I’m doing something I’ve never done before: a full re-review of a product that I didn’t love originally. Back in September 2023, I covered Ramen Toppers Chashu Pork, Fish Cake & Vegetable Mix and walked away unimpressed. I found the pork to be tough and flavorless, the vegetables pale and unappealing, and at nearly twenty-five dollars a jar, I couldn’t justify recommending it. Fast-forward nine months, and the company themselves reached out to me to say they’d completely overhauled the recipe and wanted me to give it another shot. I respect any business that takes constructive feedback seriously, so when they offered to send me the updated version, I said yes without hesitation. If you watch the video above, you can see a comparison of the old recipe’s contents to the new.
Read more: Noodle Journey Supplement Re-Review: Ramen Toppers Chashu Pork, Fish Cake, & Vegetable Mix (2024)This new recipe is available on Amazon and Etsy for $24.99 at the time of this review, and the jar is 5.64 oz. (after dehydration). This 2024 updated recipe introduces a new marinade for the chashu pork (soy sauce, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, green onion, sake, and mirin) plus an authentic narutomaki fish cake made by Yamasa, and fully refreshed freeze-dried vegetables. At its price point, it’s still a premium product, but one made in the USA and now boasting proper color, texture, and quality. For consistency, I paired it with the same tonkotsu ramen I used last time (Nissin Demae Black Garlic Oil Tonkotsu) to keep the comparison fair.
Spiciness:
There’s no heat here – no chili pepper is included in this mix.
• 0/10
Overall:
The improvements in this recipe are obvious right away. The pork is the most massive change: bite-sized pieces this time that rehydrated tenderly, with some very tasty soy/ginger/garlic/sesame notes and a lightly seared character. I got much better flavor without the tough chew I ran into before. The narutomaki is sourced from a legit manufacturer and comes thinner and more supple than the old version; it tastes right and adds that classic ramen-shop look. The vegetables are also much improved – the carrots have color and sweetness, the corn and peas are the proper texture, and nothing throws a weird aftertaste into the broth. I also appreciate that dropping a generous scoop into boiling water releases a noticeably savory, onion-garlic aroma right away, probably from the chashu marinade. From a value and use-case standpoint, this makes sense for office lunches or anyone who can’t easily buy pork belly and fish cake locally; one jar conveniently adds protein and vegetables to a plain noodle soup. I still don’t love peas and corn in ramen, but they’re no longer a distraction, and the overall jump in quality won me over completely. This is a strong turnaround and an easy recommendation if the price and ingredient mix appeals to you.
• 10/10
Notes since filming:
My old review of this product is still up for the sake of posterity and comparison, but this new recipe is the one you should pay attention to! Such a great comeback story.
Links to purchase:
https://www.amazon.com/Ramen-Toppers-Dehydrated-Toppings-Noodles/dp/B0BZCKH9S8
https://www.etsy.com/shop/RamenToppers
