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How to Pick the Perfect Instant Noodles: Why We Love &#;Akai Kitsune Udon&#; and &#;Maruchan Seimen Cup&#;!

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How to Pick the Perfect Instant Noodles: Why We Love &#;Akai Kitsune Udon&#; and &#;Maruchan Seimen Cup&#;!

Date published: 1 March

You'll find groceries and a whole lot more at Japan's supermarkets and convenience stores. And some of their top-selling food products are instant noodles! As an easy way to enjoy the taste of Japan's popular noodles, they're highly valued as a late-night snack and as tasty souvenirs.

However, with wild popularity comes wild variety, which makes it challenging to figure out which one to choose. Here are some tips from LIVE JAPAN's editors on how to pick out popular instant noodle brands! We asked people from Toyo Suisan, the company behind some of the best cups of instant noodles available, why people claim their noodles are the best.

On the hunt for instant noodles, we visited the Kawagoe Minami Furuya location of Yaoko Marketplace, a supermarket chain based in Saitama Prefecture that can be found in Tokyo and six surrounding prefectures. Let's go check out their instant noodles section!

Choosing Tip No.1: Find the brands with the most sales space!

First, take a look over the whole section. There is a multitude of instant noodle brands, but you can wager the ones that are given the most space are the regular sellers.

Special showcases near areas of high foot traffic will also contain popular brands. Japan's supermarkets monitor the flow of goods to come up with unique displays, and it only makes sense that products that are easy to find are products that are selling.

Choosing Tip No.2: Check out the lower racks of special showcases

Amongst brands arranged in a special display, which would you think are the most popular? The answer is "the bottom shelf."

Supermarket customers often pick up things while they're walking past, and their line of sight is near their own feet, which is to say, the lowest shelves. Supermarket managers theorize that it's this low line of sight that causes people to most often select items from bottom racks.

Choosing Tip No.3: Judge a book by its cover?!

The image of the product on the packaging is vital. Words, Japanese or not, are not enough to describe the flavors one conjures up in their mind when looking at an image of food. Brands that prominently feature the finished product on their packaging aren't just making it easy to understand what you're buying: they're expressing their confidence in quality. For instance, the image for "Akai Kitsune Udon" is dominated by its big block of a Japanese specialty, aburaage (fried tofu). It's hard to turn your nose up at something that looks that good.

Choosing Tip No.4: Check for variety!

Check the packaging, yes, but also see if it's part of a series. The previously mentioned "Akai Kitsune Udon" is part of a series that includes "Midori no Tanuki Ten Soba," Kuroi Buta Curry Udon," "Shiroi Chikara Mochi Udon"... and many more.

Much like the supermarkets, manufacturers pay close attention to their sales, ever-adding new versions to popular series. If you're not sure what to buy, buy something that's part of a series.

Choosing Tip No.5: Trust products with easy-to-find ingredient lists

Another essential tip for choosing instant noodles concerns how easy it is to read their ingredient lists. Much like the size of the product image, a prominently displayed ingredients list is proof the manufacturer is confident in their ingredients. The aforementioned "Akai Kitsune Udon" has a list of potential allergens on the right side. A translation app will help you decode it.

In our research for this article, we found two products that fulfill all of the conditions above. Those two were "Akai Kitsune Udon" and "Maruchan Seimen Cup." Both are flagship brands of Toyo Suisan, one of Japan's biggest food product manufacturers.

How did their brands build their popularity and come to be known by so many Japanese people? To answer this question, LIVE JAPAN's editorial team interviewed two people from the company's processed food division, Nakajima and Sumita!

What kind of company is behind the Maruchan juggernaut?

Toyo Suisan began as a fishing industry company and expanded in the s with the addition of processed fish-based foods. What got them into making instant noodles?

"In the 60s, there was an explosion of companies making instant noodles, and that includes Toyo Suisan. They began with the bagged type, and their Japanese style kitsune udon and tempura soba cups, both industry firsts, were huge hits. For Akai Kitsune Udon, the cup was expanded into a bowl, and became a long-seller for our company." (Nakajima)

"Now we produce around 200 kinds of instant noodles for sale. We introduce new products almost every week, creating over a thousand each year in the industry. However, few of the products will be produced beyond an entire year." (Sumita)

Who knew the instant noodle industry was this turbulent? The fact that Toyo Suisan instant noodles still dominate instant noodle isles is telling of their overall flavor and popularity.

Giving it all for the perfect cup of instant noodles! What makes Akai Kitsune Udon special?

Somehow, through all the cutthroat competition of the instant noodles industry, Toyo Suisan's noodle-making expertise enabled Akai Kitsune Udon to survive indefinitely.

