Noodle Journey Supplement Review: Ramen Bae Dried Japanese Fish Cake aka Narutomaki

Ramen Bae Dried Japanese Fish Cake aka Narutomaki is a stealth release that slipped out sometime between their Veggie Mix and Spicy Garlic Mix. I completely missed it until recently and decided it deserved a review. While the Spicy Garlic Mix disappointed me, this one looked promising.

A 3-ounce bag costs $9.99 plus shipping from Ramen Bae’s website. It’s made from pollock, wheat starch, potato starch, and salt. The price sounds high, but keep in mind the weight before dehydration, because this goes further than you’d expect. The product is shelf-stable, convenient, and long-lasting. Unlike frozen narutomaki tubes, which cost about $5–6 and must be sliced and refrozen, this bag works right out of the pantry. For anyone far from a good Asian grocery store, it fills a real gap in the market.

When added to noodles, the pieces need about three minutes in boiling water to plump back up. For this review, I tested them alongside frozen narutomaki slices in Samyang’s Nagasaki Jjambbong from Episode 131. The frozen ones looked better in appearance of course, but don’t count these Ramen Bae fish cakes out just yet.

Spiciness:
There’s no heat at all, just in case someone mistakenly thinks narutomaki could be spicy.
• 0/10

Overall:
The dried narutomaki tastes exactly like its frozen counterpart: mild, delicately sweet, and lightly fishy without overpowering the bowl. It adds subtle depth and a soft texture, enhancing seafood-based broths especially well. The slices rehydrate evenly, gaining about ten percent in size, and have the same supple chew as frozen fish cake. The only downside is presentation, which isn’t really a big deal when you’re making a bowl of instant noodles at home. The frozen kind looks nicer with sharper color and spiral definition, while Ramen Bae’s dried bits are smaller and paler. But for practicality, it’s an excellent product. It’s far easier to scoop a spoonful from the bag than to thaw and slice a tube. The price keeps it from perfection, but given its uniqueness and convenience, it’s a great buy for home cooks who want real narutomaki without needing freezer storage.
• 9.5/10

Notes since filming:

Ramen Bae sells a full-sized version of this now! Assuming the quality is as good as this bag of mini-narutomaki, I would also give it a strong recommendation.