Ryuji Taste-Tests Four Nagatanien Clear Soups and Explores Their Use as Seasonings Through Six Recipes

The first one he tried was Matsutake-Flavored Clear Soup, the oldest in the line. According to a Nagatanien representative, the product was born around the time of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, developed out of a desire to let many people enjoy the flavor of matsutake, a luxury ingredient. The matsutake flavor is recreated with matsutake flavoring, and the words "contains matsutake flavoring" appear near the illustration of the bowl on the package. That is why the product is called "Matsutake-Flavored Clear Soup" rather than "Matsutake Clear Soup." The representative explained that the taste has not changed since its launch.

It calls for 180 ml of hot water. Ryuji said, "When you say clear soup, this is the taste," and recalled that his grandparents loved it and always kept it stocked at home. Calling it a comforting, familiar taste, he rated it A+. He added that while it is delicious on its own, he likes using it in cooking, and that searching his name together with the product name will turn up plenty of recipes.

Neither Ryuji nor the staff had heard of Hamasui. It is a relatively new product, launched in 2018, but the representative said its sales are steady, second only to Matsutake-Flavored Clear Soup. The package artwork was created by an artist named Mr. Uchida, and the package has been praised for its artistry. The starting point for development was reportedly the instruction, "Just make a clear soup that tastes like hamaguri clams."

It contains hamaguri clam extract, blended with extracts from several other shellfish such as scallops and asari clams. The key point, they said, is that it contains yuzu. It calls for 160 ml of hot water, less than the matsutake soup; the right amount differs by product.

Ryuji described the aroma as "super shellfishy," saying that if it weren't for the dried ingredients, you wouldn't be able to tell if it were served at a restaurant. Since there are almost no hamaguri-flavored seasonings in Japan, he felt it would broaden one's cooking repertoire. He also said it could be used like a shellfish seasoning, and might be delicious in something like vongole. His personal impression was that, for drinking as is, Hamasui is higher in quality than Matsutake-Flavored Clear Soup.

The third, "Shijimi 70-ko-bun no Chikara Osuimono," is the second oldest product after Matsutake-Flavored Clear Soup. It was launched in 2006 under the name "Shijimi no Osuimono" (Shijimi Clam Clear Soup). The representative explained that Nagatanien had "The Power of 70 Shijimi Clams" in its miso soup lineup, and at a time when the ornithine found in shijimi clams was drawing attention, the product was renewed in 2009 into its current form. It is the only one in the clear soup line that contains wakame seaweed, and it also contains shijimi clam meat. It calls for 180 ml of hot water.

Ryuji said he already drinks this one every time he is hungover. Saying it does a great job of bringing out the shellfish flavor, he compared the two: Hamasui has a deep flavor, while the shijimi one is clean-tasting. He likes that the wakame gives it a sense of substance, and rated it A+. He described how he would use them differently: Hamasui is a bit rich, so he would want it at lunch or dinner, but shijimi suits the morning.

The last one, Chicken Soup, is the newest product, launched in 2023. When Ryuji asked, "Where do they sell this?", the representative admitted it isn't stocked in many places. After the COVID-19 pandemic ended and employees were out drinking, development took off from the idea of finding a soup to go with yakitori and karaage. The representative laughed as they said that Nagatanien has many employees who like to drink, and that some products were born from drinking parties.

It is a clean-style chicken soup with a strong hit of garlic powder and ginger, made with a taste that would go well with karaage in mind. It calls for 160 ml of hot water and turns cloudy white. The representative themself said "it's a soup, not a clear soup," explaining that it was made a sibling of the line because it has the same format. Ryuji said that while it is in the chicken-bone-broth family, it has richness, with quite a strong ginger presence, and tastes richer than store-bought chicken bouillon powder. Saying he understood the idea of pairing it with karaage, he gave it an A+. He said he drinks this one when hungover, too.

After finishing all four, Ryuji's summary was that every one was high in quality and not too strong, making them easy both for everyday use and for adapting. He speculated that they might be made that way on purpose so they can be adapted as seasonings. Among them, he said Hamasui was the richest and closest to restaurant flavor, and that he could see why it sells well despite being a new product.

From here, the episode moves on to recipes. The first one Nagatanien introduced was "Clam Chowder Without Asari Clams," made with Hamasui. The representative explained that because the shellfish flavor comes through so strongly, you don't need asari clams.

