Umai Crate is a monthly subscription box that brings you exclusive Japanese-style noodles every month. The subscription costs $25 per month, and you’ll get 7-8 noodles, plus bonus items like gachapons, collectible chopsticks, and more.
Umai Crate is from the same makers that bring you Japan Crate, Doki Doki Crate, and Kira Kira Crate!
DEAL: Take $3 off your first crate. Use coupon code HELLO.
I am excited to try this month’s featured noodles!
This is the January 2020 edition of Umai Crate. The box is almost the size of a windowsill planter, and it’s packed with yummy noodles!
The box also includes an exclusive Umai Crate recipe. This month’s featured recipe is Baked Somen Gratin!
It includes a booklet that contains a couple of fun articles about noodles and the noodle eating culture in Japan.
There’s a list of all the items in the box, with their specific descriptions and directions for cooking. We also got a bonus item, which is the Nori Ochazuke (with One Piece card)!
Everything in my January 2020 Umai Crate box!
Tanuki Oyaji Tonkotsu Ramen. I love ramen broth that tastes like it’s been boiled to perfection, until all the flavors of meat, veggies, and or even bones are incorporated, and that’s exactly what Tonkotsu broth is like. For this instant ramen, you won’t even suspect that the broth came from a seasoning packet as it is really flavorful!
The veggies also added crunch and texture to the really firm noodles.
It’s one of the easiest to prepare, yet the taste is so good. It also warms the tummy, perfect to eat during any cold day.
You can see the small veggie bits on it. In just 3 minutes, you can enjoy a bowl of a filling Tonkotsu ramen!
Small Shrimp Tenri Soba. This soba has a really delicious seafood broth consisting of shrimp, mackerel, and bonito.
Aside from the soba in the bowl, it’s suggested that you also add sauteed shrimp, sliced scallions and butter for added richness.
Harusame. Also known as glass noodles, Vermicelli is a common noodle used in sukiyaki dishes. For this box, we tried stir-frying it with the kimchi sauce.
Kimchi Vermicelli Noodle Sauce. This Vermicelli noodle sauce is made with a spicy stir-fried sauce made with rich gochujang chili paste, garlic, and ginger.
Vermicelli noodles are like spaghetti pasta but thinner in diameter. It’s the perfect noodle or pasta variant to use with this kind of spicy and savory sauce. We tried it with the Harusame noodles that are also included in this box. Now, all we need to add is some meat and veggies!
You can stir fry everything in one pan!
Here’s the delicious stir-fried noodles! They also suggest that you can add some kimchi on it while frying, and some pieces of pork, and other vegetables.
We fried it with some onions, shredded pork, and carrots. It’s really good!
Soba Soup. This dashi stock is made with bonito and soy sauce, which made it really rich and tasty. You can easily prepare the soup by boiling the dashi stock in hot water. It goes well with the included Spinach Vegetable Somen in this box.
Spinach Vegetable Somen. Here’s the somen that you can try with the soba soup! Somen is popular during summer as they are served cold, but they can also be prepared warm. The spinach on each noodle strand is pretty visible, as they are handmade. Aside from the spinach flour, these are also made with a special type of water from Kyushu, the Aso Water.
Kumamoto Spicy Ramen. For those who want an added kick to their ramen dish, here’s one with chili pepper paste, doubanjiang (a salty paste made from fermented broad beans, soybeans, salt, and rice), and togarashi peppers.
This ramen noodle dish is a must-try! It is based from Kumamoto, Japan, and it has smooth but slightly hard strands of noodles, with a strong chili pepper broth.
To make the dish more special, you can add hard-boiled egg, pork, and bean sprouts to it!
Nori Ochazuke. This month’s bonus inclusion is this filling Japanese comfort food, Nori Ochazuke! Just add hot water and enjoy this delicious meal. You can even snack on it while having a few rounds of drink! It goes well with rice, mochi, salmon, kelp, and umeboshi!
The package also comes with a limited edition One Piece card. Our card features Brook!
Umai Crate is definitely the perfect box for noodle lovers and those who love to prepare easy and filling meals, like noodle soup dishes! They always come up with fresh and unique noodle ideas and flavors, and we simply love trying them all! The seasoning always goes well with one or two of the noodle packs they also include, and there’s a bunch of instant noodle bowls that doesn’t really take long to prepare and enjoy. And even if they’re instant, they still taste authentic, as everything came straight from Japan! I can’t wait for the next boxes, and see and taste new and exciting flavors!
What’s your favorite ramen this month?
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