We all know how delicious ramen is. However, with Covid restrictions ever changing, long lineups to get into the restaurant, and a definite drop in quality upon delivery – it’s hard to get good ramen at home. Crafty Ramen to the rescue! I kept seeing ads for them on Facebook and Instagram (before I deactivated those accounts), and I had to try them.
Crafty Ramen offers many different DIY kits, and I was hooked after trying my first one – I immediately subscribed for bi-weekly ramen kits. I’m now on a mission to try them all. Here is my ranking, which will get updated each time I try a new one.
1. The Gryphon
Now, as a spice-head, this is a home run. The additional miso, chili flakes, and already spiced tare for the broth are fantastic. Speaking of the broth, the richness of the chicken and duck combo blew my mind. Coupled with searing the chasu just right – this one thus far is my favourite – but number two on my list is almost a tie.
2. The Northern Warmer
This was my first kit, and as you can see, the impact of it puts it high in the ranking. The little additional chili miso figurines that melted in the bowl were the perfect touch. This is one that will be on the regular for my subscription.
3. Tokyo Salary Man Pork
This was good. The chasu was delicious, and even the abundance of menma was really nice. And of course, no arguments on the green onions and sesame seeds. This one only goes lower due to user error – I over cooked the noodles, and didn’t cook the pork long enough.
4. Spiced Tan Tan Chicken
So, this one was really delicious. But, as you can see – a bit oily? Also, the ground chicken sunk to the bottom of the bowl – so it was kind of hard to separate the meat from the noodles. Perhaps if the chicken had been solid pieces, rather than ground, I would have enjoyed the experience more. Also, a few more add ons would have been nice. This was essentially just broth, noodles, and meat.
5. Kaizen Warrior Vegan
So, despite being a big lover of meat, I have no problems with tofu. Hell, I make sure to keep some in my freezer and cook with it on a regular basis. However, I wasn’t a fan of it in ramen. Perhaps I didn’t sear the tofu slices enough, or I should have put the sesame seeds on after – but this was my least favourite (but still enjoyable!)