It is made entirely in the microwave. For one serving, thinly slice 1/4 onion and cut 2 slices of bacon (about 17 g) into 1 cm strips. Put these in a heatproof container, add 10 g of butter, cover with plastic wrap, and heat for about 1 minute to cook the onion (1 to 1.5 minutes at 500 W). Add 200 ml of soy milk and the Hamasui, stir, and reheat at 500 W for about 3.5 minutes, and it's done. Either sweetened or unsweetened soy milk works, and the representative said, based on actually trying it, that unsweetened makes it richer. Ryuji praised the fact that it can be made in the microwave for times when you don't want to stand in a hot kitchen in summer.

During cooking, the conversation turned to umami compounds. The representative said that while kombu and the like are strong in amino acids, the umami in shellfish comes from succinic acid, and that Nagatanien loves succinic acid. Ryuji responded that he could taste succinic acid in the aftertaste, and said they use it skillfully.

The representative also shared an experience from home. Their 7-year-old daughter is a picky eater who rarely drinks any soup other than Costco's onion chowder, but when they made this at home, she drank it and said, "So even Papa can make this."

During filming, the container was too small and it boiled over, leading to the conclusion that a slightly larger container would be better. On tasting it, Ryuji said it tasted very much like clam chowder and that the bacon and onion worked well. However, since heated soy milk gives off its aroma, he preferred unsweetened, and suggested that a sprinkle of pepper might soften the soy milk aroma. Saying it could still be refined, he rated it B+. He also said the idea was amazing.

The second dish was seafood shio (salt) yakisoba made with Hamasui. The recipe is simply to make yakisoba as usual and season it with Hamasui at the end. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil, stir-fry 100 g of mixed vegetables, add water and yakisoba noodles without sauce (Shimadaya's), and finish with Hamasui. You can add meat, but the representative explained that they leave it out to let the seafood flavor stand out. Ryuji added that Shimadaya's noodles are 170 g, a bit more than Maruchan Yakisoba's 150 g.

Ryuji's reaction on tasting it was that it was delicious but a little lacking. He said it's delicious because nobody has probably ever had yakisoba with only shellfish, but compared with the earlier chowder it was mild, and the aroma was too subdued. So Ryuji improvised on the spot, adding black pepper, sesame oil, and about half a packet of Chicken Soup. Because Chicken Soup has fine granules, it can be used in place of salt, and having both chicken and seafood flavors makes it tastier, he said.

Ryuji explained the reasoning behind this adjustment in terms of salt content. With 100 g of vegetables and 170 g of noodles, the total is about 270 g, and since around 1% salt overall is said to go well with alcohol, about 2.7 g is the target. One packet of Hamasui alone provides only about 1.7 g, which isn't enough, so adding half a packet of Chicken Soup brings it to just the right level—this, he said, is his standard for developing recipes. On the other hand, he also said that people who like a light taste would probably find the mild flavor delicious.

The ratings were C+ for the original recipe and A for Ryuji's version. He suggested that if you don't want to use Chicken Soup, adding another half packet of Hamasui, or adding seafood or meat, would probably make it better. Ryuji apologized, "Sorry for taking liberties," and laughed that the comments section was likely to blow up.

From here on are the recipes Ryuji came up with. The first is "Void Matsutake Udon." Simply add Matsutake-Flavored Clear Soup, butter, and about 1 tablespoon of sake to frozen udon, cover, and heat in the microwave. Since the udon package said 4 minutes at 600 W, he heated it for about 4 minutes 30 seconds.

As for why he adds sake, Ryuji explained half-jokingly that water works too, but sake contains succinic acid, which boosts umami, making it a fitting recipe for succinic-acid-loving Nagatanien. He also said that Matsutake-Flavored Clear Soup values its mushroom aroma, and since mushrooms and butter go well together, he wanted to combine them. Ryuji said the most important thing when using clear soup mixes is that it's easy, and that this might be the easiest of all the recipes so far.

On tasting it, someone exclaimed "This is so good," with comments that the aftertaste was nice, the succinic acid from the sake made the flavor rich, and it clung well to the udon. According to Ryuji, the fu (wheat gluten) in the clear soup absorbs the liquid, so adding a little sake helps it cling better. If you want more ingredients, add a little mushroom or bacon and heat them together so everything cooks through. Ryuji wrapped up by saying there are many other recipes using Matsutake-Flavored Clear Soup, such as hot pots, but he would leave it at this for today.

The second dish was a recipe born from conversation during a planning meeting. Nagatanien has a recipe called "Sake-Steamed Asari Clams Made with Hamasui," but when Ryuji heard it uses asari clams, he reportedly suggested that it would be nice to make something like sake-steamed asari clams without using asari clams.