"Everything in the cup, including noodles, soup, and ingredients are vital, but the juiciness of the fried tofu is what gives it its reputation. Being a fish industry company at heart gives us a leg up on the soup, too." (Nakajima)

A big block of aburaage (fried tofu) floats atop a lake of clear broth, with flat-sided noodles underneath. The thought of it is enough to stoke the appetite of any Japanese individual.

"It's been 40 years since we started selling it, but Akai Kitsune is a product that's been polished to near perfection. The noodles are carefully created to account for the temperature and amount of water used to prepare them. Big and round Sanuki udon noodles are great, but if we used them as our noodles, it would no longer be Akai Kitsune Udon. Whatever improvements we find, we'll never change the look of it. Aim for perfection, but respect the past." (Nakajima)

The Akai Kitsune Udon series has lots of entries. Each has its own flavors and ingredients.

"The Akai Kitsune Udon is in a series with Midori no Tanuki Ten Soba, Kuro Buta Curry Udon, Shiroi Chikara Mochi Udon, Kon no Kitsune Soba, and more, with typical sizes, "Mame" small servings, and "Dekamori" large servings." (Nakajima)

"Also, Akai Kitsune Udon and Midori no Tanuki Ten Soba have four flavor variations depending on where you buy them." (Sumita)

Four of them?! How are they different?

"From the very beginning, it had east and west Japan versions. The East Japan version has a sharper soy sauce flavor, while the West Japan version is less prominent, focusing more on the broth base. Starting in the s, we added Japanese sardine broth to the West to make a Kansai version, and to the East, the addition of Rishiri kombu seaweed broth created a Hokkaido version." (Nakajima)

It sounds more and more like their fish industry origins is what helped create the bestselling series. But which in the Akai Kitsune Udon series sells the most?

"On top is Akai Kitsune Udon. Next up is Midori no Tanuki Ten Soba, then Kuroi Buta Curry Udon, then Shiroi Chikara Mochi Udon." (Nakajima)

Specialty soups and chewy noodles keep the Akai Kitsune Udon series on top. See how many of them you can try while you're in Japan!

The astounding quality of Maruchan Seimen

As much as we talked about Akai Kitsune Udon, another Toyo Suisan product that dominated the Yaoko instant noodles section as Maruchan Seimen. Mr. Sumita took part in its development and was more than happy to tell us about what went into it.

"Marucha Seimen noodles were created to replicate fresh, boiled noodles - not fried. They're sleek and smooth, with a sense of weight. Our goal was to make you feel like you were sitting down to eat in a ramen restaurant. It took us four years to develop the technology to create these noodles, then factory-produced them. But thanks to everyone's support, their sales took off immediately." (Sumita)

The "Noukou Toro Tonkotsu", "Koku Vegetable Tanmen," and "Umakoku Tonkotsu Shoyu" Maruchan Seimen instant noodle products are currently not available.

A lot of hard effort went into those noodles, which may be why they're featured so prominently on the packaging. That image alone is enough to set one drooling...

"The packaging was updated in . The luxurious gold colors were left in place, and the bowl image was enlarged and its angle modified for better dazzle." (Sumita)

Maruchan Seimen has many varieties, too. Which one sells the best?

"On top is the full-bodied Soy Sauce flavor. Next is aromatic Miso, and Cup Yakisoba is also popular." (Nakajima)

All of them sound delectable... You might not have time to stop by a ramen restaurant in Japan, but you can always take back Maruchan Seimen to enjoy in your own country!

The "Noukou Toro Tonkotsu", "Koku Vegetable Tanmen," and "Umakoku Tonkotsu Shoyu" Maruchan Seimen instant noodle products are currently not available.

We hope that our dive into "How to Pick the Perfect Instant Noodles" was helpful for you! No doubt by now, you're well-aware how Toyo Suisan's products are truly the cream of the crop. It seems like the perfect reason to try Akai Kitsune Udon or Maruchan Seimen Cup as a late-night snack, or take them home as a souvenir.

Coverage for this article was done on January 23, .

*This information is from the time of this article's publication.
*Prices and options mentioned are subject to change.
*Unless stated otherwise, all prices include tax.

Which noodle machine should you choose?

Like many questions of similar nature, the answer to this one is, of course, &#;It depends&#;. Exactly what it depends on can be explored by answering the following three specific questions which are:

1. What kind of noodles are you planning to produce?

2. In what quantities?

3. For what purpose?

Thus, selection of the most appropriate type of noodle machine would and should be contingent on which noodle production solution can suit your current and future needs and goals the best.

When people not very much familiar with the field of noodle production think of making their own &#;noodles&#; in many cases they are thinking about a kind of generic noodles (sometimes collectively described as &#;pasta&#;), and implicitly assume that all noodle making equipment is the same &#; which, as will be subsequently explained, is, of course, not the case.

