Eating Acecook's "Mala Tang Soupless Mazesoba" and Recreating It in the Microwave

According to Ryuji, Acecook's products had given them the impression of "not having many hits." With this product too, they said they didn't really get the concept of a mazesoba that is also mala tang. They also noted that the packaging is a square box, a shape that has become trendy lately. On opening it, the contents were a packet of "super sauce," a packet of spices, and thin noodles.

Seeing the thin noodles, the staff member said, "Wouldn't straight thick noodles be better for a soupless style?" Ryuji replied that they basically like thin noodles. Lately everyone has been hyping thick noodles, and every product that sells now uses thick noodles. Because of that, they said, they've actually come to dislike thick noodles. Their absolute favorite is Marutai's noodles, and they flatly stated that Marutai is better than mediocre fresh noodles. Their preference is noodles about as thin as those in tonkotsu ramen.

They acknowledged that thick noodles go well with rich soups. Ryuji personally, however, isn't that fond of rich soups. They like salty things but don't do well with oily ones. As an example, they cited Jiro-style ramen, where back fat clings to the noodles; when you lift the noodles, the back fat gets dragged up with them, which they described as "basically eating oil." On the other hand, they recalled that when they were young, they often ate pure-white ramen loaded with back fat at a ramen shop called "Kisei" in Matsudo. When you're young, you can handle anything, and they reflected that it would probably still taste good if they ate it now.

At the draining stage, the vegetable toppings nearly washed away with the water. The staff member said, "I wish there were some kind of trick," and Ryuji answered that it can't be helped with yakisoba-style cup noodles.

When the super sauce was mixed in and the spices sprinkled on, the mala aroma rose up. Ryuji said it was an aroma the staff member would probably like. From there the conversation went off on a tangent to a previous collaboration cup noodle. Ryuji explained that since many people dislike shellfish, they had decided not to use shellfish when making something for a mass audience.

Ryuji's first words after a bite were "This is good," followed by "I kind of underestimated it." Ryuji described the product as "an extra-spicy abura soba." It was spicy enough that, breaking into a slight sweat, they told the staff member, "I might not be able to eat this." The staff member also reacted with "So spicy" and "So good." The noodles are Acecook's typical fried noodles, but the spices pack quite a punch. Ryuji's assessment was that it's a "high-level spiciness," with numbing and heat hitting at the same time, and that it has an addictive quality that makes you unable to stop.

When the staff member asked whether they could recreate it, Ryuji first answered, "Probably difficult." The aroma could be handled with five-spice powder and Sichuan pepper, but the base spiciness was considerable. Even so, Ryuji's recipes don't include many spicy soupless noodles like this. With encouragement from the staff member, they decided to take on the recreation.

The rating was top-tier, and they ranked it No. 1 in the soupless yakisoba category. Ryuji said it's a flavor unlike anything before, that no other product has been this daring, and that it's at a level that could hold its own at a specialty shop.

At the start of the recreation segment, Ryuji said, "Don't Acecook and I make a good match?" Acecook makes really edgy products, they said, which makes recreating them fun. As a recent example, they also mentioned the mazesoba episode, which was edgy and went massively viral. This one was difficult, but after repeated trial batches they made something quite delicious and said they were confident in it.

The toppings in the original were wood ear mushrooms, carrot, cabbage, and bok choy. Ryuji said a notable feature was the generous amount of vegetables. However, thinking that it would be hard to buy bok choy just for this dish, they used only cabbage this time. They said adding leafy greens such as komatsuna instead would also improve the color.

The original contained no meat. Ryuji, however, thought that if it's going to be a meal, it tastes better with meat, so they added some leftover pork offcuts. This pork was from the U.S. and had been bought for them for a TV shoot, they said.

The amounts and preparation for each topping are as follows.

• Dried wood ear mushrooms, 3 g: Use a generous amount and rehydrate in hot water. Once rehydrated, julienne them. Ryuji recommends buying a large bag at a wholesale supermarket or on Amazon, which is much cheaper than small bags
• Carrot, 15 g: Just for color, so a small amount is fine. Julienne it so it tangles with the noodles
• Cabbage, 30 g: With spring cabbage, the outer leaves are edible too. Cut it thin so it's easy to eat with the noodles
• Pork offcuts, 50 g: Season lightly with salt and pepper

Explaining why the wood ear is julienned, Ryuji said that with mazesoba they want to prioritize a sense of everything coming together. They cut the wood ear with the knife they had used for the meat, but added that there's no need to worry since it will be thoroughly heated in the microwave afterward. Before measuring the seasonings, they washed the utensils they had used right then and there, saying it's easier than washing everything together later.

All the toppings go into the bowl, and the seasonings are added on top. Ryuji said that powdered ingredients should go in first, though they often forget this themselves. If you do it in the reverse order, you have to wash the measuring spoon every time.

The seasonings added, along with Ryuji's explanation for each, are as follows.

