Du skal ikke forlade Japan uden at nyde ramen.
Hvis der var et bud om at rejse til Japan, som jeg har fulgt religiøst, ville det være det. Uanset hvilken del af Japan jeg besøger, forlader jeg aldrig landet uden at fylde mit uklare ansigt med ramen.
Ramen med ramen kan spores tilbage til Kinas hvednudler, som blev introduceret til Japan af indvandrere i slutningen af det 19. århundrede. Japanerne omfavnede det, satte deres egen spin på det og ejede det. I dag er Ramen Japans vigtige komfortmad. Ikke kun repræsenterer det, hvor meget de lokale elsker mad, det viser også, hvor alvorligt de tager madlavning som kunstform – det hårde arbejde, disciplin og kreativitet, der går ind i hver skål.
Oven i det afspejler ramen også stedets fysiske og kulturelle landskab. Næsten hver præfektur har deres egen version, afhængigt af den lokale smag, tilgængeligheden af ingredienser, klima og eksterne påvirkninger. I dette indlæg samler vi nogle af de ramen -typer, der brændte et mærke på vores sind.
(Ansvarsfraskrivelse: Min gane har en tendens til at favorisere rige, dristige smagsprofiler. Jeg er ikke rigtig i lettere smag.)
Hvad er dækket i denne vejledning?
Mine personlige favoritter1. Tottori Gyukotsu ramen
2. Kumamoto Ramen
3. Hakata Ramen
4. Sapporo ramen
5. Klassisk Tokyo Shoyu Ramen
6. Yuzu Ramen
Andre ekstraordinære ramenhiroshima ramen
Onomichi ramen
Takaida ramen
Takayama ramen
Bonus: Nagasakis Champon
Flere ideer på YouTube ⬇ Relaterede indlæg:
Mine personlige favoritter
1. Tottori Gyukotsu ramen
Uden tvivl er vores foretrukne ramen gyukotsu ramen, signaturstilen Tottori Prefecture.
Tottori er en lidt kendt destination, i det mindste blandt udenlandske rejsende. Men denne undervurderede præfektur i Chūgoku -regionen har en rig kulinarisk tradition. Nogle af Japans mange populære retter har deres rødder i Tottori. Det er her ideen om Shabu-Shabu blev født, og hvor de smageste krabber og rejer bliver fanget.
Mens resten af verden er forelsket i Tonkotsu ramen, hvis bouillon er lavet af svinekød, bruger Tottori kvægben i deres Gyukotsu -ramen. Vi har været i næsten 30 præfekturer indtil videre, og kun Tottori bruger denne ingrediens som base for deres bouillon. Det er sjældent, ja, men ikke nøjagtigt overraskende i betragtning af præfekturets tilknytning til oksekød. Det er også hjemsted for Tottori -oksekød, som antages at være forløberen for andre berømte oksekødmærker som Kobe Beef og Matsusaka Beef.
Vi har prøvet dette to gange – hos Takauna og Hachibee i Kurayoshi City – og dette er de to bedste skåle med ramen, vi nogensinde har haft. Takauna bruger 100% kvægben i sin bouillon, accent af klippesalt. Hver skefuld lancerer en eksplosion af smag, der fik mig til at hoppe mere. Hver skål med faste bølgede nudler er kronet med langsomt kogt chashu (svinekød mave), nori (tang), bambusskud og grønne løg. Både min holdkammerat Asta og jeg afsluttede skålen på kort tid. Den bedste del, det er kun ¥ 600.
Hos Hachibee er ramen toppet med tykke snit af svinekød pænt og smukt arrangeret. Oksekødens smag er ubestridelig, men blid, ikke overmægtig, men blandet godt med hvid shoyu. Rygningen af de store bunker af svinekød, der bæres, grillet til perfektion, var absolut morder. Hver servering leveres med Nori (tang), bambusskud og grønne løg. Og for kun ¥ 800 er dette Waaay for godt til sin pris.
✅ Meget mere info: Hvor kan man spise i Tottor!
2. Kumamoto Ramen
Kumamoto ramen af Tengaiten
Kumamoto er en af de syv præfekturer, der udgør den sydlige ø Kyushu. Stilarterne i denne region kommer for det meste fra Kurume, hvor den originale Tonkotsu -suppe blev opfundet. Tonkotsu oversætter bogstaveligt talt til “svinekødben”, som koges og simmes i timevis. Dens nærliggende byer tilpassede sig derefter og havde deres vej med det, hvilket skabte en række specialiteter, der adskiller sig fra hinanden. I Kumamoto kan den distinkte kvalitet opsummeres med et ord – hvidløg. Masser af masser af det. Og gæt hvad, hvidløg er – uden tvivl – den ene krydderi, jeg ikke kan leve uden.
