Topp 10 ramen vi har prøvd i Japan (våre favoritter!)

Du skal ikke forlate Japan uten å nyte ramen.

Hvis det var et bud om å reise til Japan at jeg har fulgt religiøst, ville det være det. Uansett hvilken del av Japan jeg besøker, forlater jeg aldri landet uten å fylle det slappe ansiktet mitt med ramen.

Ramenhistorien kan spores tilbake til Kinas hvetetudler, som ble introdusert for Japan av innvandrere på slutten av 1800 -tallet. Japanerne omfavnet det, satte sitt eget spinn til den og eide det. I dag er Ramen Japans viktige komfortmat. Ikke bare representerer det hvor mye lokalbefolkningen elsker mat, den viser også hvor seriøst de tar matlaging som en kunstform – det harde arbeidet, disiplinen og kreativiteten som går i hver skål.

På toppen av det gjenspeiler Ramen også stedets fysiske og kulturelle landskap. Nesten alle prefekturer har sin egen versjon, avhengig av den lokale smaken, tilgjengeligheten av ingredienser, klima og ytre påvirkninger. I dette innlegget sammenstiller vi noen av ramen -typene som såret et merke på hodet.

(Ansvarsfraskrivelse: Ganen min har en tendens til å favorisere rike, dristige smaksprofiler. Jeg er egentlig ikke i lettere smaker.)

Hva er dekket i denne guiden?

Mine personlige favoritter1. Tottori Gyukotsu ramen
2. Kumamoto Ramen
3. Hakata ramen
4. Sapporo Ramen
5. Klassiker Tokyo Shoyu Ramen
6. Yuzu Ramen

Andre eksepsjonelle Ramenhiroshima Ramen
Onomichi ramen
Takaida Ramen
Takayama Ramen
Bonus: Nagasakis champon

Flere ideer på YouTube ⬇ relaterte innlegg:

Mine personlige favoritter

1. Tottori Gyukotsu ramen

Uten tvil er vår favoritt ramen Gyukotsu Ramen, signaturstilen til Tottori Prefecture.

Tottori er et lite kjent reisemål, i det minste blant utenlandske reisende. Men denne undervurderte prefekturen i Chūgoku -regionen har en rik kulinarisk tradisjon. Noen av Japans mange populære retter har sine røtter i Tottori. Det er her ideen om Shabu-Shabu ble født og hvor de smakigste krabber og rekene blir fanget.

Mens resten av verden er forelsket i Tonkotsu Ramen, hvis buljong er laget av svinekjøtt, bruker Tottori storfe i sin Gyukotsu ramen. Vi har vært på nesten 30 prefekturer så langt, og bare Tottori bruker denne ingrediensen som base for buljongen. Det er sjelden, ja, men ikke akkurat overraskende, gitt prefekturens tilhørighet til storfekjøtt. Det er også hjemmet til Tottori -storfekjøtt, som antas å være forløperen for andre berømte storfekjøttmerker som Kobe Beef og Matsusaka Beef.

Vi har prøvd dette to ganger – på Takauna og Hachibee i Kurayoshi City – og dette er de to beste skålene med ramen vi noen gang har hatt. Takauna bruker 100% storfeben i buljongen, aksentert av steinsalt. Hver skje lanserer en eksplosjon av smak som fikk meg til å ønsket mer. Hver skål med faste bølgete nudler er kronet med sakte kokt chashu (svinekjøtt), nori (tang), bambusskudd og grønne løk. Både lagkameraten Asta og jeg er ferdig med bollen på kort tid. Den beste delen, det er bare 600 ¥.

På Hachibee er ramen toppet med tykke kutt av svinekjøtt pent og vakkert anordnet. Oksekjøttesmaken er ubestridelig, men skånsom, ikke overveldende, men blander godt med hvit shoyu. Røykheten til de store biter av svinekjøtt bærer lend, grillet til perfeksjon, var absolutt morder. Hver porsjon leveres med nori (tang), bambusskudd og grønn løk. Og for bare ¥ 800, er dette for god for sin pris.

✅ Mye mer info: Hvor du kan spise i Tottor!

2. Kumamoto Ramen

Kumamoto Ramen av Tengaiten
Kumamoto er en av de syv prefekturene som utgjør den sørlige øya Kyushu. Stilen i denne regionen kommer stort sett fra Kurume, der den opprinnelige Tonkotsu -suppen ble oppfunnet. Tonkotsu oversettes bokstavelig talt til “svinekjøtt”, som kokes og simmeres i timevis. De nærliggende byene tilpasset seg deretter og hadde sin vei med det, og skapte en rekke spesialiteter som er forskjellige fra hverandre. I Kumamoto kan den distinkte kvaliteten oppsummeres med et ord – hvitløk. Mye av det. Og gjett hva, hvitløk er – uten tvil – det krydderet jeg ikke kan leve uten.

