Powering up our instant noodles with Nissin Cup Noodle’s instant tempura and abura-age【Taste Test】

Was it able to fulfill our dreams as much as fill our stomachs?

On March 27, Cup Noodle maker Nissin will release a couple of long-awaited instant products that don’t contain any noodles: instant tempura and instant abura-age. They’re common toppings for soba and udon, two of Japan’s favorite kinds of noodles.

Some Nissin noodles already contain a slab of instant tempura or abura-age, but for abura-age lovers like our Japanese-language reporter P.K. Sanjun, one slice just doesn’t cut it, and his dreams came true when he was able to taste test Nissin’s new products ahead of time.

▼ On the left is the abura-age, slabs of fried tofu, and on the right is the kakiage, mixed shrimp and vegetable tempura discs. Each package contains two pieces and is priced at 182 yen (US$1.38).

P.K. Sanjun decided to try out one of Nissin’s recommended instant abura-age recipes: the Triple Kitsune Udon. It was pretty simple; he just had to put both instant abura-age slices in a bowl of Nissin’s Donbei-brand instant kitsune udon, which already comes with one piece of abura-age in it.

▼ Donbei instant kistune udon

He partly peeled back the lid and added his additional two slices of tofu, so there was now plenty of abura-age to go around. He poured in the hot water as per the instructions and waited for five minutes.

What a beautiful soupy sight! Now he no longer had to use any restraint to keep from running out of abura-age before getting to the end of his noodles, and could chomp away to his heart’s content.

▼ Pillowy mounds of instant abura-age.

It looked like a huge comforter keeping the udon noodles warm. P.K. Sanjun took a bite and found it quite salty but also ultra-comforting. Even the heartburn that followed was worth his abura-age dreams coming true.

As for the tempura, P.K. Sanjun tried a Triple Tempura Soba recipe, adding the two instant tempura discs to the one already included in the cup of instant soba noodles he used.

Three was a bit too much for him, so he only recommends it if you’re really hungry or if you’re sharing with someone. In any case, he’d recommend getting these instant products to use as toppings for pretty much anything! They might even taste good with yoghurt ramen. If you’re intrigued, hold tight until March 27 when they officially hit the shelves.

Photos ©SoraNews24
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