I. So let us start with the topic of noodles, which can be classified by

1) ingredients,

2) methods of production

3) dough hydration

4) method of processing / storage

1) Noodles can be defined as a food product made by processing ingredients into flour or paste for mixing it with liquid to make dough, and forming / cutting it into separate thin / flat strands. Leaving aside various exotic noodle-like / shaped products, noodles are mainly made from the following types of ingredients:

a) gluten grains (wheat)

b) non gluten starchy grains (rice, buckwheat, etc.)

c) starchy parts of plants other than grains (konjac, corn, etc.)

d) combination of the above in different proportions

2) Noodle production methods can be divided into

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Additional resources:
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a) hand-pulling

b) hand-stretching

c) one-directional machine-rolling

d) multi-directional machine-kneading

Industrial bakery equipment: what is it, why it matters and ...

e) machine-steaming

f) machine-extrusion

3) By degree of hydration noodles are generally classified into

a) low

b) medium

c) high hydration

By default, hydration implies not only the nominal amount of liquid directly added to the dough, but the overall volume of water contained in the dough including hydration contained in ingredients themselves (e.g. moisture in flour and other components).

4) According to methods of processing and storage, noodles can be divided into

a) raw (chilled)

b) raw (frozen)

c) dried (stored at room temperature)

II. Although the concept of quantity is ultimately subjective, in terms of noodle production we can talk about three main patterns:

1) very limited volumes: under 10 kg / < 50-100 portions of noodles a day

2) large but limited volumes: under 100-200 kg / < 500- portions of noodles a day

3) very large production volumes: above 200 kg a day (this category also includes high capacity factory-scale production lines)

III. In terms of purpose of noodle production we can distinguish:

1) personal consumption / limited scale commercial use

2) noodle specialty small-scale food business supply

3) mass market bulk supply

Each individual pattern of your needs and goals comprising different options related to the type of noodles, production quantity and production purpose would warrant selecting a technical solution with a particular configuration using certain types of noodle making machinery. And, of course, let us not forget that the same factors may also justify ruling against the option of in-house noodle production altogether &#; as, depending on the circumstances and conditions, it may as well be more reasonable to procure noodle products from third party suppliers.

When it comes to noodle machines themselves of particular importance are points I. 2 (noodle production methods) and II (production volume), but several other parameters can be added for a full picture as well.

Thus, noodle machines can be classified by:

1. production method

2. production volume

3. dough ingredients / hydration

4. machine size

5. machine price

6. machine application

Let us examine several possible scenarios of how can you choose a noodle machine that would be the most appropriate for your needs and goals.

1. For cooking enthusiasts planning to produce limited amounts of noodles for personal consumption in home settings there are two possible solutions:

a) hand-operated rolling type pasta >machines<

or

b) manual / electric extrusion type noodle making >machines<

These two types of machines can process dough with medium to high water ratio, and can make dough from gluten and non-gluten grains (both rolling and extrusion types), as well as starchy plants and rice / buckwheat flour (using extrusion production method). Their production volume is small, and can satisfy needs of a family or a non-noodle-specialty food business using them to produce occasional noodle offerings for their menu. Considering their limited functionality and production volume, such machines rarely cost more than several hundred USD.

2. Aside from the options examined above, when it comes to noodle machines for business application there is a great diversity of different products suited for different needs, ingredients and production volumes.

To make standard wheat dough-based noodles, a small-mid seize food business fully or partially reliant on serving noodles can start with high capacity tabletop pasta >extruders< or pasta >sheeters/cutters<.

Usually combined with a built-in dough mixer, such machines can make medium to high hydration pasta and other types of similar noodles, egg noodles, and gluten free noodles from rice or buckwheat flour (extrusion type). These machines usually have a capacity to produce up 10 kg of noodle products per hour, and have a cost range within several thousand USD.  

At this point of machine size and production volume we are still talking about &#;machine-rolling&#; and &#;machine-extrusion&#; type of equipment because due to specific features of their production processes noodle machines using such methods as steaming (to make pho noodles) and hand-kneading (for udon and soba noodles) usually require relatively bigger space to place and operate.

As noodle machine size usually corresponds to its production volume &#; i.e. the larger the machine, the more noodles it can produce in a given time &#; to achieve a bigger production volume one would usually need to invest in equipment larger in size than described in the section 2.

