Ryuji Compares 7-Eleven's "Tomita-Supervised Chilled Pork Mazemen" and Makes Their Own Chilled Pork Mazesoba

The video was filmed on a Golden Week holiday, as the weather was getting warmer. The chilled pork mazemen costs 734 yen, and both of them reacted with "That's pretty pricey" and "Things are expensive lately, huh." Ryuji says they had never seen a chilled Jiro-style or pork-ramen-style product before. It reportedly has around 700–800 kcal.

When they opened it, both were surprised by the amount of toppings. The sauce to pour over is a thick, gloopy type, and it contains oil. Since the oil hadn't solidified despite being cold, Ryuji guessed it was vegetable oil rather than animal fat. Both described the aroma as "smells like dressing" and "a garlic dressing scent," and Ryuji suspects it contains vinegar.

After starting to eat, Ryuji said the red topping was tasty. However, there was no description, so they couldn't tell what it was. It reportedly tasted something like bonito. The staff member also tried it, said it was "a flavor I've never had before," and added that everyone on X (formerly Twitter) was saying it was delicious. As for the shrimp-flavored topping, Ryuji said it's "better with it than without."

Even so, Ryuji spent a while thinking about what exactly wasn't clicking. The conclusion they arrived at was: "Honestly, they forced these noodles into it, didn't they?" and "This would probably taste better with regular noodles." The staff member agreed there was something slightly off about the noodles, going so far as to say "it feels really slapdash."

In the official rating, too, Ryuji gave a harsh score, saying "there's a clear reason," and explained as follows.

First, the noodles don't suit a chilled dish. When chilled, noodles become too firm, so Ryuji speculates that they were probably boiled longer. As a result, while they have more bite than regular noodles, they're still lacking. Since the sauce comes separately and there's no worry about the noodles going soggy, Ryuji's view is that they could have had more texture.

Second, the sauce doesn't keep up with the texture of the noodles. Ryuji felt that mixing in a little mayonnaise brought things together somewhat, but said it would have been better if the sauce were a bit thicker.

For comparison, they had also prepared the hot pork ramen "Deka Buta," likewise supervised by Tomita. It's the same price, 734 yen, and comes with chunky garlic. The instructions say to heat it in the microwave for 7 minutes 10 seconds without removing the lid. The staff member had eaten it once before and finished it, and prefers the hot version. The reason, they said, is that these noodles seem to suit a hot dish better.

While waiting, the two talked about convenience-store chilled noodles. The staff member said they remember eating some long ago that weren't good, and have hardly bought any since. Ryuji said they usually boil chilled noodles at home and firm them up in ice water, so they inevitably compare store-bought versions to their own. Someone who eats convenience-store chilled noodles every day might rate it as "good for chilled noodles." But compared to Ryuji's own hiyashi chuka, it doesn't come close at all—that's their honest opinion.

The heated Deka Buta had a far more intense aroma than the chilled one. Ryuji said, "For the same price, this one's better," praising it as rich and salty, with noodles that aren't weak for chilled-section noodles. It's reportedly also said to be delicious in the short-video world, such as TikTok. On the other hand, Ryuji said it has a lot of oil and calories, and they couldn't finish all of it.

The staff member loved this one. They gave it a high score "from a convenience-store standpoint," saying they'd want to eat it when super stressed out, and that they love thick, chewy, hearty noodles. Ryuji was surprised, since the staff member is usually tough on ramen. Ryuji also said they thought it was pretty good as a chilled-section ramen, and that 734 yen might be reasonable for this volume.

Having eaten both the hot and chilled versions, Ryuji set out to make their own chilled pork mazesoba.

According to Ryuji, places like Butayama also have mazesoba-type menu items, and they're popular. Garlic is essential for Jiro-style, so they mince 1 clove and add it. Adding too much seemed likely to upset the stomach, so they kept it to 1 clove.

The sauce is made directly in the bowl. The amounts are as follows.

