Everything ramen

[Hiroyuki]

Here are some answers:

出汁の種類による分類

豚骨ラーメン

豚骨を使用し、白濁したスープが特徴。白に茶色が掛かった物もある。戦前、福岡県久留米のあるラーメン屋で、豚骨の煮込みの時間と強さを間違えて、強火で長く煮込みすぎたのが発祥と言われる。久留米や熊本では濃厚だが、博多はそれを濾すためあっさりしている。東京、横浜、和歌山、岡山、広島などでは醤油と合わせたもの（豚骨醤油）もあり、大阪のラーメンもその系統に近い。

Classification according to dashi type

Tonkotsu ramen

Characterized by its cloudy soup made by using tonkotsu (pig bones). Some (soups) are white and brownish. It is said that (tonkotsu soup) originated in a ramen shop located in Kurume, Fukuoka prefecture, before the world war II, when they made mistakes in tonkotsu simmering time and heat intensity, cooking the soup on high heat for too long. In Kurume and Kumamoto, (the soup) is dense, while in Hakata, it is assari (less fatty) because it is strained. In Tokyo, Yokohama, Wakayama, Okayama, Hiroshima, and elsewhere, there are variations that are combined with soy sauce (tonkotsu shoyu). The ramen in Osaka is similar to those variations.

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I'm least interested in the current developments in ramen. In fact, I have a very low opinion of most contemporary ramen because they are too salty/fatty/expensive. I'm fed up with the "all ingredients in a single bowl" concept. Why can't people leave ramen as simple as possible and serve side dishes like gyoza, salad, and other healthy dishes?

[MoGa]

Hiroyuki, you're as much a ramen enthusiast as I am!

My husband does come into this category (although not to an obsessive degree), and I have a healthy spectator's interest (as I think anyone who saw Tampopo at an impressionable age can't help but have).

We had another conversation about ramen last night sparked by the tonkotsu/shoyu/shio ramen comments.

His view is that in Tokyo, tonkotsu ramen is usually the 'safe' choice. Those serving tonkotsu ramen are more likely to serve an acceptable version of this style than those offering shoyu (or shio) ramen. Hiroyuki's post about the probable origins of tonkotsu lend support to his view om why this is... the stock is robust enough to resist mistakes and apathy (and plain old bad cooking) in the kitchen.

When shoyu ramen is done well, he won't hear a thing against it, but he recognises the discrepancies in quality associated with this style and that they are wider than those found amongst the tonkatsu joints. This makes them riskier prospects.

What he advises anyone against are places that serve a variety of different styles of ramen (described as ramen equivalents to Denny's), the chances of finding decent versions of any of the ramens is slim, chances of finding bad examples, very high.

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P.S. I notice there are no reports on Ramen Jiro here. According to the family expert, it's like eating noodles in molten haggis (if haggis was made of pork and not sheep). Apparently, this isn't a bad thing, but you wouldn't want to go there every day. Definitely an occasional treat worth having only occasionally.

Edited May 1, 2008 by MoGa (log)

[nakji]

Well, this is exactly the sort of conversation I was hoping to spark about ramen. Lots of really great insights, thank you. I have to sheepishly admit that I do like the Sapporo style ramen with vegetables and other bits in it, only because the regular tonkotsu style usually feels so ridiculously unhealthy to me. My husband agrees with you, though, Hiroyuki, and feels the quality of the broth makes or breaks the dish - although he feels the fattier, the better.

What I really need to do now is taste a good quality version of Tokyo style, to see how I feel about that. Can anyone recommend a good reputation specialist in traditional Tokyo-style ramen in Tokyo? I'll be in town this weekend, and have made no firm plans for any of my meals yet, although I will be on the Ebisu to Shinjuku perimeter of the Yamanote.

[MoGa]

I'll ask for some specific recommendations for you and post them this evening.

I just wanted to clarify that when my partner advised against "places that serve a variety of different styles of ramen" he didn't mean somewhere like the Yokohama Ramen Museum. Each restaurant there concentrates on their own speciality.

