Marutai Ramen, well-known for its "stick ramen" (ramen noodles)

In Fukuoka, Kyushu, "Marutai Ramen" is well known as "stick ramen". I, a native of eastern Japan, had never heard of it until recently, when a staff member from Fukuoka told me that I was missing out on life if I had never tried it, so I hurried to buy some. I got it not at an antenna store, but at a local supermarket.

Marutai Ramen (stick ramen)

The package is a rectangular bag that reminds me more of somen noodles than ramen noodles. 1 bag contains 2 servings of ramen noodles, soup, and seasoning oil.

Marutai Ramen, well-known for its "stick ramen" (ramen noodles)

Preparation

1. Bring 450 ml water to a boil in a pot and boil 1 bunch of noodles for 3 minutes. (If you are making two servings, double the amount of water. Boiling time can be adjusted to your preference.

Marutai Ramen, well-known for its "stick ramen" (ramen noodles)

Marutai Ramen, well-known for its "stick ramen" (ramen noodles)

2. When the noodles are finished boiling, turn off the heat, add the soup and seasoning oil, and mix gently.

Marutai Ramen, well-known for its "stick ramen" (ramen noodles)

3. Serve in a bowl. No garnish is included, so top with ingredients of your choice (in this case, roasted pork, boiled egg, and green onion).

Marutai Ramen, well-known for its "stick ramen" (ramen noodles)

Tasting the stick ramen

The noodles are straight and smooth. The non-fried, non-steam manufacturing method makes the noodles not sticky and greasy, which is a good impression. The finish is so close to that of fresh noodles that you may not even notice it is instant noodles unless you are told.

Marutai Ramen, well-known for its "stick ramen" (ramen noodles)

The soup is a soy sauce flavor based on pork and chicken. It also contains bonito extract and powdered miso paste, which blend well with the light flavor of the pork and chicken. The seasoning oil adds a sharp accent that lingers in the mouth. If you want more punch, we recommend adding a little bit of negi (green onion) oil.

Marutai Ramen, well-known for its "stick ramen" (ramen noodles)

Black Stick Ramen

We found "Black Stick Ramen" along with the normal type and decided to try it. The recipe is the same.

MARUTAI Black Stick Ramen

The result is a ramen noodle with a suspiciously black soup. This "black soup of the dark night" is said to contain bamboo charcoal, but it tastes like seafood-flavored soy sauce. There is no bamboo charcoal flavor at all; instead, the flavor of seafood fills the mouth. The wheat-flavored noodles are a perfect match. Despite the strange appearance, the taste was comforting and delicious.

MARUTAI Black Stick Ramen

The stick ramen comes in a variety of flavors, including "sesame soy sauce flavor" and "soy sauce tonkotsu flavor," and at around 100-150 yen per bag (two servings), it is inexpensive, convenient, and delicious, so there is no harm in stocking up on a few.