Can One Person Finish 7-Eleven's Frozen "Rich G-Style Ramen"? Ryuji's Review and the "Ryuji Edition"

Ryuji says he put the product in his freezer because he wanted to eat it, but then forgot about it for about three weeks. It's a product you simply simmer in a pot, ready in about 10 minutes.

When the bag is opened, there is a frozen layer of pork and soup, with thick, chewy "washi-washi" noodles in the center. The first caution Ryuji raised was the size of the pot. In a wide, shallow pot, the soup evaporates and becomes salty, so a pot that the product fits into snugly is best. He says this kind of thing really ought to be written on the package, but speculates that it isn't because mentioning it would make the flavor inconsistent. The pot actually used in the shoot was exactly the right size for the product. Even at the stage of opening the bag, there was already a smell of garlic.

The instructions say "1 minute on low heat, then 9 minutes on high heat." As for the reason, Ryuji figures it's because starting on high heat from the beginning would burn it.

What surprised a staff member who checked the label during cooking was the nutrition information. Energy is 1,595 kcal, and salt equivalent is 16.5 g. The package says it's one serving, but Ryuji said "calorie-wise, it's two servings," joking that it would be dangerous for one person to eat it all. At this point, Ryuji predicted that bean sprouts would be essential and had some ready just in case. He also stated that he would boil the bean sprouts, since they taste better boiled than heated in the microwave.

When a staff member said it would be impressive if the noodles had a firm bite and springiness, Ryuji replied that since they're frozen, they'd probably be fine. Noodles this thick can be reproduced even frozen; only thin noodles are a problem, and he said the frozen thin noodles from another company he had recently eaten still hadn't reached that level.

Because it had been stored so long, some of the toppings had turned whitish with freezer burn. Ryuji noted that if you cook it right after buying it, it won't turn this color. During simmering, there was also a lump that wouldn't melt easily. Saying that it melts more easily if you stir the whole thing, Ryuji remarked that this is a product that also tests the cook's skill. There were three slices of chashu.

First, they ate it without adding anything. The first words were "it's Jiro-like," and the staff member agreed. But both soon said, "It's salty." While saying the noodles weren't bad, Ryuji said he couldn't recommend it to people with high blood pressure and judged that it was inedible without adding bean sprouts.

So they added the boiled bean sprouts and minced raw garlic and mixed it in. When they tried it, it was much better, and Ryuji said, "It finally got good." He also said that it really has to be raw garlic. The staff member also said, "It became something else entirely." Both liked the chashu, commenting that "it's ramen-shop chashu."

Even so, Ryuji sees it as a product that presupposes watching your salt intake and is built around being arranged. He says double the bean sprouts, meaning two bags, would be about right. When the staff member said hardcore fans apparently eat Jiro-style ramen almost every day, Ryuji replied that it's "something to eat once in a while," not something to eat regularly. He also said it's better not to drink the soup, that there seem to be people who get used to this flavor, and that getting used to it is scary.

As a way to soften the saltiness, Ryuji also tried table pepper. The heat of the pepper hits before the umami, so it works quite well to mask the saltiness, he says.

Here Ryuji did the math. With 16.5 g of salt equivalent in 810 g of contents, the salt concentration comes to about 2%. Ordinary ramen soup is around 1–1.2%, and Sapporo Ichiban and the like are about that too, he says. In other words, Ryuji's assessment is that this product is roughly twice as salty as ordinary ramen.

Ryuji points out that a large amount of umami seasoning rounds off the sharp edges of the saltiness, but the salt still stands out. The soup is emulsified and has a mellowness, making it a good soup. Even so, his assessment is that the saltiness isn't fully hidden.

The rating for the product as is was "C-pu." The reason: "too salty." It's salty even with vegetables added, so Ryuji says it's not for general audiences but a product meant to be arranged. Without vegetables, he'd give up after a bite or two, but he explained that parts of it are delicious, which counted in its favor and earned it a C.

On the other hand, Ryuji also said he didn't want to trash the product too much. The reason is that he understands what the developers were going for. So he proposed putting out a simple arrangement, with set quantities, using only things you can get at home, as the "Ryuji Edition," so that ordinary people like viewers of Buzz Recipe could handle it. He even said he felt he couldn't end the video otherwise, and went out to buy another one.

