Steamy, rich, and savory, ramen is Japan’s culinary gift to the world! This delicious dish can come in many different forms - from the fancy ramen you can find in high-end Japanese restaurants, fast food you can see in the streets, and instant ramen you can easily make at home. In Japan, ramen is a culinary art form. There are so many ramen varieties from region to region. Get out your chopsticks and bowls, because today we’re going on a noodle-filled journey to learn more about Japanese ramen!
- Japanese name: ラーメン (rah - mehn)
- Food type: Casual Japanese food
- Fun fact: Instant ramen was the very first type of noodle to make it to space!
WHAT IS RAMEN?
Everybody knows what ramen is! It’s a Japanese noodle soup dish that’s not only popular in Japan but all around the world. Though most people in the US and other Western countries attribute ramen to packaged, dried noodles, in Japan it’s so much more! Instead of instant noodles, in Japan, this tasty dish is usually served with fresh ingredients that are piping hot and comforting.
WHAT IS TRADITIONAL JAPANESE RAMEN?
Traditional Japanese ramen is ramen made the classic way with the proper basic components. Unlike instant ramen which can be quickly made thanks to its powdered ingredients and dried noodles, traditional ramen can take a lot of time to make. Each component takes time to prepare, from the soup to the noodles to the toppings that rest on each ramen bowl.
WHAT IS RAMEN MADE OF?
Classic ramen is served fresh. It’s made up of five main components - noodles, broth, fats and oils, flavoring sauce, and of course the toppings. The noodles used in ramen are chukamen or Chinese wheat noodles. They’re served in a rich and delicious broth mixed with a flavoring sauce and then decorated with a variety of toppings that can include meat and vegetables. This structure makes ramen pretty easy to customize. That’s why there are so many different varieties of ramen in Japan!
WHY ARE NOODLES CALLED RAMEN?
Did you know that the Japanese word for ramen has roots in China? The Japanese borrowed it from the Mandarin Chinese “lamian” which means pulled noodles (unlike its namesake though, ramen noodles are cut and not pulled like the ones in real lamian dishes). The word ramen first appeared in Japan when Seiichi Yoshida released the book, How to Prepare Delicious and Economical Dishes in 1928. In it, Yoshida describes how to make ramen.
Before the word ramen was created, the classic Japanese noodle dish went by other names. Sometimes it was called shina soba or chuka soba, with shina and chuka both being the Japanese words for China. Sometimes it was called Nankin soba, with Nankin being a name after the city which was then the capital of China in the early 1900s.
WHERE IS RAMEN FROM?
Ramen comes from Japan. It’s the Japanese adaptation of Chinese noodles! According to the “History of Ramen in Japan” which can be found at the Shinyokohama Ramen Museum, ramen was first recorded in Japan in the 1910s when the first Chinese restaurant for Japanese people, Rai Rai Ken, was opened in Asakusa, Tokyo City. A Japanese manager at Rai Rai Ken had hired 12 Chinese Chefs from Yokohama Chinatown and they created “Nanking soba” or “Shina soba,” a dish that would eventually be what we know as ramen.
IS RAMEN KOREAN OR JAPANESE?
Sometimes people mistake ramen from Japan with ramyeon from Korea. We understand how some people can confuse the two since they’re both noodle dishes! Unlike ramen which is made from fresher ingredients, Korean ramyeon is made up of dried curly noodles, freeze-dried vegetables, and a sachet of powdered soup all rehydrated in boiling water. Ramyeon makes for a quick, tasty, and spicy meal that can be eaten by itself or with additional toppings!
WHERE IS RAMEN FAMOUS IN JAPAN?
Almost everywhere, really! While there are many ramen specialty shops known for their rich and delicious ramen, this iconic Japanese dish is actually considered a type of fast food in Japan. Almost every neighborhood in Japan has a casual ramen-ya or ramen store (if you'd like to get your own ramen you can check out our ramen collection in Japan Candy Store). Most of them are pretty small, so people don’t really linger over their bowls. They leave right after finishing their ramen so the next person in line can sit down and have their meal.
WHAT KIND OF NOODLES ARE RAMEN?
