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Home » Pasta and Rice » Umai Crate Box Review

Umai Crate Box Review

30 September, 2019 by Tara 5 Comments

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A review of Umai Crate- a monthly subscription box featuring instant noodles and garnishes from Japan!

Disclosure: I received the August 2019 Umai Crate Box in exchange for my honest review. All comments and opinions are my own. 

Instant Noodle Packets from Umai Crate Box Review with the yellow cardboard box in the background.

Umai Crate

Umai Crate is a subscription service created by Japan Crate featuring handpicked ramen and other instant noodles shipped straight from Japan. Each box includes a variety of high-quality noodles that are often new and difficult to find outside of the country. I also reviewed their Japan Crate August 2019 box last month.

The boxes are available on a monthly auto-renew plan (which can be cancelled online at any time) and are currently $30 per month. Prices decrease with longer subscription plans. Shipping is included in the price and can take anywhere from 2-4 weeks depending on the final destination. Mine took a little less than two weeks (California). Here are some examples of their previous crates.

Yellow Umai Crate Box- Umai Crate By Japan Crate: Experience the Flavors of Japan through Noodles!

Each Umai Crate box holds 8-10 quality Japanese noodles, a culinary bonus item, and exclusive recipe card. The small guide has the name of each item in English and Japanese, a photo, small description, and cooking instructions. 

Umai Crate Box Contents- Yellow Umai Crate Box with guide: August 2019 Umai Crate by Japan Crate

The August 2019 Premium Crate was filled with 7 types of noodles, a Taiwan Mix Soba Sauce, a bonus Yuzu Sesame Sauce, and a recipe for Crispy Noodle Kakiage.

Asakusa Sauce Yakisoba

Asakusa Sauce Yakisoba noodles with cabbage in a light grey bowl.

The Asakusa Sauce Yakisoba was my personal favorite. This Asakusa-style yakisoba is coated in a savory and sour sauce and ready within 3 minutes. Recommended toppings are red pepper flakes and ginger. 

Udon Dappe

Udon Dappe thick udon noodles with a bonito broth in a white and blue bowl with a brown rim.

Claire really enjoyed the Udon Dappe. Thick udon noodles are served in a lightly sweetened bonito broth with green onions, seaweed, and shredded pieces of deep-fried fish. Shichimi pepper and/or bonito flakes are a couple of suggested toppings.

Mini Bunashimeji Mushroom Udon

Mini Bunashimeji Mushroom Udon with a bonito seaweed broth in a light blue bowl decorated with cherry blossoms.

The Mini Bunashimeji Mushroom Udon is another delicious udon soup. Whole grain udon noodles are cooked in hot water for 3 minutes, then mixed with a bonito seaweed broth, bunashimeji mushrooms, carrots, and green onion. A side of fish is recommended as a pairing idea.

Seafood Sara Udon

Crispy Seafood Sara Udon noodles with blue seasoning packet.

Sara Udon comes from Nagasaki and consists of a mixture of seafood, meat, and vegetables in a sauce served over the thin, fried noodles. This Seafood Sara Udon package includes two servings of the thin and crispy noodles along with seasoning packets to make your own Sara Udon at home!

Healthy Vegetable Ramen

Healthy Vegetable Ramen topped with sliced green onions in a light blue bowl with white flowers.

This Vegetable Ramen is slightly healthier than other types of instant ramen. The noodles are boiled in water for 2-3 minutes, then the soup flavoring and toppings are mixed in for a quick and easy light lunch. Want a more filling meal? Top the ramen with egg, onion, and bean sprouts.

Fururu Cold Noodles

Fururu Cold Noodles topped with a halved hard-boiled egg and sliced cucumbers in a white bowl.

One of the spicier additions to the Umai Crate was the package of Fururu Cold Noodles. Cold, Korean-style Bibim noodles are cooked for a couple of minutes until tender, rinsed with cold water, and coated with a sweet and spicy gochujang sauce. Additional topping options include eggs, cucumber, and kimchi.

Taiwan Mix Soba Sauce

Taiwan Mix Soba Sauce over a bed of thin egg noodles and topped with sliced green onions in a white bowl.

The Taiwan Mix Soba Sauce was another spicy item in the box. I paired this blend of soy sauce, minced meat, and garlic with the Chinese noodles (photo below). Suggested toppings are egg, seaweed, and green onions.

Chinese Noodles

Chinese Noodles from Umai Crate Box Review in a clear package over a blue and white towel.

The package of Chinese noodles was the recommended pairing for the Taiwan Mix Soba Sauce. They are perfect as the base for a variety of hot or cold noodle dishes. There was also a recipe card in the box with an idea to toss the Chinese noodles with vegetables, shrimp, flour, eggs, and ice water to make Crispy Noodle Kakiage and serve with the Yuzu Sesame Dipping Sauce below.

Yuzu Sesame Sauce

Yuzu Sesame Sauce from Umai Crate Box Review in a blue fish-shaped dipping bowl next to the seasoning packet and chilled somen noodles in a bamboo basket.

I used the bonus Yuzu Sesame Sauce as a delicious accompaniment to chilled noodles. The packet (with enough for multiple servings) includes a mixture of “grated sesame with a zesty yuzu flavor.” The combination was quite refreshing. 

Overall, this August Umai Crate was definitely a fun treat for us. We loved trying all the different flavors and many of the items were completely new to me. Like the Japan Crate, it was also a great way to get the kids excited about our trip to Japan next year.

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Filed Under: Asian, Pasta and Rice Tagged With: asia, asian, Japan, Japanese, noodle, noodles, pasta, ramen, review, soup, subscription box, udon

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Deepika

    30 September, 2019 at 10:05 am

    This sure looks like a fun treat. All these different kind of noodles look tempting.

    Reply
  2. Taylor Kiser

    30 September, 2019 at 11:11 am

    What a great subscription box!! Thanks for the sneak peek inside!

    Reply
  3. Whitney

    30 September, 2019 at 12:21 pm

    This is a great idea! Never even seen this before. This would be the perfect gift for my husband.

    Reply
  4. Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry

    30 September, 2019 at 1:04 pm

    What an interesting idea for a subscription box. I’d love this, I’m a big noodle fan.

    Reply
  5. Mahy

    30 September, 2019 at 1:12 pm

    I’ve never heard about this box before but it certainly looks worth checking out! Delicious-looking box that I could order from time to time – yum!

    Reply

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