• Soy sauce: 1 1/2 tablespoons
• Sugar: 1 pinch
• Ajinomoto: 1/3 teaspoon ("This is a must for Jiro-style," Ryuji says)
• Rice bran oil: 1 teaspoon
• Chuka Aji: 1/3 teaspoon
• Vinegar: 1/2 tablespoon
• Garlic powder: 5 shakes

There's a reason for using rice bran oil: lard solidifies when chilled. Sesame oil would make it taste too Chinese, so that was avoided as well. Chuka Aji contains pork extract, so it serves to add pork umami. Sesame paste was also considered but judged unnecessary, and vinegar was added to give it a hiyashi chuka feel. Mentioning that the earlier product tasted like dressing, Ryuji says this sauce makes for a tasty one.

Ryuji actually wanted to use bean sprouts but couldn't get any. So they used half a bag (130g) of a convenience-store mixed stir-fry vegetable set. It also contains cabbage, so it was deemed just right. 80g of pork scraps is boiled and drained in a colander. Even a quick boil releases flavor, and coating it in the soy sauce mixture makes it taste properly porky, they said.

The vegetables are boiled for 1–2 minutes. Partway through, the smartphone froze, so the scene of adding the vegetables wasn't captured. The boiled vegetables are cooled under running water together with the pork, and squeezed thoroughly to remove water. They're seasoned with 1/2 tablespoon of soy sauce and 4 shakes of Ajinomoto, then chilled in the fridge. However, Ryuji cautions that chilling too much makes the pork tough, so it's best to chill only lightly. Ryuji says the great thing about this recipe is that you get lots of vegetables. If you don't have pork scraps, store-bought chashu works too, in which case you only need to season the vegetables.

The noodles are extra-thick ones for pork ramen bought at 7-Eleven. According to Ryuji, the trend has calmed down a bit, and lately they're always in stock. The bag lists a boiling time of 10–11 minutes for chilled noodles, and the two noticed they can be used cold as well. This time they were boiled on the firm side, firmed up under running water, and squeezed hard to drain. In midsummer ice water would be better, but since it's still Golden Week, running water sufficed. Draining well is important for chilled dishes, they said.

Ryuji explained the aim of this sauce as follows: it combines sharp soy sauce with pork umami, umami seasoning, and vegetable oil so that it works even when chilled. Trying to replicate pork ramen's fat inevitably leads to it solidifying when cold, so lard can't be used.

The noodles go into the bowl, the vegetables are piled high, and the minced garlic is placed on top. What Ryuji says "you absolutely have to do" is add a little mayonnaise. Sprinkling on ichimi chili pepper makes the red pop, they said. Ryuji also said the mayonnaise is a nod to the store-bought chilled pork mazemen.

Saying mazesoba has to be mixed thoroughly, Ryuji mixed the whole thing, mayonnaise and all. Mixing in the mayonnaise adds richness, they said. After tasting it and adding a pinch of salt, they said it was "ridiculously good."

The staff member also reacted with "It's good," saying the noodles work with this. Their impression was that with the earlier product, the noodles were the only thing that didn't fit. Ryuji explains that the flavor has to be this bold or the noodles overpower it. Breaking down the umami, pork ramen gets pretty close as long as the soy sauce and oil are pronounced, they said. The richness of the mayonnaise enhances the pork-ramen feel, and the vegetables are crisp and plentiful. Since it differs from the classic flavor of hot pork ramen, Ryuji also said it's clearly differentiated.

The staff member said it's easy to eat because it isn't greasy. Ryuji replied that the only fats are the rice bran oil and the mayonnaise, so there isn't that much. A fair amount of sauce remained in the finished bowl, and since the oil sinks to the bottom, the amount of oil actually consumed should be small, they said. Ryuji also thinks using pork scraps instead of pork belly contributed to the lightness. The staff member said that with pork belly, they sometimes start feeling sick partway through and regret it.

When making it at home, you can use just bean sprouts instead of the stir-fry vegetable set, and in that case it's fine to add around 150g of bean sprouts, Ryuji says. The overall amount is something one person can eat, and both finished it, saying "I could've eaten more."

Between bites, Ryuji said they've been enjoying this kind of video lately. Recreating something they've eaten is "like doing a quest in a video game," they said. The staff member admitted they'd been a little worried about what to do if they couldn't react to the dish made for them, since they can't lie. Ryuji replied that if it weren't right, they wouldn't let the staff member eat it in the first place—they'd catch it at the tasting stage.

Finally, Ryuji wrapped up by saying they'd come up with a nice chilled pork soba recipe that's perfect for the coming season, and encouraged viewers to give it a try.