I am 22. I have roughly 10 years of experience in enjoying what ramen/instant-noodles has to offer to the senses. What I hope to achieve from this blog is expose the world of instant noodles (from my point of view) and to read your stories and experiences. It is well known that personal preference exists because of different palates, but I hope I can challenge you to be a discerned ramen taster and to enjoy ramen at its best!
This is my first post on Teamliquid, and I wanted to contribute some humble knowledge I have gained over the years tasting different ramen. I will not be able to finish this post all at one time, however will update regularly with information piece-by-piece as I see fit.
Furthermore, I do not claim that I am correct on all accounts, but everything I write in this blog will be to the best of my knowledge and if anybody happens correct me, I would sincerely appreciate it.
Basic Background Knowledge
The difference between the average college student dining on instant noodles due to financial status and those who truly appreciate it lies in the fundamental knowledge.
Thus, here are some basics you should know:
0. The word "ramen" (pronounced: ra-men) refers actually to a Japanese/Chinese originated dish. It is a completely different beast in contrast to instant noodles. However, in South Korea the word "ramyun/rameun" (SK:라면 pronounced: ra-myun) is used to describe instant noodles. Although they are different, in this blog I will use the interchangeably.
1. There is no ONE ultimate way you should enjoy your ramen. What I mean by this is, as in Starcraft there is no one single build order that trumps all others. You should always keep in mind to open your mind up for different styles, suggestions, and methods ... but in the end it all comes down to however you want it.
2. "Al dente" - meaning "to the tooth" in italian. It is a popular phrase amongst chefs and culinary critics to describe the pasta/noodle's firm yet fully cooked properties. I strongly advocate all ramen tasters to always try to achieve this standard.
3. Ramen does not originate solely from South Korea (or one country), but is produced in numerous countries with different flavors targeted towards the countries' palate. What I mean by this is, (this is just an example) ...
- Majority of the ramen in South Korea may be extremely spicy/hot for the tasters around the world. This is due to the nation's love for spicy foods. - Majority of the ramen in Japan may be very delicate in flavor and may contain an alluring hint of miso or beef flavoring. This is also, due to the nation's tastes.
4. Ramen is not healthy. As much as I love ramen, facts are facts. Always try to balance out your diet to be healthy and always look at the nutritional facts posted on the back of the packaging. Ramen is notorious for having high sodium content with little-to-none nutritional value. Thus I advise you all not to consume ramen too frequently. In my personal experience, I try to balance out a good diet with maybe 1-2 ramen a week. I do not believe it is food you should solely depend your diet on, but it is food to be enjoyed... somewhat like cheesecake?
5. One last fundamental I wish to share with you is that ramen isn't just for poor college students. It is enjoyed by many all across the world in all different age groups. The sad reality is that... there are negative connotations associated with "instant noodles" and how it is food for the poor due to its price point and ease of availability.
From what I know, ramen originally was produced by Japan, and then a handful of countries including (but is not limited to): The US, Taiwan, China, and South Korea joined the industry. I will be primarily discussing ramen from these origins not because these are "better" in any way, but because: - It is very difficult to obtain ramen across the world from companies that do not export their goods - Lack of demand for variety - Brand exposure and availability/limitations
For those people who are curious about instant noodles, but aren't sure which company/brand to go for, follow this simple rule:
The first ramen you should encounter (which is also readily available), should be from a company that is from your native country/continent. An example of this is:
Ex. Canadian --> Mr. Noodles Ex. Japanese --> Ichiban Ex. Chinese --> Hwa-Long Ex. American --> Maruchan (although Japanese, there is a strong demand from Americans as one of their preferred instant noodles)
This is all due to relativity of favored tastes amongst people within the same regions. You do not want to try something radical or daring right off the bat (unless you are really that adventurous of a diner). Thus, try something that is somewhat local (geographically) in a sense. However, if you cannot find anything at your typical retail grocery store, I would like to recommend Sapporo Ichiban - original flavor, if you can find it. Just because it is so versatile and mild tasting.
The Standard Cooking Build Order
Once you have found a ramen suitable for your tastebuds, I recommend for your first-time that you purchase two of the same. The reasoning for this is, once to try it 'stock' or as-is (the way the manufacturer intended the product to taste for consumption) and to give it some thought and try it with variation. The true art of ramen preparation lies within the creativity of the diner. Always strive to obtain the flavor that you desire. Remember... ramen is very inexpensive if you do not like your creation you can always throw it out and try again.