Put cabbage (about 120 g), 1 pack of mushrooms of your choice, about 120 ml of sake, and 2 packets of Hamasui in a container and heat in the microwave. Where the original recipe called for 6 minutes, he used 5. Explaining his choice of mushrooms, Ryuji said that the firm, chewy texture of mushrooms resembles shellfish, but they lack shellfish umami, so adding that umami with Hamasui should make them delicious. You can add butter if you like to make it sake-steamed butter style, but he said it isn't necessary.

The finished dish gave off a strong aroma of sake and mushrooms. On tasting it, people exclaimed "This is crazy" and "The mushrooms turned into shellfish," and Ryuji remarked that the yuzu in Hamasui was doing good work. There was also a comment that they thought it would need butter but it didn't. Ryuji said it has almost no calories, and that although it uses 2 packets, it has enough volume for about 2 servings, making it a guilt-free, diet-friendly dish that also works as a side. There was also talk that you could serve it with chicken breast.

The third dish was a microwave pasta using Chicken Soup that Ryuji said he was "super confident" about. He also said he hopes supermarkets will stock it more.

Break 1.4–1.5 mm pasta in half and place it in a heatproof container (a donburi bowl works too), then add 1 packet of Chicken Soup, about 280 cc of water, and a pinch of salt. Heat uncovered; at 500 W, a little over 10 minutes is the guideline, he said. Ryuji explained that because clear soups and Chicken Soup already contain all the seasonings, minimal effort is enough. Another feature of this pasta is that it uses no oil; Ryuji said that because the Chicken Soup contains all the umami and richness, it tastes good without oil, making it considerably healthier than regular pasta.

After heating, with a little liquid still remaining, crack in one whole egg and mix well. The residual heat sets the egg, which coats everything, making a pasta reminiscent of oyakodon. If you like, add a pinch of katsuobushi (bonito flakes) and a light drizzle of soy sauce, and even drinkers will be fully satisfied, he said.

On tasting it, the Nagatanien representative reacted, "I'm at a loss for words," saying the flavor was hard to describe and "it might be better to call it a Japanese-style carbonara." There was also a comment that the katsuobushi at the end was the clincher. Ryuji said that the umami of the Chicken Soup elevates the whole dish so it holds its own even with the egg, making it a versatile seasoning, and added that he himself likes Chicken Soup.

The last dish is a finishing-up ramen using both The Power of 70 Shijimi Clams and Hamasui. The amounts are the same, and the idea is that the flavor is completely different depending only on which one you use, so he wants viewers to try both side by side.

For each, bring 300 cc of water to a boil and add 1 1/3 teaspoons of Chinese soup stock powder. Chicken bone broth also works, but Chinese soup stock has deeper richness, he said. Add 2 pinches of salt (1 pinch is fine, but Ryuji prefers it stronger) and about 2 shakes of pepper; add the shijimi clear soup to get shijimi shio ramen broth, or Hamasui to get hamaguri shio ramen broth. For noodles he used Marutai Ramen, 70 g per serving, but other ramen works too, and thin noodles suit it better, he said. The package says 3 minutes, but since it's a finishing-up ramen, he said about 2 minutes for firm noodles is fine. For toppings, dried wakame rehydrated in hot water and lightly squeezed, and green onions. Squeezing the wakame keeps it from diluting the ramen's flavor. The shijimi one already contains wakame, but he added a little more to make it a salt-wakame ramen. To finish, he drizzled a little olive oil, saying it goes well with the salt flavor.

As for why one would bother making the broth with clear soup mixes, Ryuji explained that, as far as he knows, there is neither a shijimi-flavored seasoning nor a hamaguri-flavored seasoning, so this is a flavor you can't get anywhere, which is why it's worth making. He also said that few people make ramen broth at home, but it can be done with Chinese soup stock powder, pepper, and clear soup mix.

On tasting, the shijimi version was described as light and perfect for finishing a night out, and Ryuji said he wished they would release an instant ramen with this flavor. The Hamasui version had a completely different aroma, prompting comments like "It tastes like ramen from a fancy shop" and "The taste of Ginza." Ryuji said both were delicious, describing how he would choose between them: the shijimi one is what he'd want the next day, while the hamaguri one is what he'd want right after drinking. The representative also commented that the hamaguri flavor came through strongly and the yuzu aroma gave it an elegant touch.

Filming lasted more than five hours, and six recipes were made. Ryuji reiterated that he keeps all four of these stocked himself and really does drink them when hungover. His closing words were that when making miso soup feels like a hassle, just adding one of these alongside rice makes a world of difference, so he hopes viewers will keep clear soups on hand and not only drink them as is, but also adapt them and use them in cooking.