Ramen – the popular Japanese dish

Ramen is making its way into kitchens all over the world

A Japanese food trend has been taking cities worldwide and social networks by storm for quite some time now. We’re talking about ramen soup. Read on to find out more about this new favourite dish.

This tasty and very diverse soup made of hand-pulled wheat noodles is called ramen. Traditionally from China, this dish soon became one of Japan’s national foods. It is essentially made up of a strong broth, ramen noodles, a variety of ingredients, tasty toppings and a spicy sauce called “tare”. 

There are so many different ways of preparing ramen: with vegetarian, vegan or meaty options, there’s something to suit every taste. In addition to the noodles, the type of broth used also gives ramen a distinctive character. The four most popular types are: 

• Shuyo ramen (broth with Japanese soy sauce)
• Miso ramen (broth with miso paste and fermented soybeans)
• Shio ramen (broth made from fish or seafood)
• Tonkotsu ramen (broth made from pork bones)

Those who don’t eat animal-based products can naturally use vegetable broth. 

Some “soup-er” ramen suggestions

You can use whatever you fancy as ramen ingredients and toppings: fish, meat, boiled or fried egg, roasted seaweed, bamboo shoots, spinach, pak choi and other vegetables, mushrooms or tofu. Simply experiment to your heart’s content until you find your perfect ramen recipe.

If you don’t want to whip up a ramen dish yourself, you can always go to a ramen restaurant. In Tokyo there is even a Michelin-starred ramen shop. But you don’t need to travel to the Japanese capital to try out this trendy dish. Nowadays, there are ramen joints in numerous European towns and cities.  

If you’re wondering how you should eat ramen, the noodles and other ingredients are traditionally eaten with chopsticks and the broth can simply be slurped from the bowl.