Ryuji Recreates Suzuki's "Stamina Manten" Ramen for Home Cooks

The video opens with footage of a day off when Ryuji visited Suzuki with SUSURU. They ordered the Sutaman Soba set, with a raw egg and rice. According to the shop's explanation, this bowl incorporates elements of Takeoka-style ramen, Arirang ramen ("Arira" in the subtitles), and Jiro-style ramen.

In the kitchen, a large amount of meat was stir-fried with onions, and then broth was added. According to the shop, rather than simmering broth in a big stockpot, the method draws flavor out of the ingredients themselves. The noodles are extra-thick and made in-house. Watching the cooking, Ryuji was surprised, saying, "That's way too much effort," and also remarked, "I've never seen or eaten anything like this."

Ryuji ordered it with all the toppings and repeated "This is so good" again and again, saying that eating something truly delicious leaves you at a loss for words. Ryuji pointed to the savory, toasty notes from stir-frying the pork belly, the strong edge of the soy sauce, and the punch of the garlic, praising it with "I have a lot of respect for whoever created this" and "It's a new dish, there's nothing like it."

The owner said that if Ryuji recreated it, Sutaman would become more widely known, which would make the owner happy, and gladly agreed when Ryuji asked for permission to recreate it. On the way out, the owner also recommended another menu item and asked Ryuji to make that one too.

For the recreation, Ryuji decided to make two versions. The reason given was that while the original is extremely delicious, it is also heavy on portion size and oil, and some people find themselves going "ugh" while eating it. A-ko, who was also present, said that "it was really delicious, but I'm not that great with oil," so the standard version was made with A-ko in mind.

The meat at the original shop was thick-cut pork belly from a block. The pro version uses block meat, and the beginner version uses thinly sliced meat. The other ingredients are mostly the same, but the pro version gets more garlic. Back fat can't really be used at home, but Ryuji reasoned that garlic and ginger can be added, so they are prepared separately.

Per serving, the amounts are about 25g of garlic chives, 100g of pork if using block meat or 80g if using thin slices, and about 40g of onion. Ryuji recommends trying the beginner version first, and suggests that people who are used to eating ramen take on the pro version.

On the amount of meat, Ryuji says it's best to use at least 80g even with thin slices. The broth of this ramen is built on the flavor that comes out of the meat, and the original also came piled with lots of meat. Ryuji also notes that sliced pork belly is sometimes unavailable or expensive, so those who want to eat plenty of pork should use a block.

The tricky part is thickness. The meat at the original shop was cut quite thick, but supermarket pork belly isn't thick enough. Ryuji explained cutting the block meat and then pounding it flat, so that once cooked it looks almost the same. This makes it easier to pick up with chopsticks and brings it closer to the feel of Suzuki. Ryuji described this as "I have no choice but to use sneaky tricks like this."

From the topic of meat, Ryuji touched on the difference between home cooking and ramen shops. Ryuji's view is that ramen isn't something you can make at home the same way a shop does, because the sourcing is different to begin with, and if you could, Ryuji would be running a shop. With enough effort you can make the same thing as a shop, but the effort of a ramen shop lies in keeping up work like preparing the broth every single day. That, Ryuji explains, is why people go to ramen shops. Ryuji added that the parts that can be recreated can be recreated, but this version isn't the real taste, though Ryuji thinks it turned out quite well.

While adding lard, Ryuji also touched on the merits of cooking at home. According to Ryuji, it's the freedom to adjust the amount of oil and salt, and the pickier someone is about food, the better off they are making it at home. Showing how much fat spatters when stir-frying pork belly, Ryuji also said that shops go through this kind of danger to make their food, and at one point voiced criticism aimed at people who look down on restaurants.

As for noodles, Ryuji says that after trying various options available at supermarkets, Top Valu's "Washiwashi"-style extra-thick tsukemen noodles were the closest. Suzuki makes its noodles in-house, so they won't be the same, but thick noodles like those used for Jiro-style ramen are fine. One portion of these noodles is 180g, more filling than a typical portion.

For garlic chives, use half a bunch, about 40–50g, for two servings. Use half an onion. The garlic is divided into three uses. The first is minced and stir-fried (10g). The second is grated and added to the broth (10g); Ryuji emphasized that without it, the garlic aroma is completely different and it won't be Sutaman Soba. The third is raw garlic as a topping for the pro version. A-ko likes stir-fried garlic, but raw garlic can sometimes take a toll on the body, so the plan was to leave it off the beginner version at first.

Along these lines, Ryuji also said that ramen is a food you eat at your own risk. Ryuji's take is that people with weak constitutions, or who feel sick after eating it, are better off not eating it much, and those who still want to eat it should build up their bodies.

Everything is cooked in a single small frying pan. First add about 1 and a half tablespoons of lard. According to Ryuji, the original uses more, and this is already toned down. Stir-fry the pork in it. Ryuji explains that having so much fat render out of the pork belly that a film of oil forms on the surface is what makes it feel like Sutaman, then adds the minced garlic and onion and stir-fries them.

After stir-frying, add 300cc of water. Ryuji said A-ko is someone who won't call something delicious unless it's on the salty side, so the saltiness is kept firm. The key to the flavor is soy sauce and the pork stock. Ordinary household soy sauce is plenty, and Ryuji started with 7 teaspoons. Ryuji doesn't use rich soy sauces like tamari because viewers would complain, "Where am I supposed to buy that?", but says ordinary soy sauce gets you quite close. Oyster sauce is also added for depth. When A-ko remarked that the broth looks faintly dark, as if it's not just soy sauce, Ryuji replied that it's basically pork stock, and with this much pork in it, the flavor comes through.

