What Is Ramen? Know Its Different Types And Preparation Method

Ramen is a popular Japanese-style noodle dish which is now becoming popular in India. One unique feature that makes this dish so distinctive is that it is served in a broth. Sometimes it is even cooked in broth which makes it extremely flavourful. The broth contains the devouring flavors of soy sauce or miso. It also includes meat and vegetables. You can then top it with different ingredients, such as eggs, scallions, chilli oil, as per your preference. 

Ramen is not just your ordinary noodles but has a lot of history attached to it. The dish was introduced into Japan by Chinese immigrants centuries ago. It quickly became popular in the country. In recent years, it has become way too popular.

As of now, 23,000 restaurants in the United States serve ramen. There is also a lot of variety in this noodle type. You can also modify it as per your taste. 

How is Ramen prepared

Ramen noodles are made from wheat flour, salt, water, and kansui. For the unversed, kansui is a type of alkaline mineral water that contains sodium carbonate and potassium carbonate. Both of these ingredients shape the texture of ramen noodles.

Types of Ramen noodles

There are four general classes of ramen: shoyu, tonkotsu, miso, and shio. Here is all you need to know about these types. 

• Shoyu ramen: This features a clear, brown broth with a chicken or vegetable stock base and soy sauce. You can choose your base as per your preference. The soy sauce gives the recipe a very salty and tangy flavour. When making this recipe, chefs prefer to use their own sauce. 
• Tonkotsu ramen: Tonkotsu ramen originated in Kurume, Fukuoka Prefecture. This place is located on the northern shore of Kyushu island in Japan. Tonkotsu means pork bone in Japanese. This is what adds maximum flavour to the dish.
• Miso ramen: As the name suggests, this dish contains generous amounts of miso that gives the broth a strong umami flavor. Sometimes, the broth is also mixed with tonkotsu, lard, oily chicken, or fish broth. For those who don’t know, Miso is fermented bean paste which makes this particular type thick, curly and slightly chewy.
• Shio ramen: Shio is the oldest as it dates back to the original Chinese-style noodle soups in the 1800s. The soup contains a combination of vegetables, chicken, seaweed, fish, and lots of salt.