There are numerous ways of cooking ramen: - microwave safe bowl + water + microwave - boiling water + package wrapper + tightly wrapping the top - eating it raw (crushed) as a snack without water - using the noodles and only a tiny bit of the flavor packet + a different sauce (ex. ginger/lemon chicken noodles) served in a chow mein style / (ex. korean 라볶이) - the last and most conventional way to cook ramen is over a stovetop/burner with water ** I personally find the last method to be the easiest method in achieving 'al dente' and the flavors I desire **
Moving on ... Inside the package you will find one or two packets (sometimes even 3) and the noodles itself.
What you need to do before you start cooking is to correctly identify what the packets are, so you know when to put them in the pot. - Flavor packet - Flake/Dried vegetables packet ** The 3rd may be a special 'in-house' flavor **
Once identified, look at how much water is required in the pot (it usually is written on the back of the package). It is typically measured in 250mL or 1 cup and most of the time, ramen usually require around 2-3 cups per package.
Some very important notes about water: - Cooking is 1 part chemistry and 1 part art, and although this is very basic knowledge I cannot stress enough on the importance of the water level (or amount of water). It will inevitably make/break your ramen. - As you may already know, 100C is the boiling point of water and it will cause it to evaporate, thus adding roughly 30~40 mL of extra water will compensate for it, or else you will get a bit saltier dish - If you tend to enjoy saltier food then reduce your water by roughly 50~70 mL and vice versa - Even though it may be a hassle to measure your water, from first hand experience when I was a noob I can tell you it is well worth it. (Now everything is done by eye, I can get the water exactly how I want it every time now)
Once you have your water in your pot and you have identified all the packets included. Proceed with boiling the water. When the water is boiling (when I mean boiling --> the water bubbling rapidly) you will add both the flavor packet and the dried vegetables packet. Once you have added the both the packets, naturally the boiling water will not bubble has fast because the water is absorbing the contents. At this time, mix the soup base and wait again for the soup to bubble rapidly again. ** Do not add the noodles when it is not bubbling fast ** It will make your noodles somewhat mushy and it will be very difficult to get firm noodles. (Same goes with pasta, nobody cooks pasta in hot water, they cook it in piping hot water ... the small details really do matter)
** There are different schools of thought on when to mix the contents of the packets in the water (my friend claims it is better to stir the contents BEFORE the boil and then letting the noodles absorb the soup directly). I will discuss this later on under the subtopic - variations after we discuss the basics. **
After placing the noodles in the bubbling soup, cook for 2-4 minutes (this really depends on the manufacturer and the thickness of the noodles) but generally 3.5 to achieve 'al dente'. When you see the noodles start to separate in the boiling soup, do a quick taste test to see if you like the firmness.
** For perfectly 'al dente' ramen, make the noodles just a bit under-cooked and remove from heat immediately, the hot soup will cook your noodles to firmness by the time you are enjoying them **
Remember, it's all about how YOU want it. Some people prefer under/overcooked noodles and some people want it firm. Always keep the stove top at the highest setting, do not reduce heat. Once you are satisfied with the texture of the noodles, remove immediately from heat and enjoy the piping hot ramen in a bowl.
More coming soon. Please feel free to leave feedback. Any topics I have mentioned but overlooked/skipped will be added in later sections of this reading.
Yup, I have seen that thread long time ago as well. It was an enjoyable read, there were a lot of great different styles on how TLers enjoy ramen. However, I still feel I can contribute more than just posting in that thread. This blog is just my interpretation and sharing of my knowledge.
I too, am a ramen connoisseur but unfortunately I can't live that decadent lifestyle anymore for health reasons that you've mentions already, my family are health nuts and I am living with them right now
Nothing like staying up late and eating a good bowl of spicy flavored ramen with an egg thrown in it along with your favorite drink.
On May 12 2010 01:20 J1.au wrote: I must confess; I've never eaten ramen before.
All these blogs and threads are making me curious.
I hope you will try out ramen sometime and just get to know it whether you like or dislike it. Ramen is delicious, you can be creative with it and it is extremely easy to make. You can use this blog as a general guide or a reference. Keep posted I will update frequently!
On May 11 2010 22:15 the.longinus wrote: Ex. Canadian --> Mr. Noodles
It's just a cheap knockoff..... As a Canadian, I recommend trying something else..... This stuff is so bland, it's not worth purchasing.....
I agree it is on the bland side. For you and I, it may be bland, but for others it may be just right to start out with. That is why I cannot place too much importance on my personal preference but try to accommodate for everybody.
Find a restaurant near you that serves authentic japanese ramen, japanese pork bone (tonkotsu) broth with chinese noodles. Unfortunately it pretty much makes it so you cant eat the instant stuff ever again. The broth itself is boiled for days and is a rich tasting, pale looking collagen rich broth.
