Enjoy Some Japanese Ramen! Types, Flavor Differences, and Recommended Products
For many foreign tourists who visit Japan, ramen is a dish they always want to experience.
Ramen is so loved that it can be called a Japanese comfort food, and it is rich in variations.
This time, we will introduce you in detail to exemplary types and flavors of ramen and recommended products that you can arrange to buy through Payke’s agency purchasing services.
Please use this introduction as a reference and make it a point to discover your favorite bowl of ramen.
1. Miso Ramen
Miso ramen originates in Sapporo, Hokkaido, and is characterized by a thick soup whose base is miso. The aromatic miso flavor and the soup stock from pork and chicken bones are superbly harmonized, and you can enjoy a robust, deep flavor.
- Characteristics
Red miso and white miso are used for the soup of miso ramen, and ingredients such as garlic, ginger, and sesame seeds are added to the soup, thus adding to its flavor. Thick, frizzy noodles are typical, and they interact well with the soup. - Toppings
Standard toppings include lacto-fermented bamboo shoots, roasted pork fillet, bean sprouts, green onions, and buttered corn. In particular, adding butter during a cold winter increases the soup’s body and good flavor even more.
Recommended Product
This is an exemplary brand of Japanese instant ramen. The balance between the thick miso soup and the thick noodles is superb, and you can enjoy authentic miso ramen even at home.
2. Shoyu Ramen
Shoyu ramen developed mainly in Tokyo and is characterized by a soup whose base is shoyu. Adding shoyu to a soup broth extracted from ingredients such as chicken bones, pork bones, and seafood causes a deep flavor to spread out amid the broth’s simplicity.
- Characteristics
The soup evokes a feeling of transparency, and you can sense the refreshing shoyu flavor. Medium thick, straight noodles are the mainstream, and their balance with the soup is superb. - Toppings
Standard items include lacto-fermented bamboo shoots, roasted pork fillet, fish paste, spinach, and green onions. Simple toppings enhance the soup’s flavor.
Recommended Product
This is an instant ramen characterized by a mouthfeel close to raw noodles. The soup with its shoyu base is refreshing, so you will not tire of its flavor.
3. Tonkotsu Ramen
Tonkotsu ramen originates in the Kyushu region, particularly in Fukuoka, and is characterized by a cloudy soup, for which pork bones are thoroughly simmered. The dish is characterized by a thick and creamy soup, and you can enjoy the soup’s robust flavor.
- Characteristics
By simmering pork bones for a long time, a soup with a concentrated good flavor and body is created. Thin straight noodles are typical, and the Kyushu style is to boil them until they are firm. - Toppings
Standard items include roasted pork fillet, cloud ear mushrooms, green onions, red pickled ginger, and leaf mustard. Red pickled ginger and leaf mustard are essential toppings to add a refreshing accent.
Recommended Product
This product is limited to western Japan! Carefully selected ingredients are thoroughly kneaded and completed as specially-made noodles via House’s unique “fresh fry” manufacturing method. The cloudy soup integrates vegetables and spices with a base extracted from pork bones. Sesame oil and vegetable oil, which are specially-made seasoning oils, and the fragrant oil of roast pork enhance the product’s tastiness even more.
4. Shio Ramen
Shio ramen originates in Hakodate and is characterized by a clear soup whose base is salt. The soup evokes a feeling of transparency, and you can enjoy its refreshing flavor.
- Characteristics
It is made by adding salt to a soup broth extracted from chicken bones, pork bones, and seafood. The soup is simple, so you can directly experience the good flavor of its ingredients. Thin, straight noodles are the mainstream. - Toppings
Standard items include roasted pork fillet, lacto-fermented bamboo shoots, green onions, a boiled egg, and wakame seaweed. Simple toppings enhance the soup’s flavor.
Recommended Product
Sanyo Foods Co., Ltd. Sapporo Ichiban Shio Ramen
This is a staple of Japanese instant ramen. It has a nice balance between a refreshingly salty soup and thin noodles, so you can easily enjoy it.
Summary
The appeal of Japanese ramen is its diverse flavors and variations. Please be aware of the basic flavors, such as miso, shoyu, tonkotsu, and shio, and make it a point to experience the pleasure of discovering a ramen that you like. Also, please try out the recommended products, which we introduced you to and which you can purchase through Payke, and enjoy Japanese ramen even at home. Please enjoy Japanese ramen culture to your heart’s content and enjoy a wonderful food experience.