I never managed to finish this in April, so now it’s May Madness and this time, two delicious flavors battle to decide which would make a great ramen flavor.
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May 062013
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Westword has an interesting article, that while focused on some Denver restaurants, provides a brief explanation of the difference between ramen and pho. I’ve had and love both, but I’ve never seen pho at the store for 20 cents a pack.
Here’s a snippet:
In a bowl of ramen, the long, curly noodles are made from wheat, which has the structure-giving gluten that pho’s rice noodles do not. Ramen stock is darker, richer and cloudy, often made from pork bones cooked at a rolling boil, whereas the base for pho is traditionally made from beef and scented with star anise, cinnamon and charred ginger.
Apr 212013
This is an epic battle that should have been posted yesterday but was not due to a mistake on my part. Who wins?
Ramen Flavor Battle: Round 1: Dorito vs Ranch Total Voters: 159
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April Madness: Ramen New Flavor Battles
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Apr 092013
Yesterday I received two emails from different people with new flavor suggestions. I happen to like both ideas and so to celebrate the end of March Madness here in the US and to celebrate the fact that I’m a month behind in thinking about this, I’m starting a new flavor battle. Each round will feature 2 flavors. The winner will advance. I plan on running this all summer, so send in more ideas if you have them.
Ramen Flavor Battle: Round 1 Total Voters: 164
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Dec 022012
In the city of Makati in the Phillipines, in a ramen restaurant called Mitsuyado Sei-Men, you can apparently get a cheese dipped ramen dish. I love traditional ramen, and like the author of this article, I bet I’d never order this, but apparently it was good!
My wife’s tsukemen arrived, served beside its bowl of dipping sauce, redolent of the wondrous reek of parmesan on top and with a small bowl of luminescent melted cheese by its side. Mixed together, it looked like a hearty plateful of spaghetti with cheese sauce. Going against every instinct of what is sensible and right in this world, one takes a few strands of this with one’s chopsticks, and dips it into the sauce, a rich but subtle shoyu-derived broth, nothing too strongly flavored. It’s a bite of starchy umami-coated goodness with a soothing warm chaser. The double-cheese sauce is the ace-in-the-hole for this restaurant, which might otherwise not bob its head above the crowd in the competitive ramen wars of the city.
I can’t get the idea of alfredo pasta out of my head when I think of this dish. When I order ramen, I order it for the steamy warming pork broth and the texture of the noodles, not for parmesean, would you guys be brave enough to try this?
Nov 042012
If you’ve never had fried chicken and waffles, you don’t know what you’re missing (I’m looking at you, people in the Boston area). Now you can take the yummy, buttery, maple goodness and have it in ramen, as long as you move to Cleveland and go visit Noodlecat.
Just Add Waffle
Aug 012012
Hans at the RamenRater sent me a note about this story. As a person who loves spicy noodles and is glad to see them so prevalent, I was excited to read this. I’ve had a few of these and I really enjoy #8 and #5.
Making Ramen at Home
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Mar 122012
Although most of us just cook instant ramen, it is possible to make real ramen at home. This article from the Huffington Post has some good hints and links to recipes.
Later on in the story, there’s a description of four types of ramen:
Shio ramen is the subtlest form with a clear, light-bodied salty chicken broth. Sometimes fish or pork are included.
Shoyu ramen is soy sauce flavored and made with a chicken and vegetable broth base. Sometimes fish or beef are included.
Tonkotsu ramen is rich and pork based, almost milky white in color.
Miso ramen is rich in flavor from miso paste — it also comes in a spicy version that’s topped with spicy bean paste. The broth can be a combination of chicken, fish and/or pork.
Tonkotsu ramen is my favorite kind.
Mar 052012
I got an email from some ramen fans this morning. Neil from Ohio writes:
This email may sound confusing, but just let me explain. We love and enjoy Ramen Noodles and always have ample supply at home and also our motorhome. If you are a television watcher, you no doubt have seen the Allstate auto insurance commercials. The Allstate spokesperson points to a young driver saying “….. Emily’s on a budget … ‘LIKE A RAMEN NOODLE EVERYDAY BUDGET”. This commercial objective is saying anyone on a very tight budget can afford their insurance. [We] are very senior citizens and absolutely love Ramen Noodles. Especially after a cool winter walk as a warm-up snack or Ramen Noodles and a salad or sandwich for lunch or dinner.
We feel the Allstate Insurance commercial is demeaning to Ramen Noodles and shed a very negative impact on a food product that is wholesome and delicious. As the months progress television viewers will be subjected to tons of negative advertising from those individuals running for the Office of President of the United States and feel that the Allstate commercial is detrimental to Ramen Noodles.
Well I must say that I agree with Neil and also I use Progressive Insurance. Hey Progressive, you shouldn’t definitely sponsor me!
Update: The Arkansas Times has weighed in and they’re kinda upset about the commercial. It doesn’t bother me either way, so times are good in Arkansas if they’re upset about this.
March is National Noodle Month
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Mar 012012
March is National Noodle Month and ramen of course is always an excellent choice for celebrating. Now some sites will tell you to make noodle crafts or what-not, but I say noodles are for eating, especially ramen.
I’ve posted this a few years ago, but try out this noodle quiz (PDF)
During March, please send me your wildest, but tastiest recipes, and I’ll be posting them all month. I also have an archive to go back through and pull out some weird stuff. If possible, attach pics to the email!