Visst, andre stiler bruker hvitløk også, men Kumamoto blir gal med det. Kumamoto Ramens buljong er normalt Assari, som indikerer lys og tynn, generelt fordi den ofte blandes med kyllingbestand. Men for en lysere skål pakker Kumamoto Ramen også en sterk trøkk. Takket være de sjenerøse porsjonene hvitløk, som kan komme i mange former: et lag med mayu (brent hvitløkolje), dryss av stekt hvitløksflis, eller begge deler. Uansett er det denne utpreget sterke hvitløkssmaken som setter den i tillegg til andre Ramen -stiler.

✅ Mye mer info: ting å gjøre i Kumamoto

3. Hakata ramen

The first bowl of hakata ramen was served in the streets of Nakasu in Hakata, which is now part of Fukuoka City. Each city in Japan has their own version of preparing ramen, but Hakata-style tonkotsu ramen is undoubtedly the most successful, spreading not just around the country but around the globe.

Like Kumamoto ramen, Hakata ramen is an offshot of the original tonkotsu ramen created in Kurume. but Hakata’s take on it took it to another level. Hakata’s stock is often kotteri, which is rich, opaque, and often frothy. It uses thin, firm noodles and is typically topped with green onions and slices of chashu pork. It packs a powerful dose of umami with every spoonful.

The world-famous Ichiran, with branches even in North America, has its roots in Hakata. You’ll also find widely respected ramen bars like Shin-shin, Anzen Syokudo, and Ramen Kobo Ryu. and of course, it is also served at lots of yatai stalls throughout the city.

At Shin-shin and Hakata Issou, I observed that it also has a very subtle bitter aftertaste, which prevents the porky flavor from being too overpowering.

✅ a lot more INFO: WHERE TO eat IN FUKUOKA!

4. Sapporo Ramen

In Sapporo, the signature is miso ramen, which taps the magic of miso paste, made by fermenting soy beans and blended with chicken stock or dashi (fish stock). Sometimes, chili paste is added to deliver a spicy kick that is very welcome in long Hokkaido winter.

When I asked locals where to find the best miso ramen in the city, they pointed us to Ramen Shingen. and if the queue outside is any indication, it may really be one of the most popular ramen bars in Sapporo. considering that we were there just before midnight and in freezing weather, the place was packed with locals. In fact, after falling in line outside, we stepped inside and, whoa, there was still a line. Ha ha. There were only 12 seats, so you must really expect to wait.

Ramen Shingen’s spicy miso bowl is called Echigo, which cradles chewy, curly noodles topped with chashu and kakuni. The richness, flavor strength, and even the piquancy were perfect. despite the gigantic serving, we were able to slurp every last strand of the noodles and every last drop of its broth.

This may be an unpopular opinion, but I had my best miso ramen at a bar called Shirakaba Sansou at Sapporo Ramen Kyowakoku (aka Ramen Republic). It also has similar wavy noodles, but adorned with nori, bamboo shoots, ajitama (egg), chashu (pork), garlic oil, and black pepper. The broth is so rich that the miso is the evident star of this bowl, and it works perfectly with the rest of the ingredients. and like I said, I’m a bit partial to anything with a strong garlic flavor, so… there.

✅ a lot more INFO: WHERE TO eat IN SAPPORO!

5. Klassiker Tokyo Shoyu Ramen

As Japan’s capital, Tokyo’s restaurant scene is wild, vibrant, and exceptionally diverse. Whatever type of ramen you crave, you’ll probably find a bar using that somewhere in the city. but Tokyo’s standard style is not to be pushed aside.

The classic Tokyo ramen is basic but surprising. Its clear, light-bodied broth has a chicken or pork base mixed with standard dashi and shoyu. Drowning in it are wavy noodles, topped with chashu. one of the best bowls we had in Tokyo is served by Ramen 1/20 (Ramen Nijubunnoichi), featured on the Michelin guide a few times. Although they specialize in their shio ramen, their shoyu version has less subtle flavors that feels smooth and light. Each serving is plated cleanly but thoroughly — a whole ajitama resting on the spoon and a slice of pink chashu.

✅ a lot more INFO: TOKYO travel GUIDE!

6. Yuzu Ramen

What makes ramen successfully take Japan and the world by storm is its openness to interpretation. any individual can make a few changes here and there and call it their own. No wonder nearly every prefecture has their own version, and every restaurant has their own guarded recipe. It also paves the way for innovation.

