Wasabi Was the Clincher: After Tasting WAGYU MAFIA's UFO, Ryuji Makes a Recreation with Nissin Yakisoba and Beef Tallow

Before the tasting, Ryuji touched on an exchange that had recently taken place on X. Ryuji had once called a WAGYU MAFIA restaurant "bad," and Horie apparently still cares about that quite a bit. It came up when Ryuji issued a statement about a new Cookpad feature, one that lets users import recipes from other sites into Cookpad's app, saying it was "surely going too far." Horie posted on X to the effect that Ryuji was a "small fry" who calls other people's restaurants bad yet doesn't like having their own recipes imported. Ryuji took this as "they're totally bothered by it" and laughed that Horie was "cute."

Ryuji then renewed an offer: perhaps the food had tasted bad because the flavor varied from day to day, so Ryuji asked to be allowed to eat there again. Horie personally said it was fine, but WAGYU MAFIA reportedly refused permission to film. Ryuji also explained what they had really meant by "bad." Wagyu is expensive, so "bad" was meant in the sense that, at that price, the food shouldn't taste like that. It's a way of saying the flavor doesn't live up to the price.

While looking at the product, Ryuji shared their thoughts on reviews. If you put your own product or restaurant out into the world, being judged is only natural. Ryuji believes that if you aren't prepared for that, you'd be better off not doing it. Most people say Ryuji's own products are "delicious," but naturally some say they're "bad." Even so, Ryuji has never pushed back with "Why are you calling it bad?" Tastes differ from person to person.

Ryuji said it's better to cherish the people who say "this is amazing" or "definitely buying it again," and that there's probably no need to worry so much about a single negative opinion. The staff member present agreed that everyone perceives things differently.

The product is Ultra UFO, billed as having a "wagyu umami flavor," and it costs 350 yen. As Ryuji remembers it, a regular UFO is around 250 yen, so this is considerably more expensive. Neither of them knew what was driving up the price, and Ryuji could only guess, "Maybe there's beef extract or something in it."

It comes with three packets: liquid sauce, finishing oil, and wasabi paste. The wasabi is apparently a major selling point. The noodles looked the same as regular UFO's straight noodles. You add hot water, wait three minutes, drain, and mix in the liquid sauce. At this stage, both felt it wasn't much different from regular UFO's rich sauce. When the finishing oil was added, a beefy aroma like beef tallow rose up, and it suddenly felt the part. The wasabi is meant to be added whenever you like.

They also noted that online reviews aren't bad. However, Ryuji said that with a cup noodle in the 350-yen range, expectations rise, and people may end up thinking, "I'd be fine with regular UFO." They started eating with the question in mind: is it expensive just because it carries the brand name, or is it really worth 350 yen?

First they ate it without wasabi. Ryuji's verdict: "Well, it's UFO." A beefy aroma has been added, but it's basically UFO's flavor, without much of a 350-yen luxury feel. The staff member also said it gave the impression of a "beef broth flavor" and wasn't hugely different, but added, "It's tasty, though." Ryuji felt that the real point of this product was the wasabi, since no other yakisoba comes with wasabi.

When the wasabi paste was mixed in, a strong aroma rose up, and Ryuji reacted, "It's completely different." The wasabi came through quite strongly, turning it into something else. Both agreed that pairing wasabi with beef-tallow-flavored yakisoba is delicious.

However, the honest takeaway from the two of them, both wasabi lovers, was that wasabi might be better enjoyed on its own. The staff member agreed: "I thought exactly the same thing."

In the overall assessment, Ryuji stated clearly that it tastes good and that "it's not bad or anything." The staff member said, "I might like it more than regular UFO," Ryuji also said it was better than regular UFO, and they called it a fairly high rating. Ryuji felt the flavor pairing of yakisoba with wasabi was good, and that the product depends on the wasabi paste.

The sticking point was the price. If it had cost about the same as regular UFO, say in the 290-yen range, the rating would surely have been higher. At the same time, Ryuji felt that adding wasabi to a regular UFO would get you nearly the same thing. Ryuji speculated that the price might reflect Horie's sense of a brand premium. Even so, Ryuji called the fact that they arrived at the unusual idea of yakisoba with wasabi "pretty impressive."

Then Ryuji proposed making it for under 350 yen. Despite the staff member saying, "You've got a nasty personality," Ryuji decided to make a WAGYU MAFIA respect yakisoba, reasoning that it would surely make people want to try the original product too.

For the noodles, Ryuji used packaged Nissin Yakisoba that was on hand at home. UFO's noodles are quite distinctive, so it won't be exactly the same, but since these are also Nissin noodles with a firm, chewy texture, they make a good base. When the staff member asked whether Maruchan yakisoba would work too, Ryuji replied that chilled noodles and instant noodles are different, so Nissin Yakisoba gives a more faithful recreation.

The beef flavor comes from beef tallow. Near Ryuji's home, beef tallow is apparently available for free. Consommé replaces the beef extract. When the staff member asked whether "dashi" wouldn't be better, Ryuji explained that Ultra UFO didn't taste that strongly of beef, so consommé is sufficient.

