We have talked a lot recently about noodles, of all sorts, from all over the world, but there is just one more category I would like to tell you about, and that is the famous Japanese noodle, ramen.
When most people think of ramen, they think of college days when a few packs of ramen in the dorm was essential when funds were low, studying later at night, or just in a hurry.
Ramen has an interesting history. Traditional ramen was first recorded in the 15th century in China, but it bore no resemblance to the little packets of dried noodles, and seasonings, that are still popular today all around the world. It was a dish enjoyed by the wealthy and was about as far from street food as you can get. A typical bowl of traditional ramen might have included roasted pork, spring onions, boiled eggs, mushrooms, bean sprouts and spinach.
Eventually the Japanese picked up the dish and made it their own. It was still a far cry from today’s packaged ramen and was made mostly from scratch. Around 1910, as the popularity of this famous noodle dish continued to grow, the first ramen shops opened in Tokyo and quickly spread to other cities around the country. Street ramen is still wildly popular in Japan and today there are more than 7,000 shops just in Tokyo.
Modern ramen, the dried noodle in a package with a packet of seasoning, was invented in Japan in 1958, inspired by the noodles served in ramen shops on the streets of many major cities. Its popularity spread around the world, and arrived in the USA in 1973, as the Nissin Foods Cup Noodle. If you want to see how many different kinds of ramen there are, check out the Lee International Market on Division Street, in Biloxi. They have more than forty feet of ramen noodles and at least the same amount of space for other types of Asian noodles.
Some might say that the traditional ramen eaten by the Japanese upper classes has fallen on hard times, but there are still ramen shops that serve a more traditional version. Modern ramen may be more pedestrian, but if you want the real thing, you can find the ingredients you need at any Asian market. If you are a little suspicious of the seasoning packet, there are lots of other options. Add a cup of water to a pot, add the dried noodles and boil until the water has evaporated, go to the fridge and find almost any leftover you might have, chop into bite sizes and add, If you want it more soup like, add chicken or vegetable sock.
If you want to try ramen that is a little more up scale, check out Chef David Chang’s brand of noodles, Momofuku (Amazone). Their moto is “Our air-dried, never fried noodles are unlike anything you’ve had before.” The noodles are made from wheat and there are six varieties to choose from: not so spicy, sweet and spicy, soy and scallions, spicy chili, tingly chili, and spicy soy.
Momoffuku are a little pricy, compared to what you might be used to, but they really are much better, and I think worth the price. I always have a few packages in the pantry for when the need strikes!