• Chicken bouillon powder, 1/3 tsp: Because the original's ingredients included chicken extract
• Garlic powder, 1/3 tsp: The original also had a strong garlic kick, so even this amount comes through clearly
• Sichuan pepper, 1/4 tsp: The key to the flavor. Also sprinkle some on at the end
• Five-spice powder, 3 shakes
• Ajinomoto, 6 shakes
• Ichimi chili powder, 4 shakes: To add heat. If you don't like spicy food, you can leave it out
• Doubanjiang, 2/3 tsp: Without this, the deliciousness isn't guaranteed. The original's spiciness comes largely from doubanjiang. However, this is toned down compared with the original
• Soy sauce, 2 1/2 tsp
• Oyster sauce, 2/3 tsp: Because it was listed on the original's ingredient label
• Rice bran oil, a little over 1 tbsp: The original's label said vegetable oil, so rice bran oil was used. Salad oil also works. More oil is better, they said

Once the seasonings were in, the staff member reacted, "It's already very mala."

Without mixing the contents of the bowl, they covered it with plastic wrap and first heated it for 2 and a half minutes. Opening it once to check, there were still pink parts on the meat. So they loosened it up and heated it more, for a total of 3 minutes 10 seconds. Loosening it once and then reheating cooks it through quickly, they said. Ryuji also said it's better to microwave the meat and vegetables together than separately, because heating them separately makes things watery.

For the noodles, they used thin noodles from the supermarket chain "Life." Thin noodles generally blend well with the sauce, so fresh thin noodles are fine, and Marutai would probably taste good too, they said. However, since the original featured wavy noodles, they said wavy fresh noodles are best if you want to pay respect to it. To keep them firm, the boiling time was just 1 minute.

While waiting for the heating and boiling, Ryuji said, "Spicy food depends on the person, so this video probably won't do well." The staff member replied that the earlier mala tang video also didn't take off at first but has since done very well. It's also a boom right now, they said.

The video "Chicken and Onions Simmered with Only Salt," released the day before, got what the staff member called an abnormal number of "likes." The staff member speculated on two reasons. One was that it was a healthy recipe using neither oil nor Ajinomoto, a direction they had never taken before. The other was that the narration was good. Ryuji said, "It seems viewers can tell when I'm having fun," adding that their energy swings up and down a lot, but today they were having a great time.

When they opened the heated bowl, the same aroma as the original rose up, and both reacted, "It's exactly the same." The drained noodles were then added and mixed in. Loosening the noodles so they spread out well, they coated everything with the sauce. Ryuji said the sauce clings nicely.

Ryuji would normally crack an egg on top, but didn't this time, because adding egg mellows the spiciness and it would no longer be a way of eating it that's about the heat. If you have scallions, scattering some on adds a nice touch of green. Finally, a sprinkling of Sichuan pepper sends the aroma through your nose, Ryuji explained. With that, the "Acecook-Respect Mala Mazesoba" was complete.

In preparation for the spiciness, the staff member had HIKAKIN's barley tea on hand for the tasting. Ryuji prefaced by saying they had adjusted the spiciness because the original was too spicy.

After eating, the two reacted with "The aroma is the same," "Genius," "It's identical," and "You could open a shop." Ryuji was sweating profusely and said it packs a punch and "it's better this spicy." The staff member praised the inclusion of pork, which the original doesn't have. Ryuji agreed that without meat it might be a bit too light. Both were positive about the texture of the wood ear, and they said the faint aroma of five-spice powder was nice too.

Ryuji said they would never have had this idea if Acecook hadn't made the product. The two speculated that Acecook's development team probably has many people who like to take on challenges, and that a company where someone says "Let's just do this" in a planning meeting and everyone jumps on board is a good one.

The staff member had prepared flat mala tang noodles bought at Kaldi. They had set them aside, thinking they could also be used for this dish. Reading the package, the noodles needed to be soaked in water to rehydrate. According to Ryuji, mala tang shops soak these noodles in water until they're jiggly before adding them to the soup, and never put them in dry. Noodles soaked overnight cook in 1 to 3 minutes, they said.

The staff member reacted, "So you can't eat them when you want to eat right away." Ryuji said everyone surely wants to eat these flat noodles. Even so, they believe the reason they haven't caught on as home cooking is that they take time. You can't use them when you're hungry and want to eat right away.

While eating, Ryuji talked about the channel's direction. They think spicy recipes like this won't get that many views. Even so, they want to do more spicy food and Taiwanese dishes. The staff member, who also loves Taiwanese food, said they'd like to see that.

According to Ryuji, the channel has pretty much exhausted ordinary recipes. They'll keep putting out simple recipes and dishes that help with daily life. On top of that, they want to cover things in a bit more depth. Featuring things people don't know about satisfies viewers' thirst for knowledge and is educational, too, they said.

About this recreation, Ryuji emphasized that even though the mazesoba sauce is made in the microwave, it has no "microwaved feel" at all. For the staff member, the spiciness was at the level of "really just barely edible." Ryuji, on the other hand, said it could be even spicier, and the staff member added, "Maybe I could handle a bit more." By Ryuji's own sense, this level of spiciness was about a level 3 or level 4.

To wrap up, Ryuji said they love exploring new flavors and hope viewers will keep coming along. The point of this recipe, they said, is that all the ingredients can be bought at a supermarket, and with them you can quickly enjoy a mala mazesoba. Those who find it a hassle to make can buy the original cup noodles, though it's unclear whether they're still on sale. If they're not, give this recreation recipe a try, Ryuji urges, and the video ends.