Ramen noodles are chukamen noodles. Golden and springy, these noodles are made with egg, salt, water, and most importantly, kansui. Also known as lye water or alkaline salt, kansui is an alkaline solution typically made from potassium carbonate and sodium carbonate which regulates the acidity in dough making. It’s the kansui that gives chukamen noodles its distinct yellow color and allows them to absorb the rich flavors of the ramen broth. It goes without saying that ramen noodles cannot be made without kansui.
Interestingly enough, did you know that the wheat flour used in ramen noodles has a higher protein content than other noodles? It has a 10-13% protein percentage! Though the thickness of ramen noodles can vary across Japan, they’re usually thinner than fettuccine or spaghetti noodles. That way they can cook quickly and evenly. The most common ramen noodles are long and cylindrical, however, there are some that are curly and others that are flat!
Ramen noodles can be also customized to have different hardness. The more water used in making the chukamen, the softer they are. If the ramen dough maker uses a low water-to-dough ratio (25-31%), then the noodles become hard. If they use a medium water-to-dough ratio (32-39%) then they’re a bit softer. If the noodles are made with a high water-to-dough ratio (over 40%) then they become soft and chewy, a bit similar to udon noodles.
WHAT ARE THE FIVE LAYERS OF RAMEN?
The five layers of ramen are what make this quintessential Japanese dish so good! Each component complements the other to make the dish whole. Though we discussed what ramen is made of earlier on in the article, it’s always good to have a bit of a refresher. So let's go through the different components again!
The first layer of ramen is the broth. It’s the base of the dish. The second layer is the fats and the oils found in the broth. They add richness to the soup. Then there’s the noodles. You have to get the right noodles for ramen, those that are made with kansui (an alkaline solution which regulates the acidity in the noodles). The fourth layer is the flavoring sauces. They add extra oomph to the dish. And of course, last but not least, the toppings! They complete the ramen to perfection!
HOW MANY TYPES OF RAMEN ARE THERE?
There are many types of ramen and most of them are distinguished first by the kind of broth they have and then by flavorings put in the soup. Some types of ramen have thick broths, some have thin ones. Some ramen is flavored with miso, some with shoyu (Japanese soy sauce), and then others with shio (salt). In this section, we’ll go through the distinguishing features of the different types of ramen.
Broth / Soup
The broth forms the base for all types of ramen. Though it is generally made from chicken or pork, some types use vegetable and fish stock instead. Most of the time the base broth is also combined with other flavoring stock components like niboshi (dried baby sardines), shiitake mushroom, kombu seaweed, and katsuobushi (skipjack tuna flakes). Here are the two different kinds of ramen stock:
Paitan (白湯)
Similar to the Chinese baitang soup, this ramen stock is creamy, thick, and has a consistency that rivals milk, melted butter, or gravy. It’s a rich kind of soup that’s made by boiling pork or chicken bones at a high heat for hours. This emulsifies the bones in the soup and gives it that opaque, white, and creamy look. One of the most well-known paitan stocks is tonkotsu. When this broth is made with chicken bones, it’s called tori paitan (鶏白湯).
Chintan (清湯)
This ramen stock is a clear kind of soup that’s made from chicken, pork, vegetables, and niboshi (Japanese dried fish). The ingredients are simmered in water while skimming the foam and scum off the top of the pot. One of the most common ramen broths, Chintan ramen has a delicate flavor similar to a consome. Ramen enthusiasts find that it doesn’t feel as overwhelming as its thicker sibling, paitan.
Tare / Sauce
Directly translating to dipping sauce in Japanese, tare is a condiment used to add flavor to ramen broth. It adds distinct flavor notes to the dish like saltiness or umami. Why separate the tare from the ramen? Well, instead of keeping three different kinds of ramen soup running, chefs in Japan can just have one or two different broths set in their kitchen and then add the tare later on. This makes the ramen efficient and customizable! Let’s discuss the three different kinds of tare.
Shio (塩) / Salt
In Japanese, shio means salt. Don’t be fooled though, this tare isn’t just made from salt alone. Instead, to create shio tare one has to mix salt and msg together with cooking Japanese alcohols like mirin and sake together. Umami ingredients are also added into the mix like kombu seaweed and niboshi (small dried fish). One of the most well-known versions of shio ramen in Japan is the Hakodate ramen.
