Find information on ramen can be very difficulty. When I was looking for recipes of broths, there are very few out there, and even less in English. So I think I will write all my thoughts down on ramen, not only so I can document what I have learned, but also so people can have a starting point when making a broth.
First we’ll go over the basics. When most people think of ramen, they picture the cheap 15 cent packages that you can find at the market. Its origin is from ramen, but it is hardly considered ramen at all. Don’t get me wrong, instant noodles are pretty amazing. Some of my best memories are of instant noodles, however it is not ramen.
So what makes ramen ramen? One of the most important characteristic is the noodles.
Ramen noodles are known for their yellow color and their firm and chewy texture. This is something that instant noodles cannot emulate. Noodles originated in China around 200 B.C. At least this is the earliest point in time that we have documentation on noodles. Japan received two of its noodles from China. The thick salty Udon noodle originated for the Northern part of China, while the yellow thin ramen noodle came from the South Eastern part of China.
There are a few theories of where the Japanese pronunciation of ramen came from. One theory is that ramen is the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese lamian(拉麺), meaning hand pulled noodles. Other theories suggest it originated from laomian (老麺, “old noodles”), lumian (鹵麺 noodles that are cooked in a thick starchy sauce), or lo mein (撈麵).
The bright yellow color and firm texture is what separates ramen from other noodles, but how do we get these characteristics. Many think that the yellow color comes from eggs, but there are actual no eggs in ramen noodles. The secret ingredient in ramen that not only makes it yellow but makes it firm is potassium and sodium carbonate. These ingredients makes the noodle basic/alkalinic or a high pH. This will be discussed further when I talk about how to make noodles. I read somewhere that this property was discovered a long time ago when Chinese people used to cook their noodles with water from an alkalinic lake.
The broth is the next important characteristic. There major flavors are Shio (salt base), Shoyu (soy sauce base), Miso (fermented bean paste base), and tonkotsu (pork bone base).
—-
More to come.
Part 2 - Basics of a Ramen Bowl
Making ramen from scratch. 10 hours+ for the broth, and noodles are tiring to make. I haven’t figured out the right proportions, but I am starting to keep a spreadsheet of everything that I do related to ramen. I’ll be pro in no time.
Tsukemen sounds good right now. Maybe I will get some real ramen this weekend.
I combined 3 different recipes, and improvised on the method of cooking but my ramen turned out okay. I need a pressure cooker if I am going to try these recipes again, and a place to get chicken back.
“That awkward moment when you see Asians buy ramen.”
I… really don’t know what to say. Why can’t asian buy ramen? How is it awkward? What is awkward is when you and your coworker walk into the bathroom at the same time and have to pee next to each other while making small talk. Bitch please.
We kinda invented the noodle and everything ramen related. I think we deserve the right to buy ramen. Maybe this statement is out of context, but when I look through the ramen tags, I expect a certain amount of respect for my noods. 99% of posts are of pictures of ramen or people craving it. Why is 1% of the population of tumblr… probably 0.0001%, saying crap that doesn’t make sense. Let’s just stay positive about ramen.
Today the koreans will represent.
Ramen was a success. It just took 10 hours to make. I thought I screwed up when I tasted the finished broth, but I think i was in the apartment full of pork smell the whole day and I lost my sense.
Today I boiled some, diluted it a little and when I added everything it was amazing. Making stuff from scratch is always good.
I am sorry I have been able to click and scroll on you that often this week. I have to get my priorities straight, and Grad school is on my front burner. I swear I’m not seeing another blogging site.
Moving in and going to school took a large portion of my time. I am still not fully settled in yet. I’m missing the small things that I don’t realize I need until it is too late, and when I go home and try and figure out what I need I usually forget. I am starting to plan out my days better on google calendar, since I have to juggle running, badminton, studying, and work.
I ran for the first time in Davis. I usually doing run during the school year, but since the half marathon is getting closer, I gotta get in okay shape. I mapped out a 5 mile path on google maps and I incorporated a bike path on it, but apparently I couldn’t find the entrance. I spent a few extra mins lost, but I think I got at least 4 miles out of the run.
Grad school is a beast compared to undergrad. Now I understand why people suggest taking 2 or less grad classes… lol. I am saying this only after one day. But to be fair, it was one day of 6 hours of class in a row. My brain was pretty fried, and I ran my 4 miles before class. I just gotta study and keep my professors impressed. I felt like a total dumbass listening to some profs lecture or working in a group to design a water and wastewater treatment plant.
Well I am off to make some ramen from scratch. I hope I finish within 10 hours.
gotta study too.
