Free Shipping on All Orders

Saimin vs Ramen: 3 Simple Steps to Differentiate The Two


Saimin is a Hawaiian noodle dish and ramen is a Japanese noodle dish.

In terms of taste, the biggest difference between them is…

Soup of saimin is shrimp and bonito base.

While ramen broth is made from chicken bone, pork bone, dried sardines, bonito, kelp, or other vegetables.

In my opinion, saimin soup has a similar taste as udon soup plus the flavor of the shrimp.

Soup of saimin and ramen taste really different.

1. Have you ever eaten saimin?

5 years ago, I went to a Hawaiian restaurant.

It had a high ceiling and a nice atmosphere.

I learned about the word “saimin”.

It sounded like a Japanese word, but it didn’t sound familiar at all as a food name.

I ordered it out of curiosity…

2. If Ramen is Luke, saimin is Princess Leia

They are like twins. Their root is Chinese style noodles.

And they are both developed by Japanese people.

Ramen is from Japan,

And saimin was created by Japanese immigrants in Hawaii.

3. Noodles of saimin and ramen are similar

They are made of wheat flour, water, and kansui.

Some saimin noodles are made of wheat flour, eggs, and cornstarch.

Usually, thick and wavy noodles are used for saimin.

Thickness of ramen depends on the type of ramen.

Miso ramen has thick noodles.

Tonkotsu ramen has very thin noodles.

And shoyu and shio ramen have medium- thick noodles.

4. Saimin soup and ramen soup are very different

Saimin soup has a light taste. The broth is made from shrimp.

Saimin soup doesn’t have oil floating on the soup.

Do you know why?

Because you don’t use chicken or pork for the soup stock.

This is the reason why saimin soup is transparent.

For me, saimin soup tastes like udon soup.

Do you agree?

5. Ramen soup is saltier and oilier than saimin soup

There are shoyu, tonkotsu, miso and shio ramen.

And all their soup is saltier and oilier than saimin soup.

6. Saimin and ramen have chashu, narutomaki and green onions

Their toppings are similar.

But there are some small differences…

For example, 

Narutomaki in saimin has red outside like in the picture above.

And narutomaki in ramen is white outside like this.

Chashu in saimin is cut into strings or small cubes.

But chashu in ramen is just sliced thin.

7. Ramen has ajitama and menma, but saimin doesn’t have it

An egg topping for saimin is usually boiled egg.

Sometimes, saimin has spam instead of chashu.

Due to Covid, a lot of good ramen restaurants have closed

It makes me feel very angry.

I used to eat ramen out frequently,

But in this situation, 

Ramen shops have started to shorten the hours, limit the number of customers, or even closed their shops.

It has affected the industry so much.

I am afraid good ramen will be gone

But meanwhile, you still can enjoy ramen in the comfort of your own home.

Here are some of my recommendations for ramen lovers.

1. Sapporo Ichiban Shio Flavor

MY THOUGHTS OVERALL ★★★★☆

In truth, Sapporo Ichiban delivers a good quality shio ramen experience.

Actually, it is very difficult to find good shio ramen.

Do you know why?

Because it is very difficult to make it since it is very simple.

There are many good shoyu and miso flavored instant noodles out there.

But I feel specifically, the shio flavor market is monopolized by Sapporo Ichiban.

Think about this for a moment having good shio ramen for your dinner with your favorite ramen toppings.

Now, you want some, don’t you?

2. Nissin Raoh Shoyu Flavor

MY THOUGHTS OVERALL ★★★★★

It is nearly impossible to make restaurant quality noodles at home without the right tools and equipment.

How can you beat that?

Using Raoh’s shoyu flavour will help you achieve this easily. This is top-notch ramen hands down!

One pinnacle of instant noodles is the soy sauce flavor. It is expensive compared to regular ones but let me tell you, it deserves every single penny.

In a nutshell, I loved every bit of it.

...And I am sure you will too.

3. The problem here is that no toppings come with these packets.

Here are some topping options and recipes for you.


Green onion
Nori

4. Have you ever faced these issues...

A lack of large, high-quality soup bowl sets at home?

Are you still struggling with...

😢 ...small bowls that aren’t large enough for soups, noodles and toppings.

😢 ...spillage every time you eat out of your bowl.

😢 ...low-quality tableware and utensils that don’t compliment your food.

Look no further, 

Our best-selling bowls are here to fix all the issues you face with small, inefficient tableware.

After struggling with spillage and leakage during dinner time, 

We decided to introduce APEX S.K’s large soup bowls to the market.

Want to hear why some people absolutely love our ramen bowls?

"These are perfect for homemade ramen soup nights! The bowls we have at home are not large enough and my wife has been trying to look for larger bowls. I'm so glad I stumbled upon these. They made a great Christmas gift for the whole family. Everybody was so excited and we can't wait to put them to use on our next ramen night."

"Amazing quality! They are very durable. I dropped it from standing height to test if they would break, but no dents or anything."

"The shape, the color, and the overall appearance of the bowl was exactly what I was looking for - the shape, the color"

Check our sets on Amazon..

   

About the Author

Kei is a self-proclaimed ramen lover, blog writer and founder of "Apex S.K. Japanese tableware".

"I am from Ibaraki, Japan.

Ramen is great! It can bring you a sense of happiness and satisfaction that no other food can. I have been eating ramen for 30 years.

If there is no ramen, my life would be miserable.

Ten years ago, I worked as an office worker. The job was really stressful - excessive working hours, low wages, unpaid overtime work, and constantly being yelled at by my boss.

I was new and alone, no girlfriend, no friends, and felt very lonely.

My only oasis was the ramen shop near the office. For me, the ramen chef there was literally an angel. I saw a halo on his head. (No joke)

Tonkotsu shoyu ramen was my all-time favorite. He made ramen with broth chock-full of umami flavor, nice chewy handmade noodles, and tender chashu.

My greatest dream is connect people with ramen through my blog. I want to share a lot of interesting and funny stories and ramen trivia with you.

Knowing more about ramen can help you appreciate your ramen and make it taste extra delicious."

Did you know that we offer more than just a ramen blog?

We also have an exclusive collection of ramen-inspired t-shirts and hoodies that any true noodle lover will adore.

Head over to ApexRamen and check it out for yourself


Leave a comment


Please note, comments must be approved before they are published


Related Posts

Chashu Pork: Transform Your Weekend with Tender & Juicy Chashu Pork Learn How to Cook the Authentic Recipe
Chashu Pork: Transform Your Weekend with Tender & Juicy Chashu Pork Learn How to Cook the Authentic Recipe
Unlock the secrets of chashu: Discover the delicious world of chashu pork loin, including an easy-to-follow recipe. Lear
Read More
What Are Ramen Noodles? Explore the Delicious World of Ramen and Find Out Why They're So Popular!
What Are Ramen Noodles? Explore the Delicious World of Ramen and Find Out Why They're So Popular!
Uncover the Secret to Ramen Noodle Perfection: Discover the Ingredients and Texture that Makes Ramen Noodles a Favorite
Read More
Unlock the Secrets: Ramen vs. Udon 15 Differences You Can't Afford to Miss!
Unlock the Secrets: Ramen vs. Udon 15 Differences You Can't Afford to Miss!
Discover the intriguing differences between Ramen and Udon! Learn all about these popular Japanese noodle dishes in this
Read More