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What Type of Noodles Are in Ramen: The Secret of Authentic Ramen Noodles


Noodles in ramen are made of wheat flour, kansui, and water.

In terms of ingredients, it is similar to udon noodles and pasta noodles.

Because they are both made of some kind of wheat flour.

But there are some big differences…

Ramen noodles have a distinct flavor and chewiness.

1. This  kind of noodle is in a bowl of ramen, tsukemen, and hiyashi chuka

10PM on the day of December when I was 9 years old, I heard the sound of a horn. It was a sign of a ramen food truck in my neighborhood.

I asked my dad if we could eat ramen.

He was tipsy and feeling happy because of the beer.

And said to me, "sure".

We brought 2,000 yen and 2 soup bowls to the street... 

Do you know the difference between ramen noodles and other noodles?

2. Kansui makes ramen noodles special

Ramen noodles are made of...

Kansui, flour, and water.

Raw ramen noodles and instant ramen noodles are both made of these 3 ingredients.

Kansui is an alkaline solution (usually sodium carbonate or potassium carbonate).

Kansui makes noodles...

Yellow,

Chewy, and

Gives it its distinct ramen noodle flavor.

And no other noodles contain kansui.

3. If there is a noodle community, udon is a cousin of ramen noodles

They are made of wheat flour, and they are both Japanese cuisine.

The biggest difference is that udon noodles are very thick compared to ramen noodles.

In addition, udon noodles usually have a straight shape while…

Ramen noodles can have a wavy or straight shape.

4. Pasta is the second cousin of ramen noodles 

Pasta and ramen noodles are both made of wheat flour too.

But the difference is, pasta is made of unleavened durum wheat flour, water, and eggs

Another difference is pasta is dense, and ramen is chewy.

5. Soba is a distant relative

Soba is made of buckwheat flour.

They have similar shapes and thickness to ramen noodles.

Soba influenced ramen a lot.

Do you know the reason why ramen has nori as a topping?

Because nori was a topping of soba.

A lot of soba chefs turned into ramen chefs after ramen gained popularity.

Soba noodles have a greyish color.

And they are dense compared to ramen noodles.

6. Pho is a distant relative

Pho noodles are made of rice powder.

Pho noodles are translucent and soft compared to ramen noodles.

7. Instant noodles are siblings

Raw ramen noodles and instant noodles are made of  the same ingredients.

The only difference is instant noodles are deep fried or air dried.

Due to Covid, a lot of good ramen restaurants have closed

It makes me feel very angry.

I used to eat ramen out frequently,

But in this situation, 

Ramen shops have started to shorten the hours, limit the number of customers, or even closed their shops.

It has affected the industry so much.

I am afraid good ramen will be gone

But meanwhile, you still can enjoy ramen in the comfort of your own home.

Here are some of my recommendations for ramen lovers.

1. Sapporo Ichiban Shio Flavor

MY THOUGHTS OVERALL ★★★★☆

In truth, Sapporo Ichiban delivers a good quality shio ramen experience.

Actually, it is very difficult to find good shio ramen.

Do you know why?

Because it is very difficult to make it since it is very simple.

There are many good shoyu and miso flavored instant noodles out there.

But I feel specifically, the shio flavor market is monopolized by Sapporo Ichiban.

Think about this for a moment having good shio ramen for your dinner with your favorite ramen toppings.

Now, you want some, don’t you?

2. Nissin Raoh Shoyu Flavor

MY THOUGHTS OVERALL ★★★★★

It is nearly impossible to make restaurant quality noodles at home without the right tools and equipment.

How can you beat that?

Using Raoh’s shoyu flavour will help you achieve this easily. This is top-notch ramen hands down!

One pinnacle of instant noodles is the soy sauce flavor. It is expensive compared to regular ones but let me tell you, it deserves every single penny.

In a nutshell, I loved every bit of it.

...And I am sure you will too.

3. The problem here is that no toppings come with these packets.

Here are some topping options and recipes for you.


Green onion
Nori

4. Have you ever faced these issues...

A lack of large, high-quality soup bowl sets at home?

Are you still struggling with...

😢 ...small bowls that aren’t large enough for soups, noodles and toppings.

😢 ...spillage every time you eat out of your bowl.

😢 ...low-quality tableware and utensils that don’t compliment your food.

Look no further, 

Our best-selling bowls are here to fix all the issues you face with small, inefficient tableware.

After struggling with spillage and leakage during dinner time, 

We decided to introduce APEX S.K’s large soup bowls to the market.

Want to hear why some people absolutely love our ramen bowls?

"These are perfect for homemade ramen soup nights! The bowls we have at home are not large enough and my wife has been trying to look for larger bowls. I'm so glad I stumbled upon these. They made a great Christmas gift for the whole family. Everybody was so excited and we can't wait to put them to use on our next ramen night."

"Amazing quality! They are very durable. I dropped it from standing height to test if they would break, but no dents or anything."

"The shape, the color, and the overall appearance of the bowl was exactly what I was looking for - the shape, the color"

Check our sets on Amazon..

   

About the Author

Kei is a self-proclaimed ramen lover, blog writer and founder of "Apex S.K. Japanese tableware".

"I am from Ibaraki, Japan.

Ramen is great! It can bring you a sense of happiness and satisfaction that no other food can. I have been eating ramen for 30 years.

If there is no ramen, my life would be miserable.

Ten years ago, I worked as an office worker. The job was really stressful - excessive working hours, low wages, unpaid overtime work, and constantly being yelled at by my boss.

I was new and alone, no girlfriend, no friends, and felt very lonely.

My only oasis was the ramen shop near the office. For me, the ramen chef there was literally an angel. I saw a halo on his head. (No joke)

Tonkotsu shoyu ramen was my all-time favorite. He made ramen with broth chock-full of umami flavor, nice chewy handmade noodles, and tender chashu.

My greatest dream is connect people with ramen through my blog. I want to share a lot of interesting and funny stories and ramen trivia with you.

Knowing more about ramen can help you appreciate your ramen and make it taste extra delicious."


Did you know that we offer more than just a ramen blog?

We also have an exclusive collection of ramen-inspired t-shirts and hoodies that any true noodle lover will adore.

Head over to ApexRamen and check it out for yourself


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