Shoyu (醤油) / Soy Sauce
Like the shio tare, the shoyu tare is made with cooking alcohol and umami ingredients. The only difference is that shoyu or soy sauce is added to the mix to enhance the saltiness of the mix as well as the umami flavor. Unlike shio ramen which mostly uses straight chukamen noodles, shoyu ramen uses curly ones. Some Japanese ramen shops serve sliced beef with their shoyu ramen instead of the usual chashu (thin-cut pork).
Miso (味噌) / Soybean Paste
Miso is an essential ingredient in Japanese cooking. Developed in Sapporo Hokkaido, the miso tare for ramen combines together a whole lot of miso paste with chicken or fish broth. Sometimes, chefs use tonkotsu or lard. This mix creates a sweet and hearty soup that’s thick, nutty, and slightly sweet all at the same time. Unlike shio ramen which has straight noodles, the noodles regularly used for miso are thick and curly. They’re also slightly chewy!
WHAT TO ADD TO RAMEN?
Toopings of course! One of the reasons that makes ramen so popular is that you can customize almost everything in the dish - from the noodles to the broth, to the tare, and especially the toppings. There are so many different toppings used in ramen! In this section, we’ll go through each one.
Chashu (チャーシュー)
Derived from the Chinese word “char siu,” or pork roast, the Japanese Chashu is a tender pork dish meant to go with ramen. Adapted to suit the Japanese palate, it is nothing at all like charsiu. Instead of skewering and roasting pork over fire, chashu is made from pork belly simmered in a savory broth made from sake, soy sauce, mirin, garlic, ginger, sugar, and spices. Though pork belly works best, other cuts of pork can be used like loin, ribs, or shoulder.
Kakuni (角煮)
This dish literally means square simmered with kaku meaning cut into squares and ni meaning simmered. As the name implies, kakuni is made of skinless pork belly that’s cut into squares and then braised in a mixture of soy sauce, dashi, mirin, sugar, and sake. A popular regional cuisine of Kyushu, this kakuni can be eaten with rice, tucked into steamed buns, or it can serve as an alternative to chashu in ramen.
Ajitama (味玉)
The abbreviation of ajitsuke tamago, ajitama is a soft-boiled egg soaked in a sweetened soy marinade. People love ajitama eggs because they’re sweet and savory at the same time. Not only that, but they have umami-licious soft and jammy yolks! While soft half-boiled ajitsuke tamago is common for ramen, there are many varieties to suit Japanese people’s different preferences. In some Japanese restaurants, there are hard-boiled ajitama. Some even marinate them in a vinegar mixture instead of soy sauce!
Takana-Zuke (高菜漬け)
The takana-zuke is a Japanese topping made from pickled Japanese mustard leaves. It’s mildly spicy and a bit crunchy in texture. Though it’s often used in tonkotsu ramen, you can also find this condiment is used as a filling for onigiri (Japanese rice balls) or as a mixed ingredient in chahan or Japanese fried rice.
Moyashi (もやし )
Moyashi or bean sprouts add a refreshing taste to ramen. There are multiple ways to prepare the sprouts to top ramen dishes. People who prefer the bean sprouts to be crunchy use raw bean sprouts. They can also be served blanched so that the sprouts are tender and soft. You can also stir-fry the sprouts to give them a nice caramelized and charred taste.
Negi (ねぎ)
The Japanese word for Welsh green onion, negi can be sharp, sweet, and pungent on the tongue and nose. It adds a distinct umami aftertaste to ramen. There are 60 slightly different types of negi that are cultivated in Japan. Some varieties can even offer a citrus tinge to the dish it’s used in.
Wakame (わかめ)
A species of seaweed, wakame in Japan is used in a lot of different soups, salads, and snacks. Though not as common as nori in ramen, wakame is also used as a topping. It helps add nutritional value to the dish.
