こんにちは Konnichiwa.
Winter has hit the southern hemisphere, and, in my home, it means its ramen time! WOOHOO!!!
Before I go any further, when I say ramen, I am not talking about instant 2 minute noodles. I am talking about Japanese Noodle Soup, aka Ramen.
Ramen is another one of my favourite foods to make and to eat. It is labour intensive as you need a few pots and pans out on your stove top to create this gorgeous noodle soup but it’s so well worth it. It’s a dish that is very well loved in my home and I have a very elderly father who loves slurping the broth up and always asks for that Japanese Spaghetti Soup (HAHAHA).
Let’s delve into Ramen a little deeper. Ramen was once considered a simple street food in Japan but it’s now a worldwide phenomenon. Its origins go back to China way, way, back but the Japanese have taken ramen over as their dish and have staked claim to it, and honestly who can blame them. Ramen is a hearty beautiful noodle soup that is brimming with so much flavour, so much texture, and so much deliciousness.
There are many variations on ramen and there is an endless number of variations and I guess regional flavours.
Ramen must have three components and that is it needs to have a hearty flavourful broth that is usually made with “dashi”. Next is the noodles. Ramen Noodles to be precise. These noodles are made using wheat flour, salt, water, and a special alkaline water called “kansui”. Last but not least the third component are toppings like sliced meat, vegetables, nori (sheets of seaweed), and a hard-boiled egg (depending on the recipe). I think it’s safe to say that Ramen is an iconic Japanese comfort food.
I have roughly 15 recipes on file and ones that I make throughout autumn and winter months. My whole family goes gonzo mad for ramen, and nothing beats listening to them all slurp their food! Slurping is considered a sign of appreciation in Japanese culture so my recipes must be good!
There are four main types of ramen varieties, and they are based off the type of broth that is used. They are as follows:
Shoyu- was the original type of ramen and it features a soy based broth that has been flavoured with soy sauce ,mirin, pork OR chicken stock and rice vinegar. Some of the most common toppings added to shoyu are usually marinated soft boiled eggs, bamboo shoots and bean sprouts.
Shio- Shio ramen has a clear broth that is heavily seasoned with salt, and they have braised pork cutlets in them, but the salty broth is the key element to this version.
Miso – Miso has a miso based broth that includes pork mince, vegetables, and chicken stock. Miso ramen has a unique umami flavour (and its one of my favourites)
Tonkotsu- Tonkotsu ramen has a very rich pork broth that is probably the most recognized ramen in Japan and worldwide. Don’t be confused with Tonkatsu, as that is a fried pork cutlet.
The four ramen types I mentioned are the most common but there are many, many more.
I was fortunate enough to eat a lot and I mean a lot of ramen whilst visiting Japan a few years back. We were staying in Kyoto at that time, and we were sitting in a tiny ramen bar, literally sitting at the bar facing the chef (and watching the chef make magnificent ramen) when my son who was about 6 years old at the time literally picking up his bowl of ramen and slurping it down like it was the last dregs of cereal whilst I sat there horrified and mortified with The Hubster and chef were in tears laughing!
So back to our Chicken Ramen Seasoning, I used to use a UHT carton of Ramen dashi or stock a few years back and it was lovely but overtly salty. A few years back I stopped using/eating anything that came out of UHT carton as my over analytical brain started thinking more about liquids just sitting in a container on a shelf. I know I sound like a weirdo but yeah whatever. Personal choices in life are just that…personal choices.
So last year I decided to try and make a chicken ramen seasoning, as well as a beef ramen seasoning and a spicy ramen seasoning (the beef and spicy are coming up very soon so keep your eyes out for it). I have been playing around with our Chicken Ramen Seasoning and made a few tweaks here and a few tweaks there and I believe I have got it right.
Our Chicken Ramen Seasoning has so much flavour and it’s packed with garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, sweet paprika, cumin, pepper, nutritional yeast, brown sugar, mustard seeds, celery seeds, turmeric and of course salt. The flavours are divine and when combined with your other ramen ingredients is becomes so indulgent and absolutely delicious. It tastes like roast chicken and it’s hard to believe that this is completely meat free. There are absolutely no animal products in this seasoning. It’s packed with umami and even though there is this underlying roast chicken flavour there is a flowery herbaceous punch to it.
As with most of our products they are not specifically aimed at just one use, or just one way to use them. Our Chicken Ramen Seasoning can not only be used in ramen but in soups and broths to enhance flavours, in stir-fries you can simply add a teaspoon (or more) to your steamed rice or fried rice for more OOMPH, it can be used as a chicken marinade simply by mixing it with some oil and soy sauce then marinating the chicken prior to cooking/grilling/roasting. As always there are endless possibilities.
I hope it’s well-loved in your home as much as it is in ours!
どうぞめしあがれ/ Douzo Meshiagare/Enjoy your meal/Bon Appetit
