Soy Sauce Tsukemen and Bean Sprout Namul Made with "Hondashi Iriko Dashi," Where the Soup Only Needs to Be Brought to a Boil

At the start, Ryuji explains where this product sits in the Hondashi lineup. Following regular Hondashi and the stick-type "Hondashi Konbu Dashi," which Ryuji says they have been using a lot lately, this time the focus is "Hondashi Iriko Dashi." In the previous video, Ryuji used it in pasta and showed that adding iriko dashi gives an anchovy-like flavor even without using anchovies. The reasoning is that anchovies are also a type of sardine, so a similar effect can be achieved.

Many ramen shops still make their broth from iriko or niboshi (dried sardines). Ryuji introduces Hondashi Iriko Dashi as an affordable product that easily brings out sardine flavor, and says it is also delicious in regular ramen, but that will be saved for another video. As for this soy sauce tsukemen, Ryuji says the crisp taste of soy sauce combined with the deep flavor of iriko is addictive, the kind of thing you'd want to eat every day.

During filming, the topic came up that it's apparently better to keep video openings short these days. Ryuji relayed something they had heard: if many viewers skip the opening, YouTube judges the video to contain a lot of unnecessary content, making it less likely to be recommended. Ryuji laughed, saying, "This channel is nothing but unnecessary content."

Store-bought tsukemen noodles from the supermarket are fine. On thickness, Ryuji says that since this is soy sauce flavored, it works with either medium-thick or extra-thick noodles, but for tsukemen, thicker noodles are really the way to go. By making the most of iriko's umami, the recipe is designed so that any noodle from medium-thick to extra-thick will taste great.

For the chashu, pork loin cut for tonkatsu is used to make a quick version. One to two slices is about right for two servings, and those who want to eat a lot can use two. Menma (seasoned bamboo shoots) and green onions are also prepared. Since tsukemen is short on vegetables, bean sprouts are turned into a quick namul with iriko dashi as a side dish.

The bean sprouts are prepared first. This is a method Ryuji emphasizes with "Remember this." Sprinkle salt over the bean sprouts taken out of the bag and let them sit for about 10 minutes. This way, a quick boil leaves them crisp, and they also take on flavor. According to Ryuji's explanation, osmotic pressure from the salt draws water out of the sprouts, so they don't turn soggy after boiling.

This method was introduced by Higashiyama-san, who also does sponsored work for Ajinomoto, as "boiling them this way works well," though with a different seasoning, and Ryuji says it's something they learned recently.

Next comes the chashu. Place the pork loin in a heat-resistant container and add 2 teaspoons of soy sauce, a pinch of sugar for sweetness, and 1 shake of "AJI-NO-MOTO." Each slice of meat is about 120g.

Here Ryuji realizes they forgot to cut the sinew and does it afterward. Cutting the sinew keeps the meat from shrinking as much and makes it tender. Ryuji also sells their own sinew-cutting tool, but says a fork works too.

Cover and heat in the microwave. Ryuji says that at this thickness it takes about 2 minutes to become chashu, and set the timer for 1 minute 50 seconds this time. But when taken out, there were still red parts, so it was heated for about 40 more seconds. Ryuji introduces this as the easiest way to make chashu and recommends it to anyone who wants to eat chashu at home.

Comparing it with the earlier seafood-and-pork-bone tsukemen, Ryuji stresses that the earlier one took effort, such as melting down fat, while this time you just mix the seasonings and bring them to a boil. This ease is part of what makes it something "you'd want to eat every day." The quantities are for two servings; for one serving, halve everything.

Put 400cc of water in a pot and add 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and 1 tablespoon of "Chuka Aji." Regarding Chuka Aji, the explanation is that seafood-soy sauce soups are usually made after first making a pork broth, so adding this brings out umami as if it had been made from pork.

Next, 1 tablespoon of "Hondashi Iriko Dashi." One stick is roughly 1 tablespoon. Ryuji is emphatic that you must not use regular Hondashi here. Hondashi is bonito, and bonito and iriko are completely different. Using iriko dashi gives a deep umami as if the broth had been made from niboshi.

1 tablespoon of sugar, because it tastes better with some sweetness. Then add 1 tablespoon of rice vinegar. Adding vinegar brings in acidity for a good seasoning balance; it's a matter of preference, but Ryuji thinks it's better with it. Regular vinegar is fine too, but rice vinegar is milder.

10 shakes of the umami seasoning "AJI-NO-MOTO." Ryuji says ramen tastes better when boosted with AJI-NO-MOTO. 6 shakes of pepper, and since a bit of heat is wanted, 6 shakes of ichimi togarashi as well. Adding heat makes it easier to eat.

If you have it, add 4 to 5 pinches of bonito powder, about 4 to 5g. Tsukemen is delicious with a layered dashi, so adding bonito flavor gives it richness. Ryuji says it's delicious without it, but better with it.