On May 12 2010 08:21 hback wrote: Find a restaurant near you that serves authentic japanese ramen, japanese pork bone (tonkotsu) broth with chinese noodles. Unfortunately it pretty much makes it so you cant eat the instant stuff ever again. The broth itself is boiled for days and is a rich tasting, pale looking collagen rich broth.
They are COMPLETELY different things as OP has already outlined. I live in Japan and have access to amazing ramen any time of the day, and I still eat Shin noodles more than occasionally.
while those authentic japanese ramen are pretty good, they are often ridiculously overpriced overseas (they are supposed to be the cheap, street food in japan) 10 dollars per bowl vs 50 cents for shin ramen for a college student like me, the choice is quite easy
while those authentic japanese ramen are pretty good, they are often ridiculously overpriced overseas (they are supposed to be the cheap, street food in japan) 10 dollars per bowl vs 50 cents for shin ramen for a college student like me, the choice is quite easy
Very true, you cant beat shin ramen vs authentic ramen cost for cost. Thats like comparing marines to void rays.
Just encouraging those who have not tried authentic ramen to save 15 dollars to try, it's definitely worth it.
TL loves the shin ramyun been so tunnel visioned by it that i didnt realize how good other types of ramyun is. had this thai kind with insanely thin noodle. ran out, but will try to find the name of it next time
Just an interesting fact, Instant ramen was invented by one person, a Momofuku Ando, who was part of the Nissen company. He developed the idea during Japan's postwar era when the country was very poor and many ppl were starving. He was actually a really awesome kinda guy and was famous for saying something along the lines of 'the first step towards peace is to feed the starving'. I just happen to know this since my dad likes ramen and happened to read an article about him (i think he had just died or something) and told me about it.
edit: damn.. im gonna get pwnt for a 2 month old bump aren't I....
he didn't die recently, more like a while ago. there was a thread on him
and i'm glad you bumped this ramen thread lol. more people need to be educated about the intricacies of good ramen (not college kids' instant cup noodles).
My dad told me about this quite some time ago, which was when he read the article about him that i believe was prompted by his death. i dunno if i made that clear, but i didnt really mean to imply that he had died recently.
anyways, i am quite the fan of ramen, both instant and classical, street-vendor style noodles. I am quite lucky in that there is a japanese, old-school tokyo-style ramen restaurant just a few train stops away from where i live/work, so i can treat myself to the fancy stuff once in awhile.
We have such delicious noodle restaurants in China, who would eat instant noodles. Actually a lot of chinese people do, but they are just stupid. We have the japanese chain called Ajisen Ramen ( 味千拉面), I go there once a week, it's really good. And no excuse to eat instant noodles as this chain is also implanted in USA.
Shin will be pretty spicy, so you only really need to add an egg. Sapporo Ichiban will have a plain flavor, so you need to add kimchi (and an egg, of course). :3
I used to eat so much ramen (what ever brand i can get my hands on) during college now I have the urge to throw up if even a hint of ramen smell is near me
I've probably eaten 3 or 4 cases of Shin Ramyun this past year, it's good shit! But you really need to add some stuff to it. It's not complete without: 1) Egg - obviously, who eats ramen without an egg? 2) Green onions - put them in raw, just before you're about to eat it. It makes the ramen taste much less preserved. Those little vegetable packs don't cut it, they're more for adding flavour to the soup than as actual vegetables. (That's why it's important to add them first, so you can boil the flavour out of them) 3) Corn - it adds a bit of sweetness to the whole thing. I didn't know about this but in the last TL ramen thread someone suggested it, and the difference is amazing. The corn will soak up some of the flavour though, so if it's not spicy enough put a jalapeno in 4) Lime Juice/Vinegar - Just a bit, the soup is bland without this extra layer of flavour. Also gives it a bit more of that kimchi feel which is what makes good ramyun. 5) Sesame oil - This stuff is delicious. You don't want to overwhelm the ramen but a little bit will make even shitty ramen taste godly.
That's just as a base, usually I would also put something like shrimp or sausage in to make it a meal. But all those ingredients are cheap and there's no reason you should have to eat ramen without them.
Hot red chilli peppers + bean sprouts + peanuts +maybe sliced carrots and whatnot = instant faux pad thai (well, vegetarian unless you cook meat). Ramen is much better w/o the flavour packages imo. Those are just so salty. Just use the cheap noodles.
Shin will be pretty spicy, so you only really need to add an egg. Sapporo Ichiban will have a plain flavor, so you need to add kimchi (and an egg, of course). :3
Shin with the kimchi tastes so good tho holy shit. It's much more refreshing. (I don't add egg personally since I think it muddles the soup down. I'd much rather add dduk mmmmmmmmmm)
EPT![[image loading]](http://img695.imageshack.us/img695/9839/picture007lq.jpg)