Nori (海苔)
A dried edible seaweed, nori is used a lot in Japanese cuisine. From sushi to onigiri to ramen. Generally made into flat sheets, nori has a strong and distinctive umami flavor. Nori adds a lot of delicious flavor notes to ramen and can be eaten any way you’d like (though it’s recommended to eat the nori first so that it doesn’t get soggy).
Kikurage (木耳)
Wood ear mushrooms are known as kikurage in Japan. It’s a common topping for Japanese dishes, especially ramen. These fleshy, light-brown, ear-like mushrooms have a gelatinous and rubbery texture that absorbs the flavor of ramen broth really well.
Menma (メンマ)
A fermented dish made from dried bamboo shoots, menma is either used as a topping for ramen or as a snack to go along with sake. It has a slightly crunchy texture that pairs really well with chewy ramen noodles. Most of the time, menma is sold in a dashi brine, however, Japanese markets also have dried menma so people can mix in flavorings of their own choice!
Sesame oil (太白胡麻油)
A dash of sesame oil helps round the bold flavors of ramen. It also adds a distinct nuttiness to the sauce. Sesame oil is a great addition to ramen! Most Ramen-yas (ramen shops) have a bottle of sesame soil next to its other condiments on the table.
Kamaboko (かまぼこ)
A type of cured surimi (cut food) in Japan, kamaboko is a processed food product made by mixing together pureed deboned fish, additives, and flavorings together. Some people refer to it as a fish cake, though it’s not exactly like one. Kamaboko is usually steamed or blanched until they’re fully cooked or firmed. They’re used as toppings in a lot of Japanese dishes like hot soups, noodle dishes, and ramen. There are many different types of kamaboko like red kamoboko, white kamoboko, pink kamaboko, and more.
Umeboshi (梅干し)
A popular tsukemono (pickled food), umeboshi are pickled dried preserved Japanese plums. The keyword in umeboshi is ume, a Japanese plum. If the pickled um isn’t dried, then it’s called umezuke. Though sweet umeboshi made with honey exists, umeboshi is usually extremely sour and salty. Japanese people love umeboshi and eat them as a side dish for rice and rice balls. They’re also turned into ramen toppings.
Other Toppings
Some of the other toppings that aren’t commonly used are corn, butter, olive oil, mayu or black garlic oil, squid, and other types of leafy vegetables like bok choy. Ramen is super customizable. Get creative and explore all the different types of toppings you can place on your ramen!
WHAT IS NARUTO IN RAMEN
While most otaku anime fans might know Naruto as a Japanese manga or anime series, the word “naruto” is also short for “narutomaki,” a type of kamaboko fish cake topping. One of the most recognizable kamaboko, naruto has a cloud-like shape with a pink or red spiral pattern. This spiral design is supposed to resemble the whirlpools that can be found in the Naruto straight between Awaji Island and Naruto in the Tokushima prefecture in Japan.
WHAT IS TONKOTSU RAMEN?
In Japan, tonkotsu (豚骨/とんこつ) means “pork bones.” So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that tonkotsu ramen is actually ramen with broth made from pork bones. This specialty dish comes from Fukuoka in the Fukuoka prefecture on the Kyushu island of Japan (there it’s called Hakata ramen). To make the broth of tonkotsu ramen, one has to boil pork bones for up to eighteen hours so that the soup ends up nice, thick, and cloudy in appearance.
Besides the pork bones, ingredients like onion, garlic, spring onions, ginger, pork back fat, oil, pig trotters, and chicken carcasses are also added. That’s why tonkotsu ramen tends to have such a rich and flavorful soup. That’s why it’s one of the most popular types of ramen in Japan!
WHAT IS KYOTO-STYLE RAMEN?
A cultural hub in Japan, Kyoto has a reputation for delicate flavors. This includes the prefecture’s traditional ramen. Compared to the intensity of the Hakata ramen or the Kurume ramen, Kyoto-style ramen is lighter and less intense. There are three main soup bases for Kyoto ramen and that includes a shoyu pork-based broth, a thick chicken-based broth with vegetable stock, and a chicken-based broth mixed with pork back fat.
WHAT IS TANTANMEN RAMEN?
