Comparing Moko Tanmen Nakamoto's "Hokkyoku Ramen" Cup Noodles and Customizing Them with Natto and Cheese Curry

When it comes to Moko Tanmen Nakamoto cup noodles, the spicy miso flavor is the standard, but the star this time is Hokkyoku Ramen. Prefacing it with "if I remember right," Ryuji explained that it is the spiciest item on Nakamoto's menu. There is a Nakamoto location in Chiba too, and Ryuji should have had Hokkyoku via Uber or similar, but honestly doesn't remember it very well. Meanwhile, one staff member had eaten both at the restaurant and recalled that Hokkyoku was "super spicy."

According to the staff, this cup noodle apparently comes out every year for a limited time. Ryuji said the flavor probably changes slightly each year, having heard that it gets quite a few minor tweaks. Drawing on the experience of releasing a cup noodle product, Ryuji also explained that cup ramen is made in a single lot of hundreds of thousands or even millions of units at once and then sold off. Both were priced at 240 yen each.

Ryuji said the classic Moko Tanmen Nakamoto ranks as one of the top two favorites among all cup ramen, and had already introduced a natto customization in a previous video. Hokkyoku, however, was an open question going into the tasting. At one point Ryuji joked that saying "it's bad," or even "it's not tasty," would cause a backlash, so the only option would be to say "it's not to my taste."

First, the classic spicy miso flavor is prepared for comparison. The good point Ryuji highlighted was the tofu topping: there's a lot of tofu in it, which makes it feel like mapo ramen. The wait time is 5 minutes. Among the staff, there was talk that even people who handle spicy food well get knocked out by it, and that apparently no more than two a day is recommended. Ryuji replied that this makes sense given the calories and salt, noting that the listed salt content is 6.2.

On tasting it, Ryuji reacted with "This is good" and "This is it," and the staff said they could see why people call it delicious. There are also quite a lot of vegetables, and the verdict was that it's great to get this level of satisfaction at this price.

Next, opening the Hokkyoku revealed no tofu; the toppings were just seasoned pork and bean sprouts. The package is labeled "extremely spicy." After waiting 5 minutes for this one as well and removing the lid, there was a lot of fried garlic that gave off a strong garlic aroma, and adding and stirring in the spicy oil brought out a pronounced chili smell.

Opinions on the heat were split. Some said "it's not that bad," while others reacted with "No, it's spicy" and "It's really spicy," and one staff member was moved to tears. Ryuji acknowledged that the soup was spicier than the spicy miso from earlier, but said the crunch of the bean sprouts was nice and that it was properly tastier than expected. One staff member remarked that it might be among the top spicy products sold at convenience stores.

For the staff members suffering from the heat, the conversation turned to how drinking water backfires and milk is better. The staff member who actually drank milk was surprised that the pain in their mouth subsided.

Ryuji said that after eating the Hokkyoku as is, a discovery came up: adding curry powder and cheese turns it into a mellow cheese curry style that tastes great. The idea is to have people first eat it as is, and then add cheese and curry powder to make it delicious. Since it would be a bit much to have others eat from a half-eaten cup, two new ones were made: one with natto, and one in a curry cheese version. According to the recipe in the description, the natto version uses one Hokkyoku with one pack of natto, and the curry version uses one Hokkyoku with 30–35 g of shredded pizza cheese and just under 1 teaspoon of curry powder, with rice added at the end for both.

While the customizations were being prepared, a staff member talked about eating at the Chiba location. At that time, "Shirane-san" had come to the restaurant on something like an inspection visit, and what turned into a photo session started up. When Ryuji responded, "Because that's a god," the staff member said they were impressed that Shirane-san properly makes the rounds even to regional locations.

According to Ryuji, the idea of adding natto to Nakamoto apparently started with staff member "Taka-kun." Ryuji also said the combination of Nakamoto and natto is really delicious. Once the natto is stirred in, it spreads throughout, and at this point someone said, "I want to add rice to this."

