Ramen: the typical college student dinner. Although, I honestly have never found myself eating microwave ramen for dinner because it just isn't good. Why would I waste precious calories on a dinner that isn't going to fill me up and is going to taste subpar?
As a self-proclaimed foodie, it's important to me to eat things that taste good, and Mike's Mighty Good Ramen agrees that store bought ramen just didn't taste good. So, Mike started his store bought ramen business in 2014 with a commitment to using only the best California grown ingredients to make "craft ramen for a new generation." I am a sucker for anything that targets millennials, and food is no exception.
What makes this store bought ramen stand out is the fact that the noodles are all organic, made from scratch and steamed everyday-- not fried, which makes you feel #healthy. Also, the broth tastes rich, as if it was stewed for hours in a traditional ramen bar kitchen. With flavors like "Fried Garlic Chicken" and "Spicy Pork Tonkotsu," you'll feel like you've been transported to ramen heaven while indulging in these noodles.
Enough talk about the company, lets get down to the good stuff: the taste of the ramen itself. I tried 4 flavors of their ramen and have to say, it was delicious.
While the packets of ramen are supposedly easy to make in the microwave, I was intimidated at first, so I started with the ramen soup that is prepared similarly to a Cup Of Noodles. All I had to do was add room temperature water, pop it in the microwave then add in the flavor and oil packets and stir. The microwave timing had to be adjusted because we all know dorm room microwaves have a mind of their own, but other than that it was super easy. At first I was skeptical about the flavor and oil packet, but after I stirred it in and let it sit, the broth looked far from water. I started with the chicken flavored soup, as it seemed the most basic of ramen to me.
The soup was so flavorful. The broth tasted as if I had gotten it at a real restaurant, not just microwaved it in my dorm. It was savory, the perfect amount of salty and had a richness that tasted like there were stewed shallots and chicken in the broth. The broth tasted smooth and almost velvety in my mouth as well, which made me want to keep eating it. The noodles were slightly overcooked, which is my fault, but they tasted much better than the bland mess you usually get with ramen noodles.
Not only does this ramen taste natural, but it is also made with natural products. When you read the ingredient list, there is not one thing you cannot pronounce. Most of the items are things you would probably use if you were to make ramen at home from scratch, like sesame oil, wheat flour, soy sauce, and chicken broth. I was highly impressed by the fact that this ramen could taste so rich and flavorful and be made in my microwave.
I'm not sure how Mike's Mighty Good Ramen does it, but pretty soon I'm sure they will be taking over the industry and becoming a new college dorm staple. It's currently available at Whole Foods, many local markets and best of all, Amazon.