Tantanmen is a spicy ramen dish derived from the Chinese dish, dan dan mian. In China the word “dan dan” refers to the shoulder pole used to carry around the noodles to sell. To make it easy on the sellers, dan dan mian was sold soupless. When the Japanese adapted the dish, they followed the Shanghai version which added in soup and brought down the spice level. In Japan, tantanmen ramen is much milder, focusing on sesame paste, chili paste, and thick noodles.
REGIONAL JAPANESE RAMEN
In the 1940s, ramen started seeing a spike in popularity in Japan. More and more working people began looking to ramen as some sort of comfort food. It was around this time that regional Japanese ramen began popping up around the land of the rising sun. In this section, we’ll be slurping up all the different kinds of regional ramen that Japan has to offer.
Hakata Tonkotsu Ramen
Earlier on, we got to learn about tonkotsu ramen and how it’s made from pork bones boiled at high temperatures for long periods of time. This method creates a rich and milky paitan broth. Originating in the Hakata Ward food stalls in Fukuoka City from the Fukuoka prefecture, tonkotsu ramen was actually made by mistake. Restaurant chefs in Hakata had accidentally overboiled the pork bones, making the broth milky and white. However, when they taste it, they realized that it was super great to eat!
Sapporo Miso Ramen
Miso ramen might not be that rare now, but it was first created in Sapporo, the capital of Japan’s northernmost prefecture, Hokkaido. Using miso mixed together with a broth made from pig bones, chicken bits, and a variety of seafood, Sapporo miso ramen is a delicious dish. It also contains a lot of veggies, so it’s super nutritious! This specialty regional ramen is so popular in Hokkaido that the place has not one but two ramen alleys - Ganso Ramen Yokocho and Shin Ramen Yokocho.
Kitakata Ramen
One of the three most popular ramen in Japan along with Sapporo ramen and Hakata ramen, Kitakata ramen is known for its special hand-cut noodles. Originating from the Kitakata area of northern Fukuoka, this ramen has fat, wavy egg noodles served in shoyu soup broth topped with chashu pork, menma, and a piece of naruto. It might seem like a simple ramen, however, Kitakata ramen fits the Japanese people’s image of what ramen is.
Wakayama Ramen
Unlike most places in Japan, instead of asking for ramen, locals in the Wakayama prefecture ask for chuka soba or “Chinese-style noodles.” This special type of ramen is a bowl of tonkotsu-shoyu ramen made of pork broth with thin and straight noodles. Wakayama ramen is seen as a combination ramen that mixes pork bone broth popular in Western Japan and soy sauce-based ramen popular in Eastern Japan. Locals also normally eat haya-zushi (a traditional Kansai-style pressed sushi made with pickled mackerel) together with the ramen.
Hakodate Ramen
One of Hokkaido’s port cities, Hakodate is considered the birthplace of the shio ramen. A specialty of the city, Hakodate ramen is considered one of the three major ramen in Hokkaido and a famous local gourmet dish in the prefecture. Since this dish is a shio ramen, its broth is a salt-based chintan soup that’s made with chicken, pork, seafood, and kelp. It has a light delicate taste that allows the flavor of chicken, pork, and seafood to come through.
Onomichi Ramen
As the name implies, this regional type of ramen comes from Onomichi, a seaside town in the Hiroshima prefecture which is located on the Seta Inland Sea in Japan. Its shoyu-based broth is made with high-quality small fish from the currents of Tomonoura mixed together with pork back fat. This creates a rich and nutritious soup. Onomichi ramen has simple toppings - spring onions, roast pork, and bamboo shoots.
Ashikawa Ramen
Originating from Ashikawa city in Hokkaido, this dish is a complex and delicious shoyu-type ramen. It’s known for being a little bit oily with a thin layer of oil sitting on top of a rich broth made from pork, chicken, and fish. Ashikawa ramen also makes use of thin, hard, and wavy noodles that go well with the soup. It’s a hearty dish that’s great for chilly days in Hokkaido.
