After Eating Sukiya's "Tonjiru Ramen," Ryuji Explains Why Tonjiru Doesn't Work as Ramen Broth and Presents an Improved Homemade Version

The products featured are the "Tonjiru Miso Ramen" and the "Spicy Green Onion Tonjiru Miso Ramen," both launched on June 4. According to the staff, the Tonjiru Miso Ramen cost 360 yen, and the spicy green onion version cost 460 yen on its own. Ryuji didn't film in the restaurant, instead reheating the takeout a little before tasting. Filming at a chain without permission can cause problems, Ryuji explained, so shooting in the restaurant would require approval.

The container is a two-tier design, with the noodles on top and the tonjiru below, and the diner transfers the noodles into the soup. Based on the 360-yen price, Ryuji guessed the portion would be small and that the product was meant to be eaten alongside gyudon. The staff added that it is said to pair well with gyudon, and that they had seen people on TikTok ordering it as a set.

Ryuji's first reaction to the regular Tonjiru Miso Ramen was that it tasted like nothing they'd had before. A handful of shops serve tonjiru ramen, but Ryuji says they've never come across one that was good anywhere. The reason, Ryuji explains, is that tonjiru is a member of the miso soup family to begin with and isn't made to go with ramen. The impression it left was "like the miso ramen from school lunch."

Partway through, Ryuji added pickled red ginger to try to rescue it, but it didn't work. Not bad, but not good either—that was the verdict, including from the others present. It came with plenty of toppings, and there was also information that it blends two kinds of miso along with garlic and ginger. But Ryuji couldn't really taste the garlic or ginger and said the lack of punch stood out.

As a standalone dish, it got a "C-plus." Ryuji also considered eating it alongside an "imaginary gyudon," and in that case said it would work. In Ryuji's view, Sukiya's gyudon has the strongest umami seasoning of the big three chains, so making the ramen rich as well would mean "rich on top of rich." Ryuji guessed that's why it was deliberately kept mild. Ryuji added that, with rice prices soaring, Chinese-style noodles are probably also easier to work with.

Even so, Ryuji believes that if you're going to serve it as ramen, you should aim for something that's delicious on its own. A tonjiru ramen that depends on gyudon is half-baked, in Ryuji's assessment. As an improvement, Ryuji suggested keeping the base tonjiru as is but adding something like a concentrated tonkotsu broth for ramen at the operational stage. Ryuji also said it might be fine to raise the price a little.

The spicy green onion version comes with its own sauce. Ryuji hoped this might be exactly the "they should just add a sauce" idea they'd mentioned a moment earlier. At 460 yen, it's priced as a dish in its own right, and given that gyudon costs around 500 yen, Ryuji said this one might be intended to be eaten on its own.

Topped with lots of green onion and plenty of other ingredients, it looks more like ramen than the regular version. On tasting, the flavor was rich, with a jjigae-like taste, and the broth was clearly better than the other one. However, Ryuji pointed out that the green onion had a slightly medicinal smell. Recalling having said the same thing during a previous "Sukiya Championship," Ryuji said they'd prefer it without the green onion.

Still, something was missing. According to Ryuji, ramen noodles themselves don't carry much saltiness, so the broth has to be quite rich to carry them. Even with the spicy green onion sauce, it didn't reach that level of richness, and the noodles and broth didn't cling together well. Ryuji remarked that it might actually suit tonjiru udon better.

The grade was a "B." Along the way, there was a joke that saying "it's bad" would spark a backlash, so they wanted to use a different word. In the end, in keeping with the channel, they settled on saying it "won't go viral."

Having eaten both, Ryuji said that if Sukiya is going to promote ramen, they'd like it made as ramen, not as a sidekick to gyudon. It may be positioned like the half-size ramen at a set-meal restaurant. But such places usually also have a proper ramen on their menu. In Sukiya's case, it's a side project, and Ryuji understands that, given the reuse of ingredients, it ends up being tonjiru ramen. Even so, Ryuji personally felt they could put in a bit more effort.

Ryuji also attached caveats to this assessment. It's strictly a personal opinion; there must be people out there who find it incredibly delicious, and Ryuji's assessment isn't everything. There's no intention to attack the company, either. Ryuji often gets comments saying their own cup ramen was bad, too. That may well be true for some people, and since everyone is free to say what they think, Ryuji said that's fine.

When the staff asked whether Ryuji would recreate it, the reply was "As if I'd recreate it—it won't go viral," and Ryuji decided to make their own style of tonjiru ramen instead, explaining along the way why the Sukiya version doesn't appeal to ramen lovers. Ryuji stressed that this isn't about having complaints, but rather "here's how I'd do it."

The ingredients are pork, any mushrooms you like, daikon, carrot, garlic, and ginger. You can add anything you have at home, such as burdock root or taro. The garlic and ginger are grated.

The daikon is thinly sliced without peeling. There are two reasons: if it isn't thinly sliced, it takes a long time to cook, and chunky daikon doesn't suit ramen at all. That said, Ryuji explained that Sukiya's daikon pieces are large because of ingredient reuse, which isn't a bad thing—at Sukiya, cutting down on operational steps matters. The idea of simply adding noodles to tonjiru they already have is "a very smart approach," and Ryuji said that part is understandable.

The carrot is cut into half-moons. For mushrooms, Ryuji used maitake this time, but other mushrooms are fine. Maitake has a strong flavor, so use less of it. Another plus of this recipe is that you get plenty of vegetables. Ryuji also said that people who don't like ramen can use udon instead. For the meat, about 80 g of ultra-thinly sliced pork loin is used, and you can increase the amount to taste. Ryuji says tonjiru ramen is an easy dish to make at home, since there's no need to prepare chashu.

