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Try some Alien Soup from Japan, now with more alien!

Master Blaster Oct 28, 2019
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It also comes in handy instant cups for those who want their xenomorphs on the go.

A few years back we stumbled upon the Fukuoka regional delicacy Alien Ramen, which was a pack of instant noodles flavored with a broth of the warasubo fish. Warasubo are nicknamed the “aliens of the Ariake Sea” because they look like aliens, or more specifically H.R. Giger’s Alien which was used in a highly successful series of horror and action movies.

However, our experience with Alien Ramen was a little disappointing, not only because it tasted kind of gnarly, but because it just had the “flavor” of these unique looking critters without any of their visual appeal.

▼ It was green though.

But that comes with the “ramen” territory. After all, commonly sold ramen doesn’t usually have chunks of fish floating in it, that’s more the realm of a soup. It is perhaps in this realization that makers Yoakedyaya have come up with an Alien Ramen resurrection in the form of Alien Soup.

This soup was spotted by our reporter Masami while passing through Hakata Station in Fukuoka. Two-packs were sold at a souvenir shop for 540 yen (US$5) each. The box had a picture of a drooling Warasubo and promised to have chunks of the actual fish inside.

▼ “Hot water has been splashed on the monster! It’s rich aroma attacks…”

Masami took it back to a secure location and opened up a cup. Inside was a small packet of alien chunks. They had been pre-grilled giving them an even more xenomorphic appearance.

She put the creatures, along with the other ingredients such as leek and soup stock, into the cup and poured hot water up to the line inside.

After one minute the soup was ready. The warasubo pieces had softened inside the broth giving them a softer and slightly less threatening appearance.

▼ Slightly…

The soup itself had a rich soy sauce flavor that went down smooth, and the fish added savory umami to the mix. The fish is edible too and had a deep earthy flavor that would go well with some sake.

It would seem that Masami’s experience with the Alien Soup was much more delightful than we had seen with Alien Ramen. Perhaps that’s because Alien Soup used relatively fresher warasubo than the powdered form of it in Alien Ramen.

By the way, the same shop also sells mudskipper soup.

These also had chunks of mudskipper inside and oddly enough, they looked an awful lot like aliens too once grilled. I think what we’re learning here is that Alien was very likely inspired by a burnt fish.

So if you happen to have a hankering for odd looking fish, then it might just be time for a trip to Fukuoka and all the otherworldly soups they offer. Just ask Sting.

Related: Yoakedyaya Online Shop 
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