Carbs have long gotten a bad rap for their supposed “unhealthiness”, which in turn has spurred a number of fad diets, from the Atkin’s to the gluten-free, that urge their followers to shun the grains. But most nutritionists will still argue that, unless you have specific allergies, your body needs carbohydrates to function at its best.

Of course, as with all things, moderation is the key. But sometimes it’s okay to give yourself a little treat, and what could be better than a big old bowl of all of the carbs. We’re talking rice, pasta, ramen, and bread combined together in one heavenly bowl. Couldn’t get any better than that. Or, you may be saying to yourself, it couldn’t get any worse. Either way, we decided to give it a try and find out!

Today’s recipe contains only five ingredients: rice, bread, udon noodles, ramen noodles, and spaghetti noodles. And the only tool you’ll need: a rice cooker (if you don’t have one, you should get one. Your life will forever be changed).

Prep couldn’t be easier. After rinsing your rice clean, put it in the rice cooker along with the other ingredients. Dry spaghetti noodles are fine to use, and while raw udon and ramen noodles are preferable, if dried noodles are all you can find those will work in a pinch. Be sure to add more water than what you’d use for just rice, as the noodles will soak some of it up, and you don’t want to be left with partially cooked rice.

Once everything is in the pot and ready to go, switch the cooker on and let it work its magic!

When the time is up, open the lid and enjoy the sweet aroma of all that deliciousness.

…On second thought, maybe the bread didn’t need to be cooked. It ended up quite mushy, and didn’t add a very pleasant texture to the dish. But what’s done is done. Just give the mixture a good mix with a rice scoop and serve up a heaping bowl of goodness!

Then call your friends over for a bite. Our Japanese writers gathered around to taste the Carb King. The verdict…?

▼ “Hmm… Not bad, but the bread is a bit…yeah.”

▼ Nakazawa: “Ugh! The bread is too much!”

▼ Mr. Sato: “It’s pretty bad.”

▼ Go: “Hmm….”

While the taste itself wasn’t that bad, the mushy bread kind of ruined it, although it did lend a nice hint of saltiness to the dish. Perhaps next time we’ll keep the bread out of the rice cooker. Open-faced carb sandwiches, anyone?

If you’re brave enough, give it a go and tell us what you thought of it!

Images ©RocketNews24

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