Ramen 101: The Ramen Obsession
I think I
made it clear that I love Ramen and I could write pages about it on this blog.
However, I would like to start out with my first Ramen post (yes it took this
long to muster strength and write something about my favourite food) by introducing
the basics of this dish. I would like to say that this is not a comprehensive
guide for Ramen because that is difficult to pull off but I will try my best to
share what I know with everyone.
With the many
variations out there, it can be confusing to choose what type of Ramen one
should try.
First things
first, Ramen (ˈrɑmən) ([sometimes with sing. v.]) is a
Japanese noodles of wheat flour, usually served in broth with pieces of
vegetables and meat (American English Dictionary). Ramen is a noodle in soup dish which
originally made its way from China into Japan when the country reopened its borders
during the Meiji Restoration. (Types of Ramen, Styles of Ramen , 2013)
WHY I LOVE RAMEN
I discovered
Ramen a few years back when I was on a diet (thinking it was the answer since
it was just soup). Since then it has become a staple whenever we are in a
Japanese Restaurant along with Kani Salads and Gyosa.
Ramen has a
lot of characteristics I love about food but here are the top three things that
make it my favorite dish:
1. It is a
complete meal
By complete
I mean it has a lot of elements in it from various food groups – carbohydrates
in the noodles, protein from the broth and meat slices (I like the thin shoulder
cuts of pork in my Ramen) and vegetables.
2. It has many
variations
Every restaurant
I’ve been to whether it be Karate Kid fastfood Ramen or the more fancy Ramen
Nagi chain, offer their own version of Ramen. This makes it an exciting endeavour
of trying out Ramen dishes in restaurants.
3. Hell, It is amazing
From its
roots as a Chinese dish, it has evolved into almost national dish identified
with Japan, they even have a Ramen Museum there. It is made from alkaline
noodles which is why it is yellowish in a way and has been adapted into many
cultures making it a very universal dish (case in point, Korea has a version of
Ramen called Ramyeon, which is quite spicy for my palate but nonetheless very tasty).
There are
also some eccentricities with eating this dish. According to some friends who
have been to Japan, people line up in cramped up restaurants to eat this dish.
Traditionally you have to slurp it with sounds and it is rude to the chef if
you add more seasonings and cut the noodles when you eat.
Ramen has four
basic ingredients: Noodles, Broth, Meat and Toppings. From its beginnings as a
knock-off Chinese dish, Ramen has become a very popular and distinct dish.
TYPES
There are various ways to classify Ramen but to simplify things I
will enumerate based on the soup flavour and seasoning, later on with upcoming
posts we’ll tackle other ways of classification. (Alt, 2013)
Shoyu – is a Soy Sauce based soup and is the second oldest type of Ramen. It is a chicken based broth and is moderately thick. With the addition of light soy sauce it is sweeter than Shio. Much like Shio, this is usually accompanied with thin straight noodles.
Miso – opaque in appearance because of the addition of Miso Paste, this type of Ramen is popular in the Southern Islands of Hokkaido. Because of Miso Paste giving it a fermented flavor, very thick and full in texture and usually served very hot. Noodles for this soup style is usually thick and curly.
Tonkotsu – is a pork broth almost similar to Shio but only thicker and creamy since the pork bones are slow cooked longer that the collagen dissolves in the broth. The noodles for Tonkotsu since it is relatively similar to Shio are straight and thin.
Whoah, that made me crave for Ramen. Next time I'll be reviewing Ramen Houses in Metro Manila that I love especially now that the weather is perfect for a bowl of hot Ramen.
Did you like this article? Perhaps share it with your friends and feel free to comment.
Cheers!
References
Alt, J. L. (September, 2013). The Serious Eats
Guide to Ramen Styles. Retrieved from Serious Eats:
http://www.seriouseats.com/2013/09/the-serious-eats-guide-to-ramen-styles.html
American English
Dictionary. (n.d.). Retrieved from
Collins Dictionary:
http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/american/ramen
Types of Ramen, Styles
of Ramen . (5 May, 2013). Retrieved
from Kobi's Kitchen:
https://kobikitchen.wordpress.com/2013/05/05/types-of-ramen/
0 reactions