NOODLE SOUP Ramen: a Japanese tradition

Japan has numerous ramen houses, where slurping is encouraged.
By TERESA J. FARNEY
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
Dan Paller's eyes light up at the mention of ramen. Yes, ramen. But before you toss this paper aside with a sneer, realize that we're not talking about the cellophane-wrapped, 10-for-a-dollar stuff. Paller's passion is for the real McCoy, a noodle that is thick and rich and served with slices of meat, fish or poultry, plus vegetables and, often, a hard-cooked egg. It's so popular in Japan and other Asian countries that it's the focus of eateries called ramen houses.
"In Japan, ramen is a respected part of the national cuisine," he said.
And he should know: Through his three visits to Japan and his exploration of the topic for his senior thesis at Colorado College, the 22-year-old Minnesota native has become an expert on the subject. The title of his thesis? "Big Mac Attacked: Exploring the Social and Cultural Meanings of the Japanese Favorite, Ramen."
What he discovered is that ramen in Japan is completely different from what college kids for years have heated up in their dorm rooms. This is a meal, so much so that it's considered guy food.
Open late
"Ramen houses are open around lunchtime until 2 a.m.," said Paller, who graduated from Colorado College on May 17. "The main reason they are open so late is so people can go and get a snack after they have been drinking with friends or co-workers. And the houses are generally filled with men."
In other words, this is not the instant stuff that you buy in U.S. grocery stores, with the tough noodles and thin, salty broth that you add hot water to and eat in 3 minutes.
"One of my favorite ramen houses is Ippudo, where I get the Ippudo Special, which contains the whole works when it comes to ramen toppings: tamago (egg), nori (dried seaweed), menma (bamboo shoots), negi (green onion) and chashu (saut & eacute;ed pork)," he said.
Noodles are made fresh in Japan's ramen houses. And ramen is one of the four most-consumed noodle dishes in Japan. The others are soba, udon and somen. All have origins in China.
"During World War II, Japan had problems finding food, especially toward the end of the war," Paller said. "The Japanese had to learn to substitute other foods for their staple, rice. And they turned to inexpensive and filling noodles."
Extremely popular
Today, ramen-style soups are sold almost anywhere in Japan. Locals and tourists line the streets outside the ramen houses for their turn to slurp up a bowl of hot noodles with toppings.
And slurping is expected at these eateries. Loud, sloppy slurping not only is tolerated, but encouraged.
"It's OK to slurp ramen and drink the soup out of the bowl," Paller said. "It's a Japanese tradition."
The Japanese take ramen houses seriously. There are dozens of Fodor-like guidebooks about where to find the best ones. Color photos of the dishes highlight what you can expect when you dine at one of the places listed in the book.
Basically, though, there are four main soup bases for ramen: shoyu (soy sauce-flavored), miso (fermented soy bean), shio (salt-flavored) and tonkotsu (salty pork-based broth).
Within the soup base will be one of several styles of fresh ramen noodles: curly, straight, thick or thin. The basic noodle -- men -- is made of water, flour, egg, salt and carbonated water.
"Chefs use the kansui [natural sodium-carbonated water] to make the noodles elastic," he said. "The 'ra' in ramen means 'to pull or stretch.' Thus ramen -- stretchy noodles."
Instant versions
As devoted as the Japanese are to their ramen, it might come as a surprise to learn that there are instant versions of the dish. Paller's Japanese girlfriend occasionally sends him instant ramen from Tokyo that comes in a Styrofoam bowl. He believes it's about as close to the real thing as you can get and much better than anything he could buy here.
The kit contains a packet for a rich sauce and a topping packet with strips of thinly sliced pork and lots of dehydrated chopped vegetables. It's the sauce, fatty slices of meat and large amount of dehydrated veggies that set this instant ramen apart from U.S. versions, he said.
"See the globs of fat?" he pointed out. "That's what makes the soup creamy."
Out of desperation for a more authentic-style ramen, Paller tried to dress up a U.S. version.
"I stir-fried some thinly sliced pork and added it to a rehydrated package of Top Ramen," he said. "I also added some fresh spinach. ... It was OK but not as rich as the real thing. The pork we have here is too lean. It needs the fat to make the soup creamy and rich."
Obviously, then, these soups are not for the obsessively health-conscious.
"They are full of fat and salt," he said, "but it's the best fast food you'll ever fill up on."