Nagoya Taiwan Ramen
Though this ramen comes from Nagoya, it’s actually named for the Taiwanese chef living in the city who created this regional ramen. Based on Taiwanese danzai noodles, this regional ramen is a spicy dish. It’s made of shoyu broth, chili oil, and ramen noodles with spicy ground pork and garlic chives as toppings. Nagoya Taiwan ramen might have pre-dated the spicy food trend in Japan, but it continues to be a popular regional ramen
Okinawa Soba
Though it’s part of Japan now, Okinawa used to be an independent archipelago separate from the rest of Japan. Known as the Ryukyu Kingdom, the chain of islands in Okinawa had its own language, culture, and food. That includes its own regional ramen called Okinawa soba. Though the dish uses noodles called “soba” they are actually udon flour noodles. Its ramen-style broth is made with pork, katsuobushi fish flakes, and konbu seaweed. Unlike other kinds of ramen, the toppings for Okinawa soba is pretty unique with soki (boneless pork ribs) and stewed san-mai niku (or three-layer pork belly).
Kurume Ramen
Kurume is said to be the birthplace of tonkotsu ramen in Kyushu. According to some reports, Kurume ramen actually the original style of ramen in the Kyushu prefecture that predates even the Hakata tonkotso ramen. It has a richer and heavier taste because of the special way it’s made. Using a hagama (round-bottomed cooking pot), the broth is made with the yobidashi method where it’s stewed for a long time and then topped up every time the soup is reduced.
Kagoshima Ramen
Though the Kagoshima ramen comes from the Kyushu prefecture, it isn’t heavy like the Hakata tonkotsu ramen or the kurume ramen. Sure, it might use tonkotsu stock but the taste is milder. A little cloudy, the soup in Kagoshima ramen uses a mix of chicken, vegetables, dried sardines, kelp, and dried mushrooms. Noboruya, the original shop for Kagoshima ramen, has been open since 1947. It’s super popular locally.
Tsukemen
Unlike other specialty ramen, tsukemen separates the soup and ramen noodles into different dishes. To eat the dish, you grab a mouthful of noodles with your chopsticks and dip them into the broth which is stronger and more seasoned than regular ramen. The noodles are served cold or at room temperature while the broth is served hot. Created in Tokyo in 1961 by Kazuo Yamagashi, tsukamen has become increasingly popular in Japan and around the world.
Abura Soba
In Japanese, Abura means oil while soba is a style of noodles. If you put them together, abura soba technically means oil noodles in English. Standing out among all the other ramen in Japan, abura soba doesn’t have any broth. Also, despite its name being soba, this dish uses ramen noodles instead of regular buckwheat soba noodles. Mixed with a shoyu tare sauce base and aroma oil, abura soba still packs a punch in flavor. Toppings mixed with the noodles are typically chashu, egg yolk, seasoned ground pork, menma, shredded nori, and green onions.
WHAT IS INSTANT RAMEN?
Everyone knows instant ramen! Unlike traditional ramen, a pack of instant ramen usually consists of dried noodles, flavoring powder, and seasoning oil. Instant ramen is usually super affordable, making it a staple for people on a budget like college students. They’re also really good options for people who have no time to cook. A quick and easy meal, instant ramen is popular not just in Japan but nearly everywhere around the world. If you'd like to check out instant ramen straight from Japan, you can check out our ramen collection on Japan Candy Store.
THE HISTORY OF INSTANT RAMEN
During World War II, Japan was having trouble finding food to feed its people. There were rice shortages everywhere. When Americans started donating wheat flour to Japan, people started using it to create ramen noodles that were being sold in carts. At the time, ramen was seen as a cheap and filling meal for soldiers and civilians alike.
Finding a market to tap into, Japanese-Taiwanese businessman Momofuku Ando started working on instant ramen. After finding the perfect formula in 1958, Ando released the very first packet of instant ramen called Chiken Ramen with the help of his company, Nissin Foods. A few decades later in 1971, Nissin was able to introduce Cup noodles, the very first cup noodle product! If you'd like to have a taste of the different instant ramen noodles Nissin has to offer, you can check out all of the different Nissin goodies here on Japan Candy Store.
MAKE YOUR OWN INSTANT RAMEN AT THE CUP NOODLES MUSEUM!
Cup Noodles have become such a big part of Japan’s cultural food heritage that the country has not one, but two Cup Noodles Museums! Filled with exhibits and attractions, it celebrates the history of Cup Noodles and its creator Momofuku Ando. Both museums have an instant noodles workshop where visitors can make their own batch of “fresh” instant noodles.
