Mia Lane
In our longitude, Japanese noodle soup was only known as an instant product for a long time. The production of fresh ramen is unspectacularly simple and the result is outstandingly delicious.
Noodle. Soup. Ramen
Ramen originally comes from China, but only became known worldwide as the Japanese national dish. The term ramen describes both the Japanese noodles themselves and the soups in which these noodles are the main ingredient. As with many things in Japan, this is not pure food, but a philosophy rooted in tradition.
There are tens of thousands of ramen restaurants, called ramen-ya, on the Japanese islands, and each one of them makes ramen in a unique way.
Fresh Ramen Noodles (Namamen) Recipe
Ingredients
- 250 grams of wheat flour
- 1 egg
- 90 ml of water
- A pinch of baking powder
- Salt
- Some ground durum wheat semolina for rolling out
Preparation
Mix the water, baking powder, and salt, then add the egg to the water and stir.
Place the flour in a bowl and gradually add the liquid. Knead for a long time until you get a homogeneous dough.
If you own a pasta machine, use the dough to make noodles that are 3 millimeters thick and wide according to the instructions on your device. Then place the pasta on finely ground durum wheat semolina to dry for a quarter of an hour.
If you don’t have a pasta machine, roll out the dough very thinly and dust it with a little ground durum wheat semolina. Carefully fold the dough once lengthways and twice upright. Do not press the sides together too tightly. Cut thin strips with a knife, unfold them and place the pasta on finely ground durum wheat semolina to dry for a quarter of an hour.
The cooking time for these noodles is three minutes. You can also freeze them straight away to keep them longer.
The broth makes the difference
There is no universal recipe, no standard model, and no core preparation for ramen. The decisive factor for the taste of each individual noodle soup is always the composition of the broth and the fresh ingredients such as vegetables, herbs, meat, or fish. There are no limits, but there are different categories, at least for the flavors, depending on the main “salt source” of the soup.
Types of Ramen Broth
Shoyu ramen is based on soy sauce. This type of ramen is special in central Japan. Classically, soy sauce with meat broth forms the basis. Chicken, seafood, various types of vegetables, and a boiled egg are used as typical, fresh ingredients.
Miso is a kind of soy paste that tastes much more aromatic than liquid soy sauce. Miso ramen originated in the colder north of Japan, where heartier, warming soups are popular. These soups are often made with bacon, broad beans, and sweetcorn.
Shio ramen is the oldest type of ramen and is made with sea salt. Flavor-wise, it is the lightest type of ramen and is often eaten in southern Japan. Fresh fish, seafood, and fresh, light vegetables often find their way into shio ramen bowls.
Tonkotsu ramen is very popular in and around Tokyo. The basis here is heavy pork or chicken broth made from the boiled bones of the animals. Ramen restaurants in Tokyo like to pack fried pork, bamboo shoots, and mushrooms into this type of ramen.
Ramen: entrees and side dishes
Typical for ramen are the different types of inserts and side dishes. From vegetables to meat and fish to mushrooms and other types of pasta, everything that tastes good is allowed.
Pretty much any vegetable that goes with a good soup will also go well with ramen. In Japan, carrots, pointed or Chinese cabbage, spring onions, corn, spinach leaves, or bamboo shoots are typically used. However, there are countless possibilities. Every restaurant, every chef, and every family has its own variation.
Of course, people in the island nation of Japan like to eat fish. Tuna tastes great in ramen. The Japanese also love kamaboko, a type of surimi, i.e. pureed and pressed fish meat – comparable to a variant of the meat loaf known here. Nori, roasted seaweed, is a common addition. But also every kind of meat is eaten with enthusiasm in Japan. Pork ham, veal soup, or fried chicken find their way into the ramen pots.
Many say that a real ramen soup needs a soft-boiled egg. Others swear by wontons, dumplings filled with shrimp or meat. Both factions agree on one ingredient: oyster tarts or shiitake mushrooms are a “must” when it comes to ramen. Fresh ginger, wakame (algae pickled in sesame oil), or garlic give the soup a spicy taste.
