Ramen noodles

Ramen is a mandatory item on the menu of most Asian cuisine establishments. The dish is considered national in Korean, Japanese and Chinese culinary traditions. The combination of Asian staples has been able to satisfy the high gastronomic demands of people around the globe. Ramen is a soup with wheat noodles, soybeans, nori, bamboo, and optional ingredients: various types of meat, fish or vegetables. Despite the fact that the soup belongs to the category of fast food, it has a high nutritional value and excellent taste.

What is the history of ramen, is it safe to eat, and how to properly prepare a traditional Asian dish?

Historical information

The name was formed from two Chinese characters that translate as “noodles” and “pull”. There are several variations of the name, which depend on the geographical location and characteristics of the recipe. For example, in Central Asia the term is pronounced as “lagman”, in China – “lamyan”, in Japan – the familiar to us “ramen”. Each Asian country has its own rules for preparing noodles and broth. Sometimes an adjective is added to the name of the dish, which indicates the region and a special recipe (for example, “Japanese lamian”).

China is officially recognized as the birthplace of soup. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the cuisine of the Celestial Empire set global trends and attracted gourmets from all over the globe. The Japanese really liked the structure and taste of ramen, so it was decided to adopt the recipe. Noodles with broth began to be sold in small mobile shops, and a little later the dish reached the restaurant level. Now packages with wheat noodles are sold everywhere: in cafes, ramen restaurants (they cook only noodles in several variations), special vending machines that look like coffee machines.

What is the dish

The standard set of ingredients looks like this:

• wheat noodles;
• meat (most often pork);
• surimi (fish snack);
• Asian pickles;
• bamboo shoots;
• shiitake (pickled mushrooms);
• bean sprouts;
• vegetables and greens (most often spinach, Chinese cabbage and green onions);
• nori;
• boiled or fried eggs.

Most of the plate is occupied by wheat noodles. In addition to the standard ingredients like flour, eggs, water and salt, it contains kansui. This is a special alkaline mineral water. It consists of ordinary drinking water and potassium bicarbonate. Some manufacturers add phosphoric acid to kansui. The name of the liquid is translated as “salt water”, and the term itself comes from Inner Mongolia – it is in this area that some lakes have an identical chemical composition. Locals believe that the liquid from the lake is ideal for making noodles – it provides a yellowish tint, a firm texture and a special salty taste.

Interesting: today the production of kansui is regulated at the state level. After the Second World War, the Japanese quality standard was set for the liquid.

The dough for wheat noodles is thoroughly kneaded, then cylindrical strips are formed from it. Each individual strip is pulled into the thinnest possible thread, folded in half and continued to pull. The process is repeated several times until the chef gets the required number of thin threads.

The chemical composition of the dish

Important: the nutrient balance and energy value of the soup depends on the method of preparation/ingredients used, so it may differ in specific establishments and from different manufacturers. Below is the chemical composition of traditional instant noodles.

How to cook Asian food

To prepare ramen, you need to perform two main steps: boil the broth and noodles.

Step 1. Boil the broth. The traditional version uses fish or meat broth, but a vegan alternative can also be made if desired. Fish soup is made from shark fins, algae and fish concentrate, meat soup is made from any kind of meat, and vegan soup is made from your favorite vegetables. Regardless of the type of broth, vegetables, spices and roots (for example, ginger) are added to it.

There are 4 types of ramen, which are determined by the composition of the broth:

• sio (with added salt);
• miso (with the addition of miso – a fermented edible mixture);
• shoyu (with the addition of soy sauce);
• tonkotsu (broth is cooked on the basis of pork fat, cartilage and bones).

Step 2. Boil the noodles. Cook wheat noodles in boiling water until soft according to package instructions. If you cook noodles yourself, focus on the structure and taste. Average cooking time is 5 minutes.

Step 3. We make out the submission. Ramen is served in traditional bowls. First, the noodles are laid out on a plate, then the broth is poured. Additional ingredients such as meat, vegetables and specific Asian snacks are added just before serving. Noodles must be eaten with chopsticks, and broth with a special faience spoon, but you can discard traditions and eat with an ordinary spoon / fork.

Good and possible harm

Useful and dangerous properties of ramen depend on the components and processing method used by the chef. For some, the pork cartilage broth will seem too greasy and provoke stomach pains, and someone will not be able to get enough of the vegan version of the noodles. There are no direct contraindications for eating ramen, so be guided by your own taste and state of health. Ask the chef to boil the meat instead of frying it, omit the nori if the seaweed isn’t to your liking, or add more eggs to hit your daily protein requirement. In any institution, your wishes will be taken into account and satisfied. The easiest way to make noodles healthy is to go through all the cooking steps yourself. If you’re watching your weight, then cook whole grain noodles and vegetable broth. If you want to have a belly feast, add your favorite ingredients and experiment.

Do not forget that noodles are a nutritious and high-calorie dish. Its daily use can leave a clear mark on the figure and state of health. Try to diversify your diet as much as possible, add more healthy and high-quality products. Opt more often for vegan whole grain noodles with lots of fresh ingredients and minimal salt.

How the dish was transformed into fast food

Originally, ramen was cooked in a fatty fish/meat broth, heavily seasoned with miso, butter, soy, corn, and served fresh. Noodles won in several ways at once – they were tasty, satisfying and inexpensive. The rise in popularity of the soup came in the 90s. Major cities around the world began to open ramen shops, TV channels produced special commercials dedicated to the success of the dish.

Each restaurant tried to bring something new and characteristic to the dish. Chefs carefully selected noodles, improved the recipe to attract customers and climb the crest of success. Food industry workers tried to please all categories of customers, because they were in unprecedented competition. Huge queues of those wishing to taste Asian food gathered at especially high-quality restaurants.

At the same time, the positions of fast food were strengthened. It was decided to move ramen into a whole new category of instant noodles. The first instant ramen was made in 1954 by Momofuku Ando. He was a native of Taiwan who was very fond of noodles and knew how to make money. Fast food became more popular than fresh, and Momofuku himself later admitted that he decided to create instant ramen in order to give the poor people access to delicious nutritious food.

Fact: In 2000, a study was conducted according to which the Japanese recognized instant noodles as the greatest invention of the 100th century. Today, more than XNUMX billion packages are sold worldwide every year.

The composition of instant ramen is significantly different from our usual instant noodles. The higher the quality of the component components, the higher the price, but you can always find the best offer on the market. Some restaurants or large retail chains produce noodles under their own brand. This practice is popular among well-known establishments with a large number of visitors. Chefs on shift simply do not have time to serve the flow of customers, so servings of ramen are produced on an industrial scale.