The Ultimate Lazy Hangover Meal: Chicken Ramen Zosui Made with Rinsed Rice

Explaining where the idea came from, Ryuji says he occasionally watches Chocolate Planet's channel, and this dish appeared in a "6-Second Cooking" segment there. The premise of the segment was that if you really put your mind to it, you could make it in six seconds. He says he doesn't go that fast, but he added his own twist.

The Chocolate Planet version used warmed rice as is. According to Ryuji, that makes it more like ojiya than zosui. He says that approach is perfectly fine, but he takes a different route. As he noted again later during the tasting, the Chocolate Planet version didn't use salt and pepper and didn't rinse the rice. No quantities were given, either, he says.

The only ingredients are Chicken Ramen, an egg, green onion, and rice. The rice can be microwavable packaged rice or cold leftover rice, and there's no need to heat it. This led to a conversation about microwaves, and in one moment it came out that staff member "Shizuku-chan" doesn't own a microwave, which surprised everyone around.

The key step is rinsing 200g of rice with water. Put the rinsed rice in a pot, add 300cc of water, and set it over the heat. Ryuji says cold rice doesn't need to be warmed first; if you rinse it and simmer it, it's perfectly edible. Let it bubble gently and you get a light, loose zosui.

The reason for rinsing was explained in the latter half of the tasting. If you don't rinse it, a lot of starch comes out, the flavor turns heavy, and it ends up clumpy. Ryuji said that after trial and error he found these quantities worked best, and the staff agreed it was better rinsed.

The Chicken Ramen doesn't go in until the very end. Ryuji stresses, "It's still way too early" and "No need to rush," and first makes a regular zosui.

Once it comes to a boil, season lightly with salt and pepper. He does this because Chicken Ramen alone tastes too mild to him, though he also says most people will probably be fine without it. If you don't like pepper, seasoned salt alone works too. The pot doesn't have to be a clay pot; anything will do.

When it comes back to a boil, crack in the egg. Beaten egg is fine too. Give it a messy stir and let the egg set firmly.

Once the zosui is done, crush the Chicken Ramen over it. At this point Ryuji jokes, "That's the end of today's video," and also calls it "a true void meal, for the first time in ages."

Since the Chicken Ramen is the only thing carrying the flavor, mix everything together. If you eat it right after mixing, the noodles keep their crunchy texture. Over time they get soft and soggy, but that's only once time has passed, he says. That's why Ryuji repeated, "Please eat it as soon as it's done."

Ryuji declares flatly that this only works with Chicken Ramen. Sapporo Ichiban and the like are "out of the question," because you don't get the crunch. Chicken Ramen has thin noodles that are seasoned themselves, which makes it just right, he says.

He also explained why it tastes so good. Chicken Ramen is meant to be eaten dissolved in hot water, so its flavor is quite strong. Mixing it into the water and rice produces a really delicious broth. In Ryuji's view, the original flavor is already tasty, and on top of that this broth spreads throughout the whole zosui.

From the moment they took a bite, the staff exclaimed one after another: "Delicious," "Insane," "The ultimate." Ryuji also says, "There's food this good in the world," and "Why haven't I been doing this all along?" While cooking, he had also said he felt that great taste isn't about putting in effort, to the point that maybe cooking researchers aren't even needed anymore.

Ryuji also said this is number one among his recent lazy meals. He added that he likes how he can recreate it right away whenever he wants to eat it again.

Ryuji said it's fun to eat while trying different flavor variations, and tried one seasoning after another.

• Chili oil (rayu): Ryuji recommended it, saying it "goes incredibly well."
• Sesame oil: For people who don't like spicy food. Chicken Ramen and sesame oil pair well, giving it the flavor of Chinese-style zosui or chicken zosui, he says. The staff also remarked that it "suddenly leans Chinese."
• Yuzu kosho: Ryuji recommended it as "seriously delicious," and the staff responded, "That's the one."
• Black pepper: Also introduced as a good match.
• Grated Parmesan: The staff tried it and got excited that it becomes like risotto.

Ryuji says one serving of rice and one packet of Chicken Ramen easily makes two helpings. The staff said you could enjoy it three times with a different flavor each time—yuzu kosho, risotto-style, and sesame oil—and someone added, "It seems like you could vary it endlessly."

At the end, Ryuji reflected that it's rare for the food to run out during filming. What's more, it was gone in about five minutes, he says. The video ends with him urging viewers to try it this way, since it's so good it disappears in a matter of minutes.