Is Curry Misokin Short on "Curry"? Ryuji Rates the Cup Noodles and Recreates a Homemade Version with Curry Powder

Receiving cup noodles from HIKAKIN has become a regular occurrence. According to Ryuji, this is about the fifth time covering Misokin, and Ryuji has also been to the shop 10 times. Ryuji laughs that the channel is turning into a "Misokin channel," but says their fondness for HIKAKIN is genuine. The box that arrived contained Curry Misokin and Curry Misokin Meshi, along with plenty of regular Misokin and Misokin Meshi.

This time, expectations before opening were higher than ever. The reason is that the manufacturer is Nissin Foods. Ryuji considers Nissin's Cup Noodle Curry to be the best curry ramen there is. So the technology behind Curry Noodle was presumably involved, and Ryuji figured there was no way it wouldn't be delicious. What Ryuji paid particular attention to was the fried potato topping. Ryuji has called the potatoes in Cup Noodle Curry "the best in the world," and had high hopes for them here.

The packaging reads "Hard-Hitting Spicy" and "Rich Miso Curry," with a description of a mellow yet spicy bowl combining white miso with spices. The noodles are fried, and Ryuji reads the ingredients to mean that the only real difference from regular Misokin is the addition of curry powder. It has 530 kcal and a fairly high salt equivalent, which Ryuji describes as "pretty strong."

The episode also touches on how the product came about. According to HIKAKIN, the Misokin shop keeps curry powder on hand, and that turned out to be the most popular option. That led to the idea that a curry-flavored Misokin might be delicious. Ryuji contrasted this with previous new releases that "had no story," saying that this time there's a backstory, which makes it easier to get emotionally invested.

The question before eating is whether the result leans toward miso or toward Curry Noodle. Ryuji predicted that leaning toward Curry Noodle would taste better. As usual, Ryuji doesn't fill the water all the way to the line, and the wait time is 5 minutes. Opening the lid, it looks almost exactly like Curry Noodle, and the soup is thick. The first impression of the aroma, however, was that the miso was stronger.

After eating, Ryuji tilted their head and remarked, "This is Misokin" and "It's not very curry-like." The staff shared similar impressions: you have to search for the curry, the spice comes through only in the smell, and the soup on its own tastes curry-like but the curry flavor fades when eaten with the noodles. Someone also said it was a mellow flavor they had never tasted before.

Ryuji's read is that the makers kept the curry restrained so as not to overpower the miso base, presumably wanting the miso to remain the core. That said, since the miso soup itself is quite delicious, Ryuji thinks it would taste better if it leaned harder into curry. The initial verdict was that if you eat it expecting "curry flavor," it might feel a bit off.

So they tried adding store-bought curry powder. The amount was about 1 to 1.5 heaping teaspoons, and Ryuji says "you could even add more." With the curry powder, the soup gains body and becomes richer. It's a different thing entirely from the aroma alone, and the staff reacted with "totally different."

Both of them felt that the mildness of the miso and the richness of the curry come together without sacrificing what makes Misokin good. Ryuji says it might be tough for kids because of the added heat, but this is the version for adults. If you buy it expecting the "Hard-Hitting Spicy" on the package, it will probably feel mild, and only with this much curry powder does it finally become "hard-hitting," Ryuji says.

Ryuji speculates that what was popular at the shop was "probably this (the version with curry powder added)." However, Ryuji also thinks putting this much curry powder in a cup noodle would be impossible cost-wise, because curry powder is fairly expensive and you can't add much of it.

Next, they tried Curry Misokin Meshi. Ryuji explains that if you stir it and let it sit for a while, the richness of the Curry Meshi comes out more and more. On tasting, this one had a clearer curry flavor than the noodles, and both said "it's basically Curry Meshi" and "super curry." Ryuji said that eaten on its own, they might prefer this one.

