Ryuji Tests the Viral Hack for 7-Eleven's "Buta Ramen": What's Missing Is Umami, and the Answer Is Ajinomoto

At the start of the video, Ryuji says "everyone's doing" this hack and mentions that YouTuber SUSURU tried it too. However, SUSURU's verdict was that it "doesn't have much umami." Ryuji says he wants to do two things in this episode: find out just how good it is, and show as a cook that he "can make something even better."

The ingredients are two portions of the extra-thick noodles for 7-Eleven's Buta Ramen, the Buta Ramen soup, egg yolks, mayonnaise, and tube garlic. According to Ryuji, the soup is normally meant to be diluted with hot water and eaten with one portion of noodles. The key to this hack is using it undiluted with two portions of noodles to make a rich mazesoba, and Ryuji praised it as "well thought out."

Portion size and calories also came up. Ryuji estimates that the noodles are about 390 kcal per portion and the soup is 519 kcal, so with the egg yolks the whole thing probably comes to around 1,500 kcal. Each portion of noodles is 150 g, making 300 g for two, and Ryuji says it's "not an amount a normal person eats." The staff countered that at Ramen Jiro, a regular serving is around 300 g and a small one is about 200 g. Ryuji also added that these are low-hydration Jiro-style noodles, so they don't swell much when boiled.

Ryuji predicted the mayonnaise would serve to make the flavor richer. He also suggested the soup could be used in other dishes, mentioning that it would probably go well with pasta such as carbonara or arrabbiata.

The noodles are boiled for about 7 minutes. The soup packet solidifies when cold, so it is warmed in the hot water along with the noodles before being emptied into the bowl. Mayonnaise is added, then the boiled noodles, and three egg yolks are placed on top and everything is mixed. Ryuji joked that using three egg yolks "looks like it'll do crazy things to my cholesterol," and also wondered what to do with the leftover egg whites.

After tasting it, Ryuji said he agreed with SUSURU. It had little umami and was salty, and the saltiness remained even with three egg yolks. The staff also said things like "the soy sauce is strong" and "it's lacking a bit."

So Ryuji decided to add Ajinomoto. For this amount, about 7 shakes would do, but since some had already been eaten, he says you could actually add 9 to 10 shakes. After tasting it with Ajinomoto added, the staff reacted with "this one's delicious," and Ryuji also rated it as "like a Jiro-inspired mazesoba."

Ryuji said that it's umami seasoning that softens the sharp edge of soy sauce, and explained the reasoning using Jiro as an example.

According to Ryuji, Jiro uses a 100% glutamic acid umami seasoning. Ajinomoto, on the other hand, contains small amounts of inosinic acid and guanylic acid. Because Jiro makes its soup from pork meat rather than pork bones, the inosinic acid from the pork combines with the glutamic acid from the seasoning to produce strong umami. The Buta Ramen soup also contains umami seasoning, but turning it into mazesoba throws off this balance. That, Ryuji reasons, is why you add Ajinomoto.

Based on this, Ryuji rated the hack "Buzz Recipe-style." Saying he didn't want to trash it, he gave it a B. The reason: it's tasty, but he'd like a little more umami. Ryuji says store-bought mazesoba, such as 7-Eleven's frozen mazesoba or FamilyMart's mazesoba, contains more umami. The conclusion of this test is that the original recipe would be much better if left as is with just Ajinomoto added.

Ryuji raised one more issue: the hack makes a large amount and leaves about half the soup over, so it might be hard for people who live alone to make.

Ryuji's version uses only one portion of noodles and one egg (a large one is best), and does not use the Buta Ramen soup. The rest are seasonings you'd have at home: mayonnaise, lard (or rice oil or the like if you don't have any), sugar, soy sauce, Ajinomoto, black pepper, and garlic. Ryuji preemptively noted that there are bound to be people who say "then I'll just buy the soup at 7-Eleven," and said that's fine too. He then added that the soup costs 159 yen, and this can be made for a little less.

The method is as follows.

1. Put the noodles in boiling water and start cooking them.
2. Crack the egg, white and all, into the bowl. Joking that "I'm doing SDGs, so I won't waste the egg white," Ryuji explained that this egg becomes the soup and stressed that you must include it.
3. Add 2 teaspoons of mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon of lard, a pinch of sugar, and 1½ tablespoons of soy sauce. Since the flavor of Jiro-style soup is mostly soy sauce and mirin (mirin-style seasoning), the sugar makes up for that sweetness.
4. Add 9 shakes of Ajinomoto. Ryuji stated flatly that "it won't taste good unless you add about this much." Also add a light sprinkle of black pepper.
5. Microwave for 30 seconds. The egg white sets slightly, giving something like an emulsified soup. Ryuji showed that it looks almost the same as the Buta Ramen soup. If you want it richer, heat it a little longer to cook the egg white. If you like a thinner soup, you can stop at 30 seconds; it's a matter of preference.
6. While it heats, chop fresh garlic. The amount is about 10 g, but you can adjust if that's too much. Ryuji says fresh tastes better, but tube garlic also works well.
7. Drain the noodles well and toss them with the sauce while hot. Ryuji explained that the egg white gets cooked just right and becomes sweet.
8. Top with the chopped garlic and black pepper. Mayonnaise is optional; he suggests placing a small amount on the rim so you can mix it in later.

Ryuji says he feels this method, making a thick soup emulsified with mayonnaise, is more Jiro-like. As his basis, he cited having once heard from the owner of a certain shop that Jiro's soupless ramen doesn't use soup either. However, he added the caveat "sorry if I'm wrong," laughing that people get really angry if you say something wrong about Jiro.

The advantage of this method that Ryuji emphasized is that it can be made from a single serving. If you leave half of the Buta Ramen soup over, it sits around opened and deteriorates. It also only takes one egg.

After tasting it, Ryuji said "this is definitely super tasty," rating its umami as strong. He then added more Ajinomoto, ending up at 11 shakes in total. He says it's more Jiro-like and tastier with about this much umami. If you like strong flavors you can add more soy sauce, but Ryuji says that as far as he's concerned, it's complete as is.

The staff responded with "it's tasty from the very first bite" and "this one, definitely." Ryuji said the mellowness of the egg makes a difference, and he thinks this version is also better health-wise since you get protein from the egg white.

Reflecting on the difference between the two versions, Ryuji suggested that whether the garlic is freshly chopped may also play a big part. He speculates that if the original hack were made with chopped garlic and Ajinomoto, it would taste very much the way Buzz Recipe fans like. Acknowledging that the original hack must be delicious given how much buzz it got, he said that people used to this kind of flavor would probably prefer it with plenty of Ajinomoto. Finally, he repeated that "you really should always add Ajinomoto," and wrapped up the video with his conclusion that if you're going to try a Buta Ramen hack, it tastes better with Ajinomoto.