Apparently this is one of the better places in Tokyo to sample Sapporo style Miso ramen, as you did.

[Hiroyuki]

I have no recommendations. Even Harukiya (春木屋) in Ogikubo on Chuo Line, which serves Ogikubo ramen (one of Tokyo ramen), falls short of my expectations (too oily, too expensive (single bowl of default ramen, chuka soba, being 800 yen!!).

Official website of Harukiya:

http://www.haruki-ya.co.jp/index.html

Menu:

http://www.haruki-ya.co.jp/menu.html

I would suggest buying one of expensive brands of ramen noodles and making ramen by yourself.

[nakji]

I would suggest buying one of expensive brands of ramen noodles and making ramen by yourself.

Oh, dear. I'm not sure if I'm up for that, since my broth skills are parlous. Harukiya had a shopfront at the museum, but we didn't try it, so perhaps we should give it a chance, since we don't mind "oily" so much.

I just wanted to clarify that when my partner advised against "places that serve a variety of different styles of ramen" he didn't mean somewhere like the Yokohama Ramen Museum. Each restaurant there concentrates on their own speciality.

Oh no, I got what you meant. And I did really enjoy that Sapporo miso ramen.

[MoGa]

http://www.01ch.com/ramen/anaya.html

Anaya

2-4-3 Honmachi, Shibuya ku, Tokyo

MAP showing relation to Shinjuku & Yoyogi stations

This is a Tsukemen Ramen recommendation - the odd thing about this place is that it's one restaurant in the afternoons, but a completely different one in the evenings. The recommendation is for lunch times.

Here's another link that suggests it's called Naito at night.

http://gourmet.livedoor.com/restaurant/113...s/detail/19906/

The photo shows their 'shoyu tamago'

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There's a clip of a shio ramen restaurant in this youtube link

that he can recommend called Aiueo

website: http://aiueo.nu/

3-1-11 Meguro

MAP in relation to Meguro station

I'm afraid we can't give you a good recommendation for shoyu ramen after all.

Edited May 2, 2008 by MoGa (log)

[CKatCook]

I would to have a really good ramen recipe. I understand it is one of those foods that have a few ingredients but is really hard to get right. But if someone knows I good one I would appreciate having it.

Thanks!

[Soup]

I love ramen. Had excellent ramen in the bay area (santa ramen rocks) but have been a bit dissappointed in NY.

Search for Ramen Top30 on youtube. pretty interesting stuff.

[MoGa]

I would to have a really good ramen recipe. I understand it is one of those foods that have a few ingredients but is really hard to get right. But if someone knows I good one I would appreciate having it.

Thanks!

←

I'm not sure what you mean by 'a few ingredients', whether you mean 'not many' or 'lots'.

For my way of thinking, ramen preparation borders on the 'lots of ingredients needed', certainly in comparison to soba, udon or somen, which is why few Japanese people ever make restaurant style ramen at home yet might try their hand preparing the other noodles.

Anyway, I'm digressing. There is already a thread in this forum dedicated to ramen recipes. Hopefully, you can find the answers you want there:

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=2298

[CKatCook]

Thank you, for the link. I posted the comment and then I scrolled down.

It seems like most ramen recipes I looked up on the internet there was not as many ingredients and I would have expected to see for a dish that looks (to the untrained, mind you) eye. That is what I mean by few, as in number of, ingredients.

[GlorifiedRice]

Does anyone know an online source for the Nissin Cup Noodle varieties

BIG MEAT Cup Noodle

TACO Cup Noodle

Also who makes the bowl noodles with the slice of kamaboku or wheat gluten that looks like a panda?

ty

[Thanks for the Crepes]

A modest ramen shop in Tokyo, Tsuta, recently earned a Michelin Star.

 

http://blogs.wsj.com/japanrealtime/2015/12/02/tokyos-tsuta-becomes-first-ramen-eatery-to-earn-a-michelin-star/

 

Tokyo got more stars than any other city and has done so for the past nine years.

 

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/lifestyle/noodle-restaurant-wins/2309288.html