Selvfølgelig bruger andre stilarter hvidløg, men Kumamoto bliver skør med det. Kumamoto Ramens bouillon er normalt Assari, hvilket indikerer lys og tynd, generelt fordi det ofte er blandet med kyllingebestand. Men for en lettere bodied skål pakker Kumamoto Ramen også en stærk stans. Takket være de generøse portioner af hvidløg, der kan komme i masser af former: et lag af mayu (brændt hvidløgsolie), dryss af stegte hvidløgschips eller begge dele. Uanset hvad er det denne tydeligt stærke hvidløgsmag, der sætter den ud over andre ramen -stilarter.
✅ Meget mere info: Ting at gøre i Kumamoto
3. Hakata Ramen
Den første skål med Hakata Ramen blev serveret på gaderne i Nakasu i Hakata, som nu er en del af Fukuoka City. Hver by i Japan har deres egen version af at forberede ramen, men Hakata-stil Tonkotsu Ramen er uden tvivl den mest succesrige, der spreder sig ikke bare rundt i landet, men over hele kloden.
Like Kumamoto ramen, Hakata ramen is an offshot of the original tonkotsu ramen created in Kurume. but Hakata’s take on it took it to another level. Hakata’s stock is often kotteri, which is rich, opaque, and often frothy. It uses thin, firm noodles and is typically topped with green onions and slices of chashu pork. It packs a powerful dose of umami with every spoonful.
The world-famous Ichiran, with branches even in North America, has its roots in Hakata. You’ll also find widely respected ramen bars like Shin-shin, Anzen Syokudo, and Ramen Kobo Ryu. and of course, it is also served at lots of yatai stalls throughout the city.
At Shin-shin and Hakata Issou, I observed that it also has a very subtle bitter aftertaste, which prevents the porky flavor from being too overpowering.
✅ a lot more INFO: WHERE TO eat IN FUKUOKA!
4. Sapporo ramen
In Sapporo, the signature is miso ramen, which taps the magic of miso paste, made by fermenting soy beans and blended with chicken stock or dashi (fish stock). Sometimes, chili paste is added to deliver a spicy kick that is very welcome in long Hokkaido winter.
When I asked locals where to find the best miso ramen in the city, they pointed us to Ramen Shingen. and if the queue outside is any indication, it may really be one of the most popular ramen bars in Sapporo. considering that we were there just before midnight and in freezing weather, the place was packed with locals. In fact, after falling in line outside, we stepped inside and, whoa, there was still a line. Haha. There were only 12 seats, so you must really expect to wait.
Ramen Shingen’s spicy miso bowl is called Echigo, which cradles chewy, curly noodles topped with chashu and kakuni. The richness, flavor strength, and even the piquancy were perfect. despite the gigantic serving, we were able to slurp every last strand of the noodles and every last drop of its broth.
This may be an unpopular opinion, but I had my best miso ramen at a bar called Shirakaba Sansou at Sapporo Ramen Kyowakoku (aka Ramen Republic). It also has similar wavy noodles, but adorned with nori, bamboo shoots, ajitama (egg), chashu (pork), garlic oil, and black pepper. The broth is so rich that the miso is the evident star of this bowl, and it works perfectly with the rest of the ingredients. and like I said, I’m a bit partial to anything with a strong garlic flavor, so… there.
✅ a lot more INFO: WHERE TO eat IN SAPPORO!
5. Klassisk Tokyo Shoyu Ramen
As Japan’s capital, Tokyo’s restaurant scene is wild, vibrant, and exceptionally diverse. Whatever type of ramen you crave, you’ll probably find a bar using that somewhere in the city. but Tokyo’s standard style is not to be pushed aside.
The classic Tokyo ramen is basic but surprising. Its clear, light-bodied broth has a chicken or pork base mixed with standard dashi and shoyu. Drowning in it are wavy noodles, topped with chashu. one of the best bowls we had in Tokyo is served by Ramen 1/20 (Ramen Nijubunnoichi), featured on the Michelin guide a few times. Although they specialize in their shio ramen, their shoyu version has less subtle flavors that feels smooth and light. Each serving is plated cleanly but thoroughly — a whole ajitama resting on the spoon and a slice of pink chashu.
✅ a lot more INFO: TOKYO travel GUIDE!
6. Yuzu Ramen
What makes ramen successfully take Japan and the world by storm is its openness to interpretation. any individual can make a few changes here and there and call it their own. No wonder nearly every prefecture has their own version, and every restaurant has their own guarded recipe. It also paves the way for innovation.
