I've long been a fan of these DIY kits even from seeing the package, they're so cute! Making candy disguised as mini food is such a neat idea, and although I'd often rather have the bigger food, it makes up for it with the fun of making everything myself, and no dishes! I love ramen too, and although it doesn't usually come with dumplings, this one does. The more food the merrier!
Inside the package is pretty standard DIY fare - the tray with molds, packets of powder, a utensil. There is some premade candy though which is interesting, maybe for texture variety? I was also a bit disappointed that the tiny plate and bowl were not included, but that would've probably added a few more dollars onto this. Instead the intention is to eat those in components of the tray, which should be cut at the start.
The first step is to break up the solid white candy, which has the same flavor as the gum included with the transform glasses (meaning I still can't identify it). Two balls go to the egg and fishcake (or naruto as the instructions describe, I was very confused for a while) and two larger parts go to the dumplings. I like how the pastry bag for this one doubles as a guide for which shape those should be, because otherwise I'd be clueless! Making the dumplings was fairly easy too, you flatten two halves into circles, press it on the mold, and then put in the filling and press both sides together. Much better than when I try to make dumplings! I did taste some of the filling (which seems to resemble bacon and peas?) and it has a cola taste along with a bit of grainy texture, which would be very well welcomed along with the "tutti frutti" taste of the dumpling wrapper.
Next up the focus turns to the actual ramen. The soup was simple, mix packet with water. To create the noodles they had me poke a corner of the pastry bag with a pick to squeeze out the "dough" in perfect noodle form. The soup has a cola smell (again?). From licking up some of the noodle dough, it has a buttery taste which is the most accurate depiction of the source food in this kit by far.
I was really surprised at how well the noodles came out! Perfect size and they naturally curled up as they were squeezed out. The leftover candy and noodle dough formed the eggs and fishcake, which went into the bowl. Overall excellent prep instructions, it struck a perfect balance of both easy and fun.
Now for the tasting. The dumpling.. has way too strong of a taste than any dumpling should ever have. The mysterious flavor of the dough comes out a bit too much and it's really jarring at first, and then settles down. The filling seems to tone that down a little bit, and provides a nice crunch. I learned how to deal with the overpowering flavor madness eventually, but it's quite the odd treat. Like any curious pup would do I tried dunking the dumpling in the ramen broth, but it didn't seem to stick or add much.
The ramen on the other hand is excellent. The noodles taste amazing already, and they hold their texture quite well. The soup only augments this with it's fruity cola flavor and with that holds a recipe for success. Also the harder candy used in the eggs and fishcake is not so much a shock here because it's smaller and masked with the sauce, so they function more as momentary bursts of strong flavor. Just like in real ramen? I couldn't stop slurping it down, definitely surprising how good it was.
Great instructions and amazing ramen, the only drawback was the strange, possibly offensive taste of the dumplings. If this is an indicator of the general quality of Kracie kits I'm very excited!
Rating: 9 - Arooooo!
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