Add about 1 teaspoon of sesame oil to the pot and stir-fry the torn-up pork loin. This step brings out aroma, and Ryuji guessed that Sukiya probably doesn't stir-fry the pork.

During filming, the meat stuck to the stainless steel pot. Ryuji explained that it's not a problem, since adding the vegetables releases moisture and the meat comes loose. Even pork that falls apart into crumbly bits is tasty and actually better because it clings to the noodles. If it bothers you, use a nonstick pot or frying pan. Brown it lightly so the pork fat and sesame oil soak into the vegetables. Even though it looked scorched, it came back once water was added.

In the meantime, Ryuji called themself "the man whose tonjiru has the most views in Japan." The video "Ultimate Tonjiru" has about 13 million views and is the highest-earning video on Buzz Recipe. Ryuji said that single video earned enough to buy a house—not in Tokyo, but enough to buy one in Chiba.

The seasonings go in at the simmering stage. Mirin is half a tablespoon, because making it too sweet means it no longer suits ramen. For miso, Ryuji uses Yamabuki Miso white miso, a recent favorite, adding 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons—about 5 teaspoons. Ryuji recalled that Sukiya's tonjiru was about this color, too. For dashi, 2/3 teaspoon of Hondashi and 2/3 teaspoon of kombu dashi. If you don't have kombu dashi, just use the same amount of Hondashi. Because the vegetables are thinly sliced, it only needs to simmer for a few minutes.

The key, Ryuji says, is the garlic and ginger. Sukiya does use them, but without them it doesn't suit ramen. Ryuji's "Ultimate Tonjiru" was originally conceived with ramen broth as its base, Ryuji explained, and that's precisely why it's so good. The garlic and ginger are 5 g each and can go in while the soup is boiling. Tubes are fine this time, too. Ryuji also guessed that Sukiya probably doesn't use fresh garlic.

While it simmered, Ryuji shared a view on chains moving into ramen. Yoshinoya also does ramen, and they probably want to spread ramen into the gyudon world, Ryuji said, because meat and rice prices are soaring and wheat is cheaper. According to Ryuji, this is more corporate strategy than an effort to serve delicious food. And for a company to survive, a strategy to make money properly is absolutely essential. They don't just make tasty food; they also think about how much they can sell. That, Ryuji said, is what they love about chain restaurants.

Once the daikon is soft enough for a bamboo skewer to slide right through, the tonjiru is done in about 5 minutes. Even with the skin on, the daikon isn't noticeable because it's thinly sliced. Use one serving of noodles. Any kind will do, but medium-thick is best; thick noodles overpower the broth, Ryuji said. This time they were boiled for about 2 minutes and left slightly firm.

Here Ryuji pointed out that tonjiru doesn't contain oil, so oil is added. For ramen you'd use lard, but this time Ryuji said sesame oil tastes better and drizzled in 2 teaspoons. Sesame oil goes really well with miso ramen, Ryuji said.

Ryuji explained the difference between this tonjiru, made with a double broth of bonito and kombu, and Sukiya's tonjiru as being "stronger oil and stronger miso." Strong miso raises the broth's density, making it cling to the noodles more easily. That's why it tastes better, goes the reasoning.

For plating, the noodles go in first, and plenty of tonjiru is poured over them. The toppings are just carrot, daikon, a little mushroom, and pork, so it doesn't take much effort, Ryuji said. Sprinkle with green onion, and since the spicy green onion version was the better one, add a shake of ichimi (shichimi). With that, "the ramen I'd serve if I were at Sukiya" was complete. With lots of toppings and plenty of nutrition, Ryuji says there's no need to add gyudon.

The finished bowl looked like a large serving. In fact, it came out before tasting that 1.5 times the noodles had been added by mistake. Even so, the others present reacted that it was completely different from before, that the ginger really came through, and that it clung well. Ryuji said, "My tonjiru ramen is damn good," and that it was delicious even with the wrong amount of noodles. Ryuji's estimate is that there's probably three times as much miso as in Sukiya's, rich enough to hold up even with 1.5 times the noodles.

Ryuji reflected that it's good because this tonjiru was made with ramen in mind from the start. If Sukiya also developed a tonjiru from scratch with ramen in mind, Ryuji thinks it would be good. The others said it would definitely be delicious with udon too, and that it was nice how easy the tonjiru was to make. You can add anything that goes with tonjiru, such as spinach or taro, Ryuji said.

Finally, Ryuji wrapped up by saying that what they really want to say is "Sukiya is an impressive company." Eaten with gyudon, it's reasonably satisfying. Above all, it's buzzworthy enough to feature on Ryuji's channel. Hearing that tonjiru ramen is out makes you want to go to Sukiya, and Ryuji actually ended up buying it. Ryuji urged viewers to try Sukiya's tonjiru ramen and, if they're curious how it differs from this recipe, to make it themselves. Even people without a Sukiya nearby can make it with ingredients from the supermarket, Ryuji said.

At the end of the video, there was a joke about bowing down on the floor to get sponsorship deals. Ryuji immediately clarified it was a lie, then touched on the realities of running a company. Ryuji has about four employees and about four editors and has to keep earning their monthly salaries. If the company went under, everyone would be out on the street, so Ryuji keeps the business going to avoid that—and that's why they're waiting for sponsorship deals, Ryuji said, and the video ends.