During the tasting, the staff kept reacting with "It's not spicy at all" and "It's really good." The points raised in its favor were that the flavor of the beans comes through properly and that the soup gets thicker, and it was clearly milder than before. Even the staff member who had struggled with the heat in the plain version was able to finish this one entirely. The staff pushed for the natto version, saying "I want this to be the go-to," and the consensus was that the best approach is to eat the noodles first and add rice once they're gone.

Before moving on to the curry cheese version, Ryuji talked about the stance behind the things Ryuji says. Lately there's a trend where you have to call everything delicious, but Ryuji only says something is delicious when it truly is. Ryuji admitted to not reading the room nearly enough and getting flamed as a result, to having a bad way of putting things, and to the problem of saying everything bluntly. Ryuji is well aware that this is childish for someone who's already 40.

Ryuji went on to say that getting flamed regularly is actually necessary. When a staff member called it "dopamine addiction," Ryuji laughed and said, "I'm a dopamine old man." When flamed, it feels like being in a situation where all of society has become the enemy, and trying to win it back makes Ryuji work really hard. Ryuji dislikes being in a state where everyone is giving praise, and says that without getting harshly bashed now and then, the motivation just isn't there. As background, Ryuji explained that back in the hotel-staff days, it was a life of being kicked in the butt every day and called "trash," so being in a "trash" state is necessary to work hard. Ryuji also said that, as a lousy culinary researcher who can't even speak properly, getting to collaborate with companies is a miracle. There was also mention that lately around 10 replies have come in from people in Nagoya saying things like "Don't think you can walk around Nagoya safely."

Ryuji confidently called the curry cheese "the best customization, I think." The staff were surprised and wondered if the curry powder would make it spicy, but Ryuji answered that it doesn't. The curry powder used was apparently a milder type. Adding curry powder gives off a very strong aroma, and that curry goes well with the spicy soup. It also thickens the soup, and the melted cheese makes it mellow. Ryuji said that when testing it beforehand, the thought came up that this might catch on.

At the tasting, it was well received: "It's really good," "It's pretty easy to eat," "It's the easiest to eat." But when the conversation turned to where the heat had gone, a check revealed that the spicy oil had been left out. Ryuji apologized, saying it was so mild that it almost amounted to cheating. Without the oil, it reportedly tastes quite close to Curry Noodle.

After adding the spicy oil and eating it again, it was spicy but still delicious, and the conclusion was that it's better with the oil. It also came up that more cheese would be fine, and that sliced cheese works too. Ryuji used shredded pizza cheese this time and said that around 30–35 g would probably taste great. On the other hand, some still found it spicy. So a suggestion came up: instead of adding all the spicy oil at the start, adding it a little at a time is also a valid way to eat it. In fact, since everyone said it was good when first eaten with just cheese and curry, the oil can be used more as a way to change up the flavor midway.

Ryuji's verdict was a personal preference for the classic Moko Tanmen, while Hokkyoku has a different kind of appeal. Because Hokkyoku's flavor is sharper, adding something mild like natto or cheese, or adding curry powder, gives the flavor a clearer outline and makes it very delicious. For that reason, Ryuji suggested it might be good for people to really customize Hokkyoku when eating it. Ryuji also asked viewers to share any recommended ways of eating it.

Finally, about half a rice bowl's worth of rice was added to each of the leftover soups. According to Ryuji, lots of people eat Nakamoto with rice added. As predicted, the cheese one turned into something like risotto, with the cheese melting into a risotto-style dish.

The staff member who ate the natto one said, "This might be even better," and someone said they'd want to eat it every day. The conversation also turned to wanting Moko Tanmen porridge released as a product, and that Nissin could surely do it. The cheese curry rice was also delicious, and Ryuji said that if they released a Nakamoto soup base, it would definitely sell. Wrapping up the tasting, Ryuji recommended to viewers that adding rice after finishing lets you enjoy it twice as much.