
Water isn’t added, but the taste of Kitakata Ramen Bannai is.
The other day I was making a cup of instant noodles and it dawned on me that this was cooking. Sure, all you have to do is add hot water, but aren’t “heating” and “adding” the two essential steps of cooking? Nuts to that.
▼ This wasn’t part of the deal Cup Noodle. This wasn’t part of the deal!

Cooking’s fine and all but when it comes to instant ramen, it better be instant. I’m talking like one step shy of those 3-D food printers they got in Star Trek. And bringing us one step closer to that glorious future is Kinrei and their “water-free” (Omizunai) series
This is a completely self-contained frozen bowl of noodles that just needs to be plopped in a pot and heated up. A variety of udon style dishes are already available at supermarkets across Japan, but now Kinrei is getting deeper into the ramen game with Omizunai Kitakata Ramen Bannai.
Kitkata Ramen Bannai is a chain of ramen stores that mainly services the central part of Japan, along with two locations in California. Now, they’re lending their talents to water-free ramen so as to capture that restaurant-quality taste in an instant dish that doesn’t require a lick of effort.
The special ingredient in their ramen is Spanish-style aged pork whose flavor is brought out to the fullest and mingles well with the soy sauce broth. Its firm texture is also complimented by a hearty pile of green onions for an eating experience that pleases all the senses.
This same harmony in taste and texture is said to have been captured in a frozen ramen that’s set to hit shelves across Japan on 20 February. A retail price hasn’t been announced yet but if other Omizunai dishes are any indication, it’ll probably be sold in the range of 300 to 400 yen (US$2 – $3).
I know I’ll be looking forward to tearing one open and heating it up. Granted, the “heating” part still reeks of actual cooking, but we’ve successfully eliminated the “adding” part, which is a big step towards the epitome in lazy food preparation.
Source: PR Times
Images: PR Times (Unless otherwise noted)
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