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Mouthfuls of chewy, savory noodles swimming in a sea of fragrant broth. Meat that's tender and delicate, floating harmoniously alongside scallions and pickled bamboo. Ramen noodles are the quintessential comfort food, a marriage of texture and soft spice that fills your belly soothingly, warmly. This Japanese comfort food of Chinese origin was popularized worldwide by a Taiwanese entrepreneur and is a staple of North American college kids, so it's pretty safe to say that ramen is a multicultural phenomenon with universal appeal. Made from wheat flour, salt, water, and kansui (essentially, a mineral water enriched with sodium and potassium carbonates), ramen is a deceptively simple food. It was made even simpler in the 1950s by Momofuku Ando, who invented the classic instant version that many of us know and love. |
Born in 1910 in Taiwan (which was then a Japanese colony), Ando founded Japan's Nissin Food Products Company in 1948. After nearly 60 years of noodle noodling, he passed away in January 2007, but leaves behind a legacy that has forever changed our grocery store shelves and speedy eats cravings. Ando's creation, initially considered a luxury item in post World War II Japan, is now a cheap and easy way to enjoy a food so popular, it has a museum dedicated to it. As well it should; according to Time magazine, Nissin Food Products sold 85.7 billions packs of instant ramen in the year 2005. Ando's instant ramen got a lot of us through many hungry, frugal, dare I say drunken nights.
At the Shin-Yokohama Raumen Museum in Yokohama, Japan, visitors can learn the history of the ramen noodle, popular methods of serving it, and how it is made, then browse a life-sized replica of the streets of 1950s Tokyo. Restaurants and indoor 'street vendors' hock nine specialty ramen dishes, each representing a different region of Japan. |
Momofuku Ando |
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Ramen is one of those foods that transcend culinary class boundaries. It can be bought in bulk from a warehouse store, cup after Styrofoam cup of it wedged in a gigantic cardboard tray. It can be slurped at a bustling Asian food court, or twirled around elegant chopsticks at one of the many trendy ramen restaurants that pepper the globe, all the while enjoyed in a soup base with various meat and vegetable accoutrements. The most popular soups are Shoyu, a soy sauce-based broth, Miso, Shio, a salt broth, and Tonkotsu, a pork broth that is milky white. Chock full of plump pork or chicken, scallions, bamboo shoots, nori, or hard-boiled eggs, ramen is a delightful mix-and-match meal that can satisfy even the pickiest of diners.
For those who can't afford the luxuries of time or dining out, creativity is a key ingredient in homegrown ramen recipes. College students rely on instant ramen for a quick, delicious meal that is easy on the wallet. The young and 'epi-curious' add all kinds of extras to their ramen, ranging from fresh vegetables and mini canned shrimp to parmesan cheese and even chopped up hot dogs. A forum on Yahoo.com is dedicated to all things ramen; students share their recipes, tips, and tricks for transforming instant noodles into adventures in taste.
Here in the United States, ramen restaurants can be found in nearly every major city. New York is home to Momofuku (163 1st Ave #2, 212.475.7899), a tribute to the late, great Ando himself, Chikubu (12 E. 44th St #1, 212.818.0715), Sapporo (152 W. 49th St) and Menchanko-Tei (43-45 W. 55th St). California has several chains of the trendy Shin-Sen-Gumi Hakata Ramen restaurants (locations in Gardena, Fountain Valley, and Rosemead. See www.shinsengumiusa.com for details), and Asahi Ramen (2027 Sawtelle Blvd, Los Angeles, 310.479.2231). Chicago's CoCoRo (668 N. Wells, 312.943.2220) is touted as one of the best ramen restaurants in the city, and Boston will make the rest of the country jealous later this year when it sees the opening of two Wagamamas (in Faneuil Hall and Harvard Square. See www.wagamama.com for details), a spectacular ramen chain restaurant that is currently located all over the UK and Europe.
Fresh or freeze-dried, instant or handmade, ramen is rarely disappointing. Thank goodness for Momofuku Ando, whose persistence and ingenuity has brought a traditional Japanese food to other corners of the globe, where chefs and noodle stands continue to tweak and develop formulas for new broths and exciting ingredients. For nearly fifty years, Momofuku reigned as the king of ramen and an icon for all foods that balance old-fashioned custom and modern convenience. Nissin Food Products now offers over a dozen flavors of instant ramen noodles, and the company shows no sign of slowing down, which goes to show that ramen is a global food staple that's here to stay.
Whether you prefer to savor your ramen in trendy, out-on-the-town ambiance, gobble it off a cafeteria tray at a food court, or pull a steaming cup from the microwave before settling in front of the television for the night, the ubiquitous noodle soup is bound to make your taste buds happy. |
