Nongshim Tonkatsu Ramen Case Study
Jin Kim
First published: 06 August 2022 Citations: 0
In pursuit of a quicker meal, people have invented various methods of obtaining food. Fast food, delivery, ingredient delivery apps, and instant frozen/non-frozen meals are just a few of the innovations seen in modern society. One such popular method has been the instant noodle, and in this paper, the Nongshim Tonkatsu Ramen. The methods of this experiment were found on the instructions of this instant noodle. The results indicated a rich and creamy taste in the broth as well as 450 calories: 18 gram of fat (7g of saturated fat), 64g of carbohydrates (3g of sugar and 5g of dietary fiber), 8g of protein, and 1550mg of sodium. The purpose of this case study is the examine the viability of Nongshim Tonkatsu ramen as a meal when compared to the researchers previous subjective experience with other instant foods as well as prepared foods as well
Introduction In a society where time is a limited commodity, people continue to seek a quick solution to cook meals to be more productive in their careers and hobbies. Some have purported that meal delivery services such as Hellofresh have saved time in their day, but they have only saved time in grocery shopping and preparation time for the ingredients. While these components of cooking may be some of most time consuming portions of creating a meal, services such as Hellofresh neglect the time and effort wasted on the actual cooking portion, which can be just as time consuming as well. For the people who wish to save time during the cooking portion, they only need to look at instant foods such as instant ramen. In this case study, the researcher will review the taste, appearance, and ingredients of a bowl of Nongshim Tonkatsu instant ramen in hopes of finding a meal alternative that is delicious and health and saving people time for their busy days.
Methods In this case study, the researcher obtained a Nongshim Tonkatsu ramen from a local Costco. After 330ml of water was heated to 100 degrees Celsius, the savory and the spice sauce packets were added to the soup and followed by the aforementioned boiling water. After 4 minutes of the softening of the freeze dried noodles, the researcher proceeded to eat the noodles and drink the soup, noting various characteristics of the noodles as well as the soup. The main characteristics noted were: appearance/smell, mouth feel/taste, and ingredients.
Results When examining the bowl of Nongshim Tonkatsu ramen, the appearance itself is closer to the appearance of a tonkatsu ramen.With the spicy sauce, there are droplets of spice sauce on top of the soup itself. When smelling this bowl of ramen, it smells quite similar to tonkatsu ramen. than other bowls of instant ramen. In addition to this, the soup itself is lower than most other bowls of ramen, in the researcher's subjective experience. When finished with the noodles, the soup does not reach half of the bowl it was cooked in.
In terms of the taste and mouthfeel, the soup of the ramen had very similar notes to tonkatsu ramen. It was rich while having a slightly creamy mouthfeel that is usually seen in tonkatsu ramen. Interestingly enough, the ramen also contained freeze dried garlic that did not appear to deteriorate in taste or quality after rehydration. In addition to the broth, the spicy sauce was not very apparent throughout the broth. Even when added, the broth was not very spicy and formed oil droplets on top of the broth, reminiscent of chili oil.
Lastly, in terms of the ramen's ingredients, this ramen contains 450 calories: 18 gram of fat (7g of saturated fat), 64g of carbohydrates (3g of sugar and 5g of dietary fiber), and 8g of protein. Other noteworthy ingredients are 1550mg of sodium.
Conclusions
The researcher was pleasantly surprised by the quality of this instant ramen. The appearance, taste, and mouth feel does hold the creamy richness seen in tonkatsu ramen. However, this rich taste and somewhat creamy mouth feel were only possible due to the small amount of water that was added in. If any more water were added to this soup, the researcher assumes that the mouth feel would become watery, and the richness would become easily diluted. While the 64 grams of carbohydrates and the 18 grams of are cause for concern in terms of the ramen's viability as a meal, the main thing that concerns the researcher is the 1550mg of sodium in this bowl. This is 67% of the daily value of sodium. While this instant ramen does tastes delicious, the researcher cannot overlook the unhealthiness of this meal. This ramen must be eaten as an adjunct to a healthy meal filled with protein and vegetables that can balance out the unhealthiness of this ramen. In conclusion, the ramen does have a creamier and richer taste than most instant ramens, but it does appear to have more sodium along with high carbohydrate and high fat content. One recommendation of this researcher is not to drink the broth and perhaps use it for other purposes such as mixing in rice and eggs to dilute the saltiness of the broth. By doing so, it will allow the consumer to enjoy the full taste of the ramen without the feeling of having too much sodium at once.