On the other hand, the impression was of "mild Curry Meshi," with the miso giving it a Japanese-style balance. Ryuji felt it could be a bit spicier, but according to the staff, the label says medium-hot.

In the customary rating, Ryuji gave Curry Misokin a B+. As the reason, Ryuji said "I feel like they shouldn't have written 'curry' on it," explaining that it seemed like curry but turned out to be miso. In the commercial, HIKAKIN plays two roles, a high school girl and a high school boy, in a setup where miso and curry collide to become "curry miso." Because of that, Ryuji expected it to be more curry-forward, but says the curry component was lacking. However, the version with curry powder added would get an S. The conclusion of the test: "Curry Misokin is delicious with curry powder added."

As for Curry Misokin Meshi, Ryuji said it's delicious, but might lack punch if eaten after Curry Misokin. It comes across as a kid-oriented Curry Meshi, so Ryuji wants to keep adding chili pepper. The assessment, as a matter of personal preference, was that Ryuji can't help wanting a kick from curry.

Just as things seem to be wrapping up, the episode moves into recreating Curry Misokin for people who can't buy it. The ingredients are 30 g of cabbage, a Japanese leek, about 60 g of ground pork, and frozen French fries.

Mix a little under 1 teaspoon of soy sauce into the ground pork, knead it, and tear it into pieces. According to Ryuji, this makes it resemble "mystery meat" and gives it a cup ramen feel. It's a technique used in previous recreations too, and Ryuji says you don't need to be careful—rough is fine.

Since the store-bought Misokin didn't seem to have enough French fries, the approach here is to add as many as you like. Chop them while still frozen. Ryuji says that since the flavor is basically miso with curry powder added, it can be made as an extension of previous Misokin recreations.

Bring about 300 cc of water to a boil and add about 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons of miso. White miso works well, especially Shinshu white miso, and Ryuji recommended "Yamabuki Miso." Add 7 shakes of umami seasoning, which Ryuji says is always in cup ramen, and 6 shakes of garlic powder. Add 1 teaspoon of pork-based Chinese seasoning; the previous recreation used a chicken-based one, but Ryuji judged that pork alone should taste good.

Add the meat as is, without browning it. The meat releases umami, so the more you add, the better it tastes, Ryuji says. Next, add the cabbage, leek, and French fries. Also add 1 tablespoon of lard (salad oil is fine if you don't have any), 2 pinches of sugar, and 1 teaspoon of ground sesame to match the sesame in the store-bought product. At this point it becomes a very rich miso soup.

Then add the curry powder. Start with 2 teaspoons, then add more to bring it to about 1 tablespoon. Add a little pepper, and finally dissolve a little under 1 teaspoon of potato starch in an equal amount of water to thicken it slightly. The thickness helps the soup cling to the noodles, Ryuji says. Boil flat noodles for 2 to 2.5 minutes. Flat noodles were chosen on the thinking that the curry soup would cling to them more easily. Ryuji says it tastes better this thick, and noted that it also takes on the muddy quality typical of a soup with potatoes in it. To finish, oil is drizzled over the top, and it's done (the recipe in the description calls for chili oil).

Eating the "Generic Curry Misokin," Ryuji immediately reacted with "Delicious, this is insane," apologizing to HIKAKIN while repeating "seriously delicious." The staff agreed, and the French fries in particular got high praise. Someone even said they might get hooked on ramen with French fries in it. As for the flavor, the two agreed that it's quite similar to the store-bought product. If you have room, you can add rice at the end, Ryuji says.

However, Ryuji also admits that "if you go this far, it's not Curry Misokin." Even so, Ryuji says you can tell the flavor pays respect to Curry Misokin, and speculated that if it were served at the shop, it would probably be something like this. Ryuji also expressed a sense that it might rank among the top of their recreation recipes.

At the end, Ryuji called HIKAKIN a "genius" for coming up with the very idea of pairing curry with miso ramen. Ryuji closes the episode by saying they'd like to be invited again when the shop serves a curry flavor.