IS RAMEN UNHEALTHY?
Well, it depends on the kind of ramen. Instant ramen might seem like a light snack to many, but it’s actually very calorie-dense (300+ calories). Dieticians don’t recommend people eat instant ramen daily or have them multiple times a day. That’s because they have a lot of additives and a ton of sodium. One pack alone contains 1,760 mg of sodium which is 88% of the 2-gram daily recommendation of WHO. Not only that but instant ramen doesn’t have that many key nutrients like protein, fiber, and vitamins.
What about traditional Japanese ramen? Well, ramen made the traditional way can also be pretty high in calories as it contains a lot of heavy ingredients like dense broth, wheat noodles, and a number of toppings. Depending on the type, classic Japanese ramen’s calorie count can range from 450 to nearly 700 calories.
Though traditional ramen isn’t a really good food option if you’re on a diet, it can still have a lot of nutritional value. Its bone broth has a lot of collagen, amino acids, and minerals which enhance skin elasticity and improve joint health. The chukamen ramen noodles are also complex carbohydrates that keep your glucose levels steady.
Classic ramen also has pretty great toppings! It has high-quality protein sources like pork, chicken, or tofu. These help to build and repair muscle tissue in your body. They also keep you fuller for longer. Besides the protein, ramen also has nutrient-rich vegetable toppings like sprouts, mushrooms, and menma or bamboo shoots.
IS THERE VEGAN RAMEN IN JAPAN?
Japan has always been a health-conscious country, and lately there have been more and more vegan options popping up in Japanese ramen-yas. Listed in the Michelin Guide ( a guide of best food places to visit), Uzu Ramen has two different kinds of vegan ramen options that change with the seasons - soy sauce and miso. In Tokyo Station, there’s also T’s Tantan which offers vegan tantanmen ramen. Ippudo Plant Based Studio in the Lumine Department store in Tokyo also has vegan Hakata tonkotsu and vegan shio ramen!
HOW TO EAT RAMEN?
Japan is a traditional country that prioritizes proper etiquette and behavior. From how to dress, how to ride trains, even how to eat ramen! When it comes to eating ramen, the first thing in Japan is to eat the noodles. Pick them up with chopsticks and slurp them up. These noises might seem impolite in other countries, but Japanese people believe that slurping is a sign of appreciation for the dish. While you slurp up your noodles, be careful that you don’t spill soup on yourself or accidentally splash it on people around you.
After having some of the noodles, you can try enjoying the different toppings. If you can’t pick it up with your chopsticks, you can use the soup spoon. When it comes to drinking the soup, Japanese people believe that it’s good manners to put the chopsticks down so you can use the soup spoon in your right hand to enjoy the broth. You can also lift the bowl to directly drink the soup. It isn’t really necessary to finish the whole bowl to be polite, however, it is considered a compliment to the chef when you do so.
There are some other important reminders when eating ramen in Japan! People who have long hair need to tie it up before eating ramen. That way, none of it gets into the bowl or accidentally gets splashed on while slurping the noodles. Another dining etiquette that goes not only with ramen but all food is that it’s rude to talk on your phone. Japanese people also don’t really appreciate talking with food in your mouth!
HOW TO MAKE RAMEN?
The difficulty of making ramen depends on whether you’re trying to cook a pack of instant noodles or whether you’re aiming for classic ramen. Instant ramen is super easy to make - all you have to really do is follow the instructions in the packaging which usually. This usually involves cooking the ramen noodles in boiling water and then mixing in the sauces and toppings.
Traditional Japanese ramen is another story though. It involves a lot of cooking - from the broth to the noodles, to the toppings. There are some homemade ramen recipes that make it easier though! Sure, the broth might not be as thick or rich, but homemade ramen is also pretty good. There are a number of fun recipes for homemade ramen that you can make online.
HOW TO MAKE RAMEN BETTER?
