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japan guide by Remoju

Japanese Noodle - Ramen

Reported by Lacky

A love afair born from a single bowl of piping hot noodles! Learn about Japan’s fast food!

Ramen. The ultimate combination of noodles, broth, vegetables and pork. During my time as an exchange student I ate Ramen four to five times a week, and I could easily eat it twice in one day! The perfect end to a night of drinking, possibly the best hangover cure, and my favorite meal. Pictured above is the bowl that started it all, Hokkaido’s famous butter corn ramen. A heartattack in a bowl, but you will savor every mouthful of the sweet, piping hot soup.

A Bowl Full of Perfection

More Than Just Instant Noodles

As a bit of a Ramen purist, I personally find it very difficult to purchase instant ramen or cup noodles from convenience stores both in Japan and overseas. While instant ramen does have a variety of flavors, brands and sizes, in my opinion they just can’t match up to the full-hearted taste and the sense of weight behind each mouthful of the real thing. Much like instant noodles, Ramen also comes in many varieties, with the soup base itself being broken down into three main categories; shouyu (soy sauce), miso and salt. There are also several other offshoot flavors, such as curry and tomato, and even further combination variants!

Ramen can even be quite spicy!

Customize Your Toppings!

While I will concede that instant ramen is good when you don't feel like leaving the the house, or as a quick snack if you're short on time, there just isn't enough substance. While you do gain the ability to determine just how hard or soft your noodles will be, many ramen shops actually ask you whether you would prefer hard, soft, or normal noodles (硬めkatame, 軟らかめyawarakame, or 普通futsuu), in addition to various other options such as the richness of the soup, how much oil you want in it, and even the amount of garlic you want in it. My preferred amount is between two to three cloves; A.K.A enough to kill a vampire with a single breath.

Yokohama Ieke Ramen remains a favourite!

The Soup is The Base of Everything　

Salt ramen was originally my least favourite variety, due to how often the saltiness is just so overpowering that it felt like eating a large bucket of popcorn by yourself! But after trying some of the most highly rated salt ramen stores in my area, my opinion has slowly begun to shift to a more positive light. The best salt ramen usually has a kick of salt, but isn’t too overpowering, resulting in a somewhat tame flavor, but maintains that ever popular salty kick. The next most common variety would be shoyu, or soy sauce ramen, which is perhaps the most common and widely consumed of all ramen in Japan. The soy sauce broth is obvious much less salty than that of salt ramen, and is actually quite sweet. The last of the main three flavors, “Tonkotsu”, or pork bone ramen is one of the most unhealthy and fatty dishes you will ever eat in your life. This is particularly true if you elect to have it “kotteri”, but boy oh boy is it worth every mouthful. Miso based ramen broths is the newest of the traditional ramen flavors, and owes its history exclusively to Japan. Miso is often even added to other ramen broths to enhance their own natural flavors.

The perfect meal

A Healthier Option?

In recent years, another new flavor has been gaining popularity, and is very twenty-first century in its fusion of western and Japanese cuisine! Tomato ramen is newly created and been growing in popularity all throughout Japan for the last decade or so! Designed as a healthier option for those wanting their noodle fix, without having to worry too much about their waistlines! The combination of an Italian pasta inspired tomato broth with Japanese ramen noodles, along with melted cheese and vegetables make for an incredible cultural-fusion dish! If you’re not quite ready to step out of your comfort zone to try Japanese noodles, then this is the perfect stepping point!