These are the ingredients he prepared:

• Rich G-Style Ramen, 1 pack
• Bean sprouts, 2 bags (400 g). Ryuji stressed, "Definitely 2 bags"
• Salt for the bean sprouts, about 2/3 tsp
• Eggs, 2
• Garlic, 3 cloves (15 g)
• Table pepper, to taste

He could only buy one more, so staff member A-ko ended up eating this arranged version.

Before boiling, the bean sprouts are sprinkled with salt and massaged. Ryuji explains that this draws out water and makes them tastier. The salt comes out during boiling, so it doesn't season the sprouts, he says. After sitting about five minutes, they become limp enough that you can tell the moment you pick them up. These are boiled whole in a pot for 30 seconds and then left to sit in the residual heat. Ryuji calls this "the best way to eat bean sprouts." He added that if you sprinkle them with Ajishio and sesame oil at this stage, they're already namul.

As for the ramen, as with the first tasting, it's started on low heat, then switched to high once it begins to melt, and simmered in the pot. The soup is tasted before plating.

While cooking, Ryuji also touched on other reviews. Ramen YouTuber SUSURU also reviewed this product and apparently said it was salty. Ryuji says that if SUSURU calls it salty, it's probably because it's a lump of salt. The conversation turned to whether the flavor is nonetheless popular because it's properly made for people who love G-style ramen. Ryuji himself said, "I kind of don't get it," and also stated that he thinks it would plainly wreck your health.

A-ko, who ate some of the first tasting portion, also recalled that her tongue went numb and the numbness didn't go away for a long time afterward.

On this, Ryuji explains that a ramen lover's "delicious" and the "delicious" of someone who doesn't usually eat ramen are two different things. That's because if you eat ramen almost every day, your tongue gets used to it and you start craving destructive power, he says.

Tasting the soup partway through the arranged version, it was still salty. Even so, Ryuji said, "It's good, if you want to call it good," and together with the staff member described it as authentic for a convenience store product and "bold."

This is where the eggs come in. The yolks are set aside for the end, and the whites are beaten and added to the soup. When the staff member said, "Like when you put an egg in Sapporo Ichiban," Ryuji said yes. The egg white makes it considerably mellower and also gives the soup body, he says. Ryuji called this "my way of rescuing Jiro," laughing, "not that this is actually Jiro." Showing the finished result, he said the soup's thickness had increased and that he thinks some people would prefer this version.

When plating, the whole huge pile of bean sprouts goes on top, and pepper is sprinkled over the sprouts. Even so, Ryuji says the flavor is almost too strong. Before eating, you flip everything over from the bottom, so the egg white sets, clings to the toppings and soup, and thickens it. Finally, the yolks are poured over the top, and it's done. You might think it's too many bean sprouts, but once you eat it you'll want more, Ryuji contends.

The staff member who ate it reacted, "It's gotten a lot mellower." Ryuji said once more, "Bean sprouts really are essential." It feels like about half of it is bean sprouts, but that's fine, he says. The egg makes a big difference, and he said egg is absolutely essential for him. It also came up that making it spicy helps reduce the saltiness.

As for the amount, Ryuji says sharing this between two people is the Buzz Recipe way to eat it, and that one person can't manage it. The soup has become mellower, but he recommends not drinking it. Even without drinking it, it coats the noodles plenty, he says.

For the final rating, Ryuji said he would give this arrangement an "A-pu." His reasoning was that he couldn't do any better than this, and moreover all the ingredients can be bought at a convenience store, and 7-Eleven sells bean sprouts too. Ryuji wrapped up by saying that he also does this kind of thing to rescue products.

The end turned into casual chat. The smell of garlic is a frequent topic with Jiro-style ramen, and the staff member said they had heard that raw garlic is the most effective at improving a certain kind of odor. On the smell of raw garlic, Ryuji explained that it comes not from the mouth but from the sweat glands, so your sweat smells of garlic and you smell even with your mouth closed.

From there, the topic moved to aging body odor. When someone said aging body odor apparently starts around age 40, Ryuji reacted, "So that's me," and the video ends with the studio laughing.