3aff1ed7-7091-48ed-8908-095d3e937c12&pd_rd_w=vCme8&pd_rd_wg=1SP5o&pf_rd_p=1cb3f32a-ccfd-479b-8a13-b22f56c942c6&pf_rd_r=BBHVX5P1D3RGNY9AEBFB&psc=1&qid=1573620708 - These are your best priced IMO compared to how many you get and how good they are.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07P8BPH4Q/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - These are the best taste you can get on Amazon IMO, but they tend to sell out fast, and they are currently unavailable. If I'm correct, the company wasn't expecting them to sell as well as they do, so they're having issues with supply and demand. They will come back around soon, since I follow their Twitter and they say "Use these noodles!" a lot there.
Why would you waste Indomie instant ramen, that stuff is the Cadillac instant ramen. You can buy these cheap or a ton of other noodles.