More about Ramen than you really wanted to know.
Most of us know ramen as the savior of penny-pinching
college students who subsist on the cheap bricks of dried
noodles and foil packets of flavored dust. This instant
meal, however, has little in common with the noodle-and-broth
dish served in Japan, where ramen is a national obsession.
There’s a museum devoted to it, a movie about it (the
1985 comedy Tampopo), and several-hour waits at top ramenya
(ramen shops).
"In
Japan, sushi is quite pricey," says Kumao Arai, chef
at San Jose’s highly regarded Ramen Halu. "Ramen
is much cheaper, and because the soup is difficult to
prepare at home, everyone goes to the ramenya." Now
adventurous food lovers here in the West can enjoy fragrant
bowls of authentic Japanese ramen, too.
Ramen
styles vary—just as barbecue styles vary across the
United States—but the basic components remain the
same. Long strands of al dente wheat noodles are served
in deep bowls of rich stock. Flavors include miso (bean
paste), shoyu (soy sauce), and shio (salt). The broth-noodle
combo is then artfully embellished with toppings, such
as sliced pork, boiled eggs, bean sprouts, corn, black
mushrooms, seaweed, scallions, seasoned bamboo shoots,
or greens. No one frowns if you slurp.
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Ramen Chicken Soup
Makes 4 main-dish servings
Start to Finish: 15 minutes
Ingredients
2 14-ounce cans reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 3-ounce packages chicken-flavored ramen noodles
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano or basil, crushed
1 10-ounce package frozen cut broccoli
2 cups shredded cooked chicken or turkey
1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds
Directions
1. In a large saucepan, bring chicken broth, the seasonings
from the flavoring packet from noodles, and oregano or
basil to boiling. Break up noodles. Add noodles and broccoli
to mixture in saucepan; return to boiling. Reduce heat;
simmer, uncovered, for 3 minutes. Stir in chicken; heat
through. Ladle soup into bowls. Sprinkle with almonds.
Makes 4 main-dish servings.
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