Finally, add about 10g of grated garlic. Ramen tastes better with a bit of garlic, and it's good to have some punch. This is also a matter of preference, but Ryuji's view is that it's better with it.

Tasting it at this point, Ryuji is surprised, saying, "Niboshi is amazing," and remarks that it has a depth you could never reach with Chuka Aji alone. Adding just a small pinch of salt at the end helps it cling to the noodles better. With that, the soup is done, and you can make tsukemen anytime just by heating it up.

Looking at the bean sprouts after 10 minutes, water has come out on the surface. Boil them for 30 seconds. If you boil them with the noodles, the ramen noodles contain salt, so the sprouts will pick up that flavor. You could use the leftover water from boiling the tsukemen noodles, but Ryuji wants to boil them in plain water, so this is done beforehand. Ryuji also says it's better to do the sprouts first since they need time to cool.

The boiled sprouts are simply drained in a colander and left to sit, without rinsing in water. Soaking them in water dilutes the flavor. Once they've cooled enough to touch, add about 2/3 teaspoon of "Hondashi Iriko Dashi" and about 2 teaspoons of sesame oil and toss. The iriko flavor comes through quite strongly.

The finished namul has barely released any water and is crisp. Ryuji named it "the best iriko namul of my life."

On the amount of noodles, Ryuji says people tend to eat quite a lot of tsukemen. While mentioning hearing from someone that about 1.5 portions per person is good, Ryuji boiled 3 portions for two people this time. Boiling time is about 5 minutes.

While the noodles boil, put lard in the bowls. Those who like it oily can add more. According to Ryuji, if you put it directly into the soup, the amount will vary when pouring from the pot into the bowls. Oil floats on the surface, so it all ends up in whichever bowl is poured first. Ryuji explains that ramen shops put oil in the bowl for the same reason: to keep the amount consistent. If you don't have lard, rice oil or similar is plenty delicious.

Warming the bowls in the microwave for about 2 minutes keeps the soup from cooling down quickly.

The chashu can be cut with a knife, but scissors work too. Tsukemen chashu is often cut into small dice, so it's cut that way. This method suits those who don't want to use a cutting board, and the size is up to you.

The boiled noodles are drained in a colander and, since there are a lot of them, thoroughly chilled with water. Some shops firm them up in ice water, but Ryuji thinks it's not necessary at this time of year. Putting thick noodles in ice water makes them too hard.

When draining, Ryuji wears gloves while squeezing the noodles. The topic came up of a tsukemen shop that drew online backlash for touching noodles with bare hands, and Ryuji said it's because they don't want to get flamed online. Ryuji also demonstrated a method of taking small amounts of noodles and arranging them as they're plated, showing that this makes for neat presentation, but since it's "a damn pain," you don't have to do it; it was introduced simply as one option.

Pour the warmed soup into the bowl, top with the diced chashu, menma, and green onions, and together with the noodles, the "Ultimate Soy Sauce Tsukemen" is complete.

After eating, Ryuji says that, to be honest, it's better than any tsukemen they've had anywhere. Staff also praised the chashu as very tender, saying it's hard to believe it was made in a microwave.

What Ryuji particularly highlights is the balance between the dipping soup and the noodles. Ryuji had thought that with noodles this thick, a soy sauce dipping soup would be overpowered, but it wasn't. Without iriko dashi, the flavor would be monotonous, but this is really delicious. Noting that they ate a lot of soy sauce tsukemen in the past so their standards are high, Ryuji said it wouldn't turn out like this without iriko dashi.

Ryuji also says that even this amount can be finished by one person, so everyone should make about 1.5 portions. The chashu isn't heavy either.

Staff pointed out that the vinegar comes through. Ryuji responded that without vinegar it would actually be too heavy, and that quite a few tsukemen shops add vinegar, and staff commented that the vinegar ties everything together. Staff also said it's worth buying iriko dashi just for this.

Ryuji reveals that when they first made this tsukemen, they knew it absolutely had to be in a sponsored video. That's because in sponsored videos, Ryuji wants to present things that are genuinely delicious.

Staff who ate the namul were surprised at how crisp it was, and Ryuji said, "This is the right way, isn't it?" and once again praised Higashiyama-san's method. Ryuji says making it with iriko dashi adds depth. In its home country, namul is made with something like fish sauce, so using iriko dashi in namul makes sense.

After the closing remarks, the reason for the hoarse voice at the start was revealed. Ryuji had been made to sing a lot at karaoke the day before.

At the very end of filming, there was a commotion over a burning smell. A stainless steel colander left on top of the IH stove had reacted and was scorching. According to Ryuji, IH reacts to anything stainless steel, even knives. Ryuji says this is a mistake they make often; the colander turned black but is still usable. The video ended with Ryuji saying they hate IH but use it anyway.