One of our a lot of unforgettable bowls is Afuri’s yuzu ramen, which incorporates a touch of citrus to the tried-and-tested shio and shoyu concoctions. similar to lemon, yuzu is widely used in Japanese cuisine but not so much on ramen. but Afuri’s yuzu ramen perfectly adds a bright burst of citrusy tang that perfectly complements the savory combination of the broth, chashu, ajitama, and mizuna leaves. It’s a refreshing take on the ramen!
Other exceptional Ramen
Hiroshima ramen
Hiroshima’s own take on the good old ramen is the middle ground between the subtlety of Tokyo’s shoyu and the richness of Kyushu’s tonkotsu ramen. Its broth is thinner than Hakata, maybe because the pork bone base is also blended with vegetable and chicken stock. It also uses medium thin noodles. One thing I observed is that lots of shops offer a spicy, peppery version.
Aside from the noodle soup, Hiroshima also serves the “shirunashi tantanmen” or the soupless dan dan noodles. instead of broth, it usually has chili oil, fried ground pork sauce, and pepper mixed with thin straight noodles.
✅ a lot more INFO: HIROSHIMA travel GUIDE!
Onomichi ramen
Although Onomichi is a city within Hiroshima Prefecture, its ramen is way out there. Onomichi-style ramen is the utmost comfort food. It’s light but sinful at the same time. Light because its broth is shoyu-based mixed with fish paste and chicken extracts. Sinful because floating on top are bits of fat (seabura), an ingredient that this type of ramen has been particularly known for. Onomichi ramen also uses flat noodles.
✅ a lot more INFO: ONOMICHI travel GUIDE!
Takaida ramen
Menya Joroku’s chukasoba
Takaida is an area peppered with ramen bars in Osaka’s Higashinari ward. Traditionally, Takaida-style takes thick noodles and drowns it in a light-bodied broth, which is a blend of chicken, kelp seaweed, and shoyu.
In Dotonbori, a shop that specializes in Takaida-style ramen is Menya Joroku (Menya Jouroku). Its best-seller is chukasoba (¥700), characterized by its deep dark broth, made with chicken stock and black soy sauce. a lot of reviews say that despite its color, it is surprisingly light. I beg to differ: I find it a bit on the heavy side. It has an intense salty flavor with a tinge of sour. That’s not a bad thing for me because like I said earlier, I like strong, rich profiles. Each serving is topped with slices of roasted pork, chopped scallions, bamboo shoots, and a dash of black pepper.
✅ a lot more INFO: WHERE TO eat IN OSAKA!
Takayama ramen
Takayama ramen (or Hida-Takayama ramen) is another clear, light version. Its broth is made from chicken bones blended with shoyu, dashi, vegetables and mirin, a condiment similar to sake but with higher sugar and lower alcohol content. Swimming in the light, tasty soup are thin, curly noodles, grilled pork, bamboo shoots, and leeks.
✅ a lot more INFO: TAKAYAMA travel GUIDE!
Bonus: Nagasakis Champon
I’m not sure whether or not I must include this because I don’t know if this is still within the ramen realm, but whatever.
I wasn’t able to take a photo of the champon we had in Nagasaki because we were hungry, haha. So here’s a photo of champon from a resto in Fukuoka.
Champon is Nagasaki’s signature noodle soup dish. It also uses ramen (pulled noodles), but they’re thicker than usual. The broth, made with pig and chicken bones, is also thicker in consistency — creamy, nearly milky — but lighter in taste. Every bowl also comes with generous helpings of various vegetables and seafood, normally shrimp and squid. other types of meat like chicken or bacon are often added.
Champon’s origins can be traced back to a Chinese restaurant called Shikairō, which is believed to have created champon in 1899 to deal with the Chinese students trying to find cheap but filling comfort food. The restaurant still operates to this day and even has an attached Champon Museum. You can find it near the Oura Church.
✅ a lot more INFO: WHERE TO eat IN KYUSHU!
2020 • 4 • 22
Flere ideer på YouTube ⬇
Relaterede indlæg:
Endo Sushi: Where to eat in Osaka, Japan
Donguri Okonomiyaki dining in Kyoto, Japan
10 Food Delights to try in Japan
KAKIGORI: The Grandmama of Halo-halo
WHERE TO eat cheap IN FUKUOKA
WHERE TO eat IN YONAGO, DAISEN & SAKAIMINATO
WHERE TO eat cheap IN SAPPORO
15 MUST-TRY FOOD treats IN KYUSHU (Fukuoka, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Oita & Saga)