However, noodle machines with a production capacity of more than 10 kg of noodles per hour but smaller in size than factory lines are rare, especially when we talk about equipment of rolling, hand-kneading and steaming varieties. But it is this very category of equipment that many businesses serving more than an occasional noodle portion but requiring far less production capacity than a large factory line are most interested in, especially in terms of noodle quality &#; that should be better than of the noodles produced using consumer-grade appliances or on mass production lines to justify the price tag these businesses put on their products.

Under this rubric fall most noodle machines designed and produced by Yamato: more production capacity and exponentially better noodle quality than household noodle making appliances on the one hand, but on the other &#; far smaller in size, and offering far better noodle quality compared to big factory lines for producing noodles in bulk.

For example, different models of Yamato &#;Richmen&#; series rolling-type noodle machines can produce from 100 to 250 portions of noodles from wheat, buckwheat or rice flour (or a combination of them) per hour, require a minimum personnel of only 1 operator, and have a size compact enough to allow them to be installed and operated in an environment with a limited space.

A small but important caveat is that for noodle machines that have a wide range of product options that can be made on them, it is usually rather difficult to define their production volume in mass units as each recipe would require a specific set of noodle making procedures which in their turn greatly affect total output: for example, taking into account time to mix, roll, thin down and finally cut the dough, on average more (by mass) high water content noodles can be made in a given time than low water content noodles.

A price for dough rolling and dough kneading type noodle machines in this category usually starts at around 10 thousand USD, averaging at 20, and can go up to 30 or more depending on the production volume and a type of equipment (shipping cost can also significantly increase the final price).

Of course here you need to consider a whole set of various factors in total including running cost, customer service, compatibility with various safety and industry standards (which may be legally required depending on a country), availability of support from the manufacturer regarding recipes and other advice (refer to our >Guide on noodle machine price<).<

Examples of such equipment are &#;>Richmen&#;<, &#;>Shin&#;Uchi&#;<, &#;>Bandotaro&#;<, &#;>GINA<&#;.

What is important here is to be absolutely sure that a machine you are planning to purchase is fully capable of producing the kind of noodles you want to have &#; and be capable of doing it not only in exceptional cases but as a standard mode of operation:

for example, certain varieties of low-water content noodles (like those used for Hakata-style ramen bowls) require great pressure to form their dough into sheets &#; which, as a rule. is beyond the capacity of most noodle machines for pasta (that is not to say that pasta machines cannot make such noodles by default, but trying use them for this purpose on a regular basis would greatly shorten their service life span).

Very large production volumes (starting from mid-scale rigs for several hundred kilograms of noodles per day to large factory size lines with a daily output measured in tons) are usually used to produce noodles with a long shelf life, and are combined with drying/packaging equipment to process the noodles they make. Such production solutions may require significant amounts of investment which can reach hundreds of thousands if not millions USD.

Such factories usually produce various types of >pasta< or >instant ramen<.

In this article intended to offer an advice on choosing the right noodle machine, we tried to give a cursory review of what types of noodles exist, what kind of equipment can be used to produce them, and what machine you should choose to buy.

Although it may sound obvious, but in the end of the day, there is no best or worst noodle machine, but each machine&#;s respective merits are determined by whether it would suit your particular needs and purposes, which can vary depending on noodle ingredients, production volume and application (personal consumption / commercial use).

Despite being a producer of noodle making equipment itself, Yamato clearly understands that certain solutions, including those offered by Yamato may not necessarily be appropriate for all situations: having a relatively big noodle machine with a big production volume may not be appropriate for home noodle enthusiasts or those businesses who want to produce noodles only occasionally and in very limited quantities, while compact noodle machines which can satisfy needs of a noodle specialty shop would be lacking in production capacity for high volume industrial applications.

But for those who are looking for a noodle machine for small-mid scale commercial production of craft noodles we can offer the followings advice:

&#; if you are planning to have your own noodle machine, make sure its production capacity is enough to produce a required amount of noodles in a short time allowing you to concentrate the rest on other aspects of your business (i.e. if you run a noodle restaurant you would obviously prefer not to spend all your time just on making noodles)

&#; it would make sense to ensure a room for growth: even if you do not require that much production capacity at the moment, it does not necessarily mean that you won&#;t need it in the future (for most stand-alone noodle machines gradual scaling up is impossible)

&#; if you plan to produce a certain variety of noodles do not choose a machine for which production of this type of noodles is rather an exception than a standard mode of operation: for example, although it may be theoretically possible for pasta machines to produce low-hydration hard-texture ramen noodles, using them for that purpose on a regular basis would definitely shorten their service life span (perhaps, very quickly)

Noodle Master: Akira Mii

Akira Mii has worked for Yamato for almost 20 years, supporting customers in many countries across the world. He can share his broad knowledge and deep expertise in noodle making and other aspects of noodle business.

For more information, please visit Non-Fried Instant Noodle Production Line.