This might seem like an odd question considering that traditional Japanese ramen is a culinary experience on its own, but instant ramen can be a bit bare bones. To upgrade instant ramen, all you need to do is add things. Condiments like miso paste, chili bean sauce, fish sauce, and ponzu help make the soup richer. Adding proteins like hard-boiled eggs, shrimp, and shredded chicken makes it more filling. You can also put in vegetables like green onions or bokchoy cabbage to add nutritional value to your instant ramen!
HOW TO MAKE RAMEN EGGS
Subtly sweet, savory, and soft, ajitsuke tamago or ramen eggs are pretty delicious. They’re great as ramen toppings or as snacks eaten on their own. That’s why a lot of people keep asking how these jammy eggs can be made at home. Lucky for you, they’re not at all that hard to make! All you have to do is make the marinade (a combination of soy sauce, mirin, sake, and water), cook soft-boiled eggs, and then marinate them in the sauce overnight. You can check out tons of ajitama recipes online for the proper ratios!
HOW TO MAKE RAMEN BROTH?
Making ramen broth the Japanese way can be quite a daunting task. Most of the time you need to simmer bones, meat, and other flavoring ingredients for hours so that you can get that delicious stock base for your ramen. If you’re up to the task, however, there are a number of ramen broth recipes online! Just follow them carefully and make sure to set a lot of time for the task.
HOW TO SPICE UP RAMEN?
Besides the Nagoya Taiwan ramen and Tantanmen, there aren’t that many spicy traditional styles of ramen in Japan. But it isn’t really a problem! All spicy food lovers have to do is add a bit of spice to the dish. You can use crushed chillis, sriracha, and even kimchi. These spicy add-ons work especially well with instant ramen!
HOW TO COOK RAMEN IN THE MICROWAVE?
Traditional Japanese ramen isn’t really something that can be microwaved. However, with instant ramen, you can do just that. All you have to do is open the packet, put the dried noodles in a microwave-friendly container, pour water, and set it in the microwave. After that, you microwave it for three to four minutes. Let it sit for a few minutes to let it cool. Pour in your flavor packet. You can add things like cooked eggs, vegetables, and anything else you’d like to complete your meal!
WHERE’S THE BEST PLACE TO GET RAMEN IN JAPAN?
Ramen can be found almost everywhere in Japan and the best ramen shops vary from place to place. In Tokyo, some of the best ramen-ya (ramen shops) include the Michelin-starred Nakiryu with its specialty shoyu ramen, the popular ramen shop Mendokoro Haru with its must-try “special soba,” and the renowned chicken ramen place Toripaitan Kageyama.
If you’re heading down to south Japan in Fukuoka, the birthplace of tonkotsu ramen, then you can try some of their best shops. That includes the Hakata Ikkousha Main Store with its signature “thick and creamy tonkotsu soup with bubbles,” the Ichiran Souhonten with its “all-natural tonkotsu ramen with red secret sauce,” and the Hakata Daruma Main Store which is known for its thick, rich, and brothy ramen.
Up in Sapporo in Hokkaido, miso ramen is what you need to try. The beloved Ramen Shingen is long-loved by locals in the area - so much so that you’ll need to wait hours in line. There’s also Sumire which has the classic Sapporo miso ramen. You can also try the Saimi ramen shop with its signature miso ramen which tastes lighter and has a refreshing kick of ground ginger.
WHERE CAN I GET INSTANT RAMEN?
Instant ramen is everywhere! You can find tons of great Japanese instant noodle brands in Asian grocery stores in the US. In Japan, instant ramen is almost everywhere - in supermarkets, konbinis (Japanese convenience stores), and even in vending machines. If you can’t find any instant ramen near you, we’ve got a pretty great ramen collection here on Japan Candy Store.
Phew! There you have it. We slurped up everything there is to know about ramen in this article. One of the quintessential foodie symbols of Japan, traditional Japanese ramen is loved for its rich flavors and for its ability to be customized according to your liking.
From the Hakata tonkotsu ramen in Fukuoka to the Sapporo miso ramen in Hokkaido, Japan offers quite a smorgasbord of unique ramen dishes for you to try out. Which ramen have you had before? Which one are you waiting to try out? Let us know in the comment section below. Until next time, we hope you’ve had your fill of all things ramen.