One of our a lot of unforgettable bowls is Afuri’s yuzu ramen, which incorporates a touch of citrus to the tried-and-tested shio and shoyu concoctions. similar to lemon, yuzu is widely used in Japanese cuisine but not so much on ramen. but Afuri’s yuzu ramen perfectly adds a bright burst of citrusy tang that perfectly complements the savory combination of the broth, chashu, ajitama, and mizuna leaves. It’s a refreshing take on the ramen!

Other exceptional Ramen

Hiroshima ramen

Hiroshima’s own take on the good old ramen is the middle ground between the subtlety of Tokyo’s shoyu and the richness of Kyushu’s tonkotsu ramen. Its broth is thinner than Hakata, maybe because the pork bone base is also blended with vegetable and chicken stock. It also uses medium thin noodles. One thing I observed is that lots of shops offer a spicy, peppery version.

Aside from the noodle soup, Hiroshima also serves the “shirunashi tantanmen” or the soupless dan dan noodles. instead of broth, it usually has chili oil, fried ground pork sauce, and pepper mixed with thin straight noodles.

✅ a lot more INFO: HIROSHIMA travel GUIDE!

Onomichi ramen

Although Onomichi is a city within Hiroshima Prefecture, its ramen is way out there. Onomichi-style ramen is the utmost comfort food. It’s light but sinful at the same time. Light because its broth is shoyu-based mixed with fish paste and chicken extracts. Sinful because floating on top are bits of fat (seabura), an ingredient that this type of ramen has been particularly known for. Onomichi ramen also uses flat noodles.

✅ a lot more INFO: ONOMICHI travel GUIDE!

Takaida Ramen

Menya Joroku’s chukasoba
Takaida is an area peppered with ramen bars in Osaka’s Higashinari ward. Traditionally, Takaida-style takes thick noodles and drowns it in a light-bodied broth, which is a blend of chicken, kelp seaweed, and shoyu.

In Dotonbori, a shop that specializes in Takaida-style ramen is Menya Joroku (Menya Jouroku). Its best-seller is chukasoba (¥700), characterized by its deep dark broth, made with chicken stock and black soy sauce. a lot of reviews say that despite its color, it is surprisingly light. I beg to differ: I find it a bit on the heavy side. It has an intense salty flavor with a tinge of sour. That’s not a bad thing for me because like I said earlier, I like strong, rich profiles. Each serving is topped with slices of roasted pork, chopped scallions, bamboo shoots, and a dash of black pepper.

✅ a lot more INFO: WHERE TO eat IN OSAKA!

Takayama Ramen

Takayama ramen (or Hida-Takayama ramen) is another clear, light version. Its broth is made from chicken bones blended with shoyu, dashi, vegetables and mirin, a condiment similar to sake but with higher sugar and lower alcohol content. Swimming in the light, tasty soup are thin, curly noodles, grilled pork, bamboo shoots, and leeks.

✅ a lot more INFO: TAKAYAMA travel GUIDE!

Bonus: Nagasakis champon

I’m not sure whether or not I must include this because I don’t know if this is still within the ramen realm, but whatever.

I wasn’t able to take a photo of the champon we had in Nagasaki because we were hungry, haha. So here’s a photo of champon from a resto in Fukuoka.
Champon is Nagasaki’s signature noodle soup dish. It also uses ramen (pulled noodles), but they’re thicker than usual. The broth, made with pig and chicken bones, is also thicker in consistency — creamy, nearly milky — but lighter in taste. Every bowl also comes with generous helpings of various vegetables and seafood, normally shrimp and squid. other types of meat like chicken or bacon are often added.

Champon’s origins can be traced back to a Chinese restaurant called Shikairō, which is believed to have created champon in 1899 to deal with the Chinese students trying to find cheap but filling comfort food. The restaurant still operates to this day and even has an attached Champon Museum. You can find it near the Oura Church.

✅ a lot more INFO: WHERE TO eat IN KYUSHU!

2020 • 4 • 22

Flere ideer på YouTube ⬇

Relaterte innlegg:

Endo Sushi: Where to eat in Osaka, Japan

Donguri Okonomiyaki dining in Kyoto, Japan

10 Food Delights to try in Japan

KAKIGORI: The Grandmama of Halo-halo

WHERE TO eat cheap IN FUKUOKA

WHERE TO eat IN YONAGO, DAISEN & SAKAIMINATO

WHERE TO eat cheap IN SAPPORO

15 MUST-TRY FOOD treats IN KYUSHU (Fukuoka, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Oita & Saga)