By Ryuji's estimate, using just three ingredients, cabbage, noodles, and beef tallow, it can be made for about 170 yen. But wanting to include a bit of meat, Ryuji added mixed ground beef and pork. Because the mix contains beef, it brings out a beefy aroma. Ryuji also recommended that people with some room in their budget add a little ground meat, as it tastes better. Even with the meat, the cost was expected to be a little over 200 yen, staying within 300 yen. Adding more meat raises the cost, and it's plenty tasty without it.

The recipe listed in the video description calls for 70–80 g cabbage, 1 packet Nissin Yakisoba, 50 g mixed ground beef and pork, a little over 1/2 piece beef tallow, 220 cc water, 1/2 tsp consommé, 9 shakes garlic powder, 2 shakes pepper, wasabi to taste, and red pickled ginger if desired.

First, roughly chop the cabbage. Ryuji used more cabbage than a regular UFO has, reasoning that if you're going to bother using a frying pan, it's better to have a decent amount of cabbage. Without adding oil, stir-fry the ground meat. The fat from the meat itself lets you stir-fry the cabbage along with it. Since it's spring cabbage, it tastes good without much cooking. Transfer the stir-fried ingredients to a plate for the time being. If you simmer them with the water, the beef aroma is lost and the cabbage gets too limp.

Add 220 cc of water to the frying pan, bring it to a boil, add the noodles, and let them absorb the water over medium heat. Up to this point it's the same as the standard Nissin Yakisoba method, and Ryuji noted that since the noodles also soak up the meat flavor left in the pan, even instant yakisoba tastes better with added ingredients. Ryuji added that because adding consommé tends to make the flavor strong, using a little more water might taste better.

Just before the liquid is gone, add the powdered sauce and cook while tossing. Here, add a little over half the beef tallow. According to Ryuji, this adds tremendous richness. Return the ingredients to the pan, and add 1/2 tsp consommé in place of beef extract, plus 8–9 shakes of garlic powder, on the grounds that WAGYU MAFIA's food is heavy on garlic. Finishing with about 2 shakes of table pepper brings the flavor together. The aroma transformed the moment the beef tallow went in, and the two got excited, saying, "We've made a monster."

Finally, add wasabi on the side. According to Ryuji, the store-bought wasabi used is very similar to the wasabi paste from earlier. You could add beef, but Ryuji laughed, "We're a regular-folks channel," adding that they rarely even buy 350-yen cup noodles.

Eating it first without wasabi, both reacted, "This is so good." The staff member was surprised, saying, "I didn't know yakisoba with a little consommé added could be this good," and said it might be the best of the yakisoba variations. Ryuji's analysis was that the beef tallow is the key, and the ground meat is also doing good work, getting crispy in places.

Next they ate it topped with wasabi, and both concluded, "It really is better with wasabi." Mixing it in made it even tastier, and Ryuji recommended, "You can add about three times as much wasabi as you think." Ryuji also felt the generous amount of garlic powder was making a difference. Red pickled ginger was added too, but the wasabi rounds out the flavor so well that it's almost unnecessary.

The staff member said they preferred this to the "masterpiece" yakisoba Ryuji had previously made with Nissin Yakisoba. Ryuji gave a wry smile, saying it was hard to know whether to be happy about it, given that beef tallow and ground meat were apparently all it took. Still, Ryuji credited the original product, saying it was WAGYU MAFIA's idea.

The ingredients cost about 230 yen including seasonings. Ryuji said that with this price difference, they would definitely choose this, though it takes some effort. The staff member countered that it doesn't take that long. Ryuji further suggested that people with time to spare could boil the noodles separately to make it even tastier. Nissin Yakisoba tastes better when boiled separately, a method Ryuji introduced in the earlier "masterpiece" yakisoba video. Ryuji expected that making this yakisoba that way would "probably be the ultimate." However, Ryuji did not actually try it this time.

Finally, Ryuji shared their thoughts on recreation videos like this one. Lately there are many videos that review a store-bought product and then recreate it in the second half, and Ryuji said they really love this format because it lets them pick up ideas they wouldn't have had themselves, which is educational. Ryuji also invited viewers to request any products they'd like to know how to make.

At the same time, Ryuji stressed that just because something can be made at home doesn't mean it's getting in the way of the product's business. Recreating it requires gathering a variety of ingredients. Ryuji thinks cup yakisoba, which is ready just by adding hot water, is impressive in itself. Ryuji's videos often get comments like "If it's this much trouble, I'll just buy the cup noodles," and that, Ryuji said, is exactly the point. People who feel that way buy the product, while people who want to cook try the variation and then buy the product to compare. So in Ryuji's view, it's promotion for both sides, and Ryuji wrapped up with, "I've gone ahead and promoted it for you."

At the end of the video, Ryuji urged viewers to try Ultra UFO itself, since it's also delicious, and to also try the WAGYU MAFIA–style beef wasabi yakisoba made with Nissin Yakisoba.