Mokkosu Ramen: Popular Instant Kumamoto Ramen
Today, a wide variety of Japanese instant ramen are available on online marketplaces outside of Japan. Many of those are actually well recognized in Japan.
However, some instant noodles that are popular in Japan haven’t gained popularity in overseas countries yet.
Itsuki Kumamoto Mokkosu Ramen
If I give an example, the packaged instant ramen “Kumamoto Mokkosu Ramen (熊本もっこすラーメン)” produced and sold by “Itsuki (五木)” is among them, which is actually available on Amazon.com.
The Mokkosu Ramen is a relatively new product but became a topic of conversation a few years ago when it was unavailable for a long time because of its tremendous popularity.
The reason why this packaged ramen is popular in Japan is simply it is as delicious as an authentic bowl of Kumamoto Ramen, as stated in this review on a popular Japanese website.
Kumamoto Ramen
For the unfamiliar, “Kumamoto Ramen (熊本ラーメン)” is a variety of ramen locally eaten in Kumamoto Prefecture.
It is a type of Tonkotsu Ramen featuring mild yet flavorful pork bone broth, medium-thick straight noodles, and unique ingredients, such as fried garlic chips and black garlic oil called “Ma-Yu (マー油)”.
Cooking Instructions
As with other Japanese packaged instant ramen, Kumamoto Mokkosu Ramen is easy to cook.
This product only consists of dried wheat noodles and a flavor packet, as shown in the photo above.
In addition to them, all you need to prepare for cooking is just a pot of 500 ml of water. Now, let’s get the cooking started.
| 1 |  |
First, heat the pot and bring the water to a boil. Then, slip in the noodles |
|---|---|---|
| 2 |  |
Boil the noodles for about 2 and a half minutes |
| 3 |  |
Then, turn off the heat and add in the contents (liquid soup base) of the flavor packet |
| 4 |  |
Give it all a good stir with chopsticks |
| 5 |  |
Pour the noodle soup into a bowl and enjoy! If desired, additionally garnish toppings like boiled eggs and Chashu roast pork slices |
Taste
The ramen looks delicious, doesn’t it? Indeed, the broth tastes pretty good, packed with the umami of pork.
It has a mild, savory Tonkotsu flavor, followed by the faint aroma of the black garlic oil Ma-Yu. The noodles also have a delightful chewy bite.
Ingredients
Lastly, for people who want to know the specific ingredients, here is the label. According to that, the main ingredients in the Kumamoto Mokkosu Ramen are wheat flour, salt, pork extract, chicken extract, soy sauce, animal and plant fat, vegetable extract, sugar, seafood extract, and spices.
