Marutai Karashi Takana Tonkotsu Bou Ramen

Wednesday, February 8, 2017

Marutai Karashi Takana Tonkotsu Bou Ramen

Last weekend, my husband cooked this Japanese instant ramen, Marutai Karashi Takana Tonkotsu Bou Ramen (マルタイ辛子高菜風味とんこつ味棒ラーメン), which my mother-in-law sent to us from Japan last month.

Marutai is a Japanese company that makes instant ramen. The company established in Fukuoka in 1947 and started selling Bou Ramen in 1959. Since our hometown is Fukuoka, when we have Marutai instant ramen, it reminds us of our families there. :) Bou (棒) is stick in Japanese. While most instant ramen is wavy noodle block, the noodles of Marutai Bo Ramen are as straight as sticks. That's why this ramen is called Bou Ramen (棒ラーメン). These years, Marutai has finally started selling their popular Bou Ramen series outside Kyusyu (九州), so you can probably find Marutai instant ramen at some supermarkets and discount stores in Tokyo now. By the way, each pack of Bou Ramen always has two servings (2人前) of instant ramen, so it's pretty affordable in Japan.

Marutai Karashi Takana Tonkotsu Bou Ramen

This Marutai Karashi Takana Tonkotsu Bou Ramen contained a small amount of karashi takana, Japanese mustard leaf pickles, which is local food in Fukuoka. It's just dried takana flakes (maybe) and hard to see in this picture though. You can check out my previous entry, How to Prepare Takanazuke, Japanese Mustard Leaf Pickles. In Fukuoka, takana pickles are one of essential toppings for tonkotsu ramen. When you go to a ramen restaurant in Fukuoka, you will find takana pickles, shredded red gingers and sesame seeds on the tables. You can add as much topping as you want for free at many ramen restaurants there.
He topped the ramen with boiled eggs, nori, shredded red gingers and green onions. Even though I couldn't notice the karashi takana flavor, this ramen was really good. It had salty and rich tonkotsu tastes. When he serves instant ramen for me, I feel like if I were eating it at ramen restaurant in Japan. It's just Japanese instant ramen, but instant ramen he cook is always better than ones ramen restaurants serve in the U.S. I sometimes tell him a joke, "Why don't you open a ramen restaurant here? You can cook Marutai instant ramen!"