Ramen

[Jenise]

We had ramen soup in a Japanese restaurant in Vancouver yesterday late mid-day, a place randomly chosen when driving by hoping for sushi instead.

What is this anyway with opaque broths in Japanese ramen? I've only eaten restaurant ramen a few times. One was good, one or two were okay, and two were something I'd never want to eat again including yesterday's. It was a "creamy" chicken broth made creamy by pureering chicken breast into some stock. Edible but not especially attractive or a do-again. On another occasion a pork broth had bacon grease added to make it opaque/creamy. GROSS. I'm starting to think I am too wedded to Vietnamese pho to properly appreciate true ramen. Or have I just been unlucky?

What is this anyway with opaque broths in Japanese ramen?...It was a "creamy" chicken broth made creamy by pureeing chicken breast into some stock. Edible but not especially attractive or a do-again.

In my experience, Japanese ramen usually has a rich broth with fat that makes it less clear than a soba noodle soup broth, which is much simpler. But, creamy pureed chicken doesn't sound too traditional Japanese. Maybe something tricked up for Americans?

Curious, I thought the thickening/opacity in Ramen was due to miso.

Curious, I thought the thickening/opacity in Ramen was due to miso.

Miso ramen is just one variant of ramen.

I think the general character of ramen broth comes from all the bones/gelatin/fat from long cooking. (Compared to miso soup, which is whisked together at the last minute)

[Jenise]

Rahsaan, this was a Canadian restaurant in a predominantly Asian neighborhood that would include a lot of Indian as well--no Americanization going on there. (The one that had bacon grease in it, yeah, in the Univ district of Seattle so probably.) Your response to Barbara jogs the memory that the ramens I have liked were miso versions. Hadn't connected those dots before.

But yes, pureed white chicken meat. I asked.

Think I better stick with pho from now on.

Congrats on resisting the temptation to title this "What the Pho?"

We use a fair bit of miso in cooking, mostly Shiro, but don't do much with noodles (hakurei turnips cooked in miso are delightful!)

I'll second the preference for Vietnamese pho, although we do indulge in a local Chinese restaurant's wor wonton soup that is very good.

I don't like soups that are muddy oir mostly just noodles and water but as a base to mix in an array of meats and veg, the wor wonton is a fave.

[Jenise]

I don't think I've ever had a soup that was "mostly noodles and water". Did you mean plain broth? I realize your preference for more meat than noodle (which I don't share, I love noodles). Speaking of which the ramen restaurant we were in had a good thing--they would replenish the noodles in your broth for $2. If I'd like the broth better I might have done that.