For the umami seasoning, Ryuji uses Ajinomoto rather than Hi-Me. According to Ryuji, since there's pork in it, Hi-Me would add too much depth, and Ajinomoto is better for letting the pork shine. Ryuji used 12 shakes of Ajinomoto and 3 shakes of pepper.

Once the broth is done, start boiling the noodles. Ryuji says that if you make the broth first, the rest is easy. The 10g of grated garlic is added after turning off the heat, because adding it while heating makes the aroma fly off.

Ryuji repeatedly warns against keeping the broth on the heat. The reason people say making the broth first makes it too strong is over-reduction; if it's on the heat it will definitely reduce, and even off the heat, moisture evaporates. After adding the garlic, turn off the heat once, then reheat it to match when the noodles are done. Ryuji explained that boiling it continuously changes the flavor, so points like this make the difference. Ryuji also said that Buzz Recipe recipes are made in single servings and designed so that they're hard to mess up even without much detailed explanation like this.

Warm the bowls by filling them with water and microwaving them. Two bowls take about 3 minutes, and a single serving can be a bit shorter. Boil two portions of noodles for about 5 minutes. With about 1 minute left, reheat the broth and add the garlic chives, finishing them while still crisp. Put the boiled noodles in the bowl, pour in the broth, and top the pro version with raw garlic. At one point Ryuji almost forgot to wipe the water out of the bowls, and warned to always wipe them, since leftover water dilutes the ramen.

Looking at the finished ramen, A-ko said the way the oil floated on top looked good. Ryuji thinks the pro version probably has about the same amount of oil as the original.

After the first bite, Ryuji said "It's good, but..." and added 1 more teaspoon of soy sauce. That brought the soy sauce to a total of 8 teaspoons. A-ko responded, "I feel like it was like this," and "If it's like this, adding soy sauce was the right call." Ryuji reflected that it was more soy-sauce-forward than expected, and that it doesn't work unless it has this much edge. A-ko also said it had become easier to eat.

A-ko tried both and said the thin slices seemed easier to eat personally. On the other hand, eating the thick-cut version gave A-ko the feeling of "So this is what it is." A-ko also said they might now understand why the original uses thick cuts rather than thin slices. In A-ko's view, thin slices are better for eating over a long stretch, but thick cuts might taste better if you're eating until you're full.

As they kept eating, the conversation turned to how, in the beginner version, the broth was being overpowered by the noodles despite having the same seasoning. Ryuji pointed out that the difference from the pro version also comes down to the presence of raw garlic. So they tried adding raw garlic to the beginner version too, and A-ko said "It's completely different," "It's not enough without raw garlic," and "It's way better with it." A-ko said the thin-sliced version also became to their liking once raw garlic was added. The two concluded that raw garlic might be the deciding factor, and Ryuji said, "Raw garlic is a must, everyone."

A-ko ended up finishing the whole bowl. Ryuji says that 180g of noodles is the same as the shop's smaller portion, so the dish should be something even women can finish. The amount of oil can be adjusted, and it can be made lighter. Ryuji thinks it's dramatically better with raw garlic, but those who don't like it can use a small amount or leave it out. However, Ryuji's summary is that, out of respect for Suzuki, using plenty of soy sauce for a sharp salty edge makes it a truer recreation.

Of the result, A-ko described it as "somewhere between a shop and home" and "beyond homemade, close to a shop." Ryuji says it goes quite far beyond the scope of homemade ramen. Ryuji added, though, that it depends on the person: people who haven't eaten at Suzuki might say this is better, and in terms of ease of eating, this one is far ahead. Even so, Ryuji says a second or third visit to Suzuki is sure to taste better than the first, and is looking forward to going to the shop again.

Ryuji also explained why this ramen is easy to try at home. Instead of making a proper stock, the broth is made only from the stock released by the pork, umami seasoning, and soy sauce, so it's simple, and unlike other homemade ramen, there's no need to make chashu. As long as you have these noodles, you can make it. Ryuji also says one bowl is plenty for women, while men may want to add rice.

The video also mentions that someone named Ebisu, who doesn't appear in this episode, will probably come up with a more daring Sutaman ramen recipe. Ryuji positions this recipe as not straying too far beyond the bounds of home cooking, and as capturing fairly well the middle ground that everyone finds delicious. For those who want to get even closer to the original, adding a bit more soy sauce and lard gets you quite close. A-ko called on Yasumoto, a viewer who often makes recreation dishes, to make it too.

The lessons Ryuji drew from this video were as follows. If you want to eat truly delicious ramen with edge and a powerful punch, go to the shop. When you want to eat it at home, try this recipe. Ryuji also said they were quite confident in how the flavor turned out. Ryuji also encouraged viewers who find this delicious to go eat at Suzuki, and jokingly mentioned that in the collaboration with SUSURU, SUSURU's video got more views than Ryuji's own "Generic Butamuso" video.

Finally, Ryuji noted that this recipe builds on the work of Suzuki's owner, who created the original stamina-packed ramen, and that Ryuji did not get the recipe from the shop, then said it was made with respect for restaurants, and closed the video by encouraging viewers to try the "Generic Sutaman."