The Ramen_Lord Book of Ramen
By Mike Satinover (Ramen_Lord) and Scott Satinover, Ph.D.
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Copyright © 2020-2024 by Michael T. Satinover and Scott J. Satinover
All rights reserved.
Table of Contents
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Introduction 1
Starting with the Basics: What is Ramen? 4
A Note on Measurement 6
Common Abbreviations for Units of Measure 7
Chapter 1: Noodles 8
What is a Ramen Noodle? 8
Noodle Ingredients 9
Wheat 9
Kansui 11
Water 12
Other Ingredients Worth Discussing 14
Final Noodle Ingredient Remarks 16
Making Noodles 17
Step One: Ingredient Prep 17
Step Two: Partial Hydration 18
Step Three: Remaining Hydration 18
Step Four: The First Rest 19
Step Five: The First Pressing 20
Step Six: Rest it (AGAIN) 21
Step Seven: Roll and Cut 21
Step Eight: Mature Noodles 21
Noodle Recipes 22
Tokyo Style Noodle 22
New Wave Tokyo Style Noodle 23
Jiro Noodle 24
Sapporo Style Noodle 26
Makeshift-Hakata Style Noodle 27
Kitakata Style Noodle 28
Akayu Style Noodle 29
Thick Tsukemen Noodle 30
New Tsukemen Noodle 32
Taishoken Style Tsukemen Noodle 33
Tapioca Tsukemen Noodle 34
Mazesoba / Soupless Ramen Noodle 35
Chapter 2: Soup 37
Collagen Conversion to Gelatin 38
Myoglobin Denaturation and Scum Formation 39
Fat Rendering 39
Aroma and Flavor Extraction 40
Emulsification 41
Gelatin As An Emulsifier 42
Other Emulsifiers: Starch and Protein Blending 42
Measuring Gelatin and Emulsion Quality 43
Cooking Soup: Many Approaches 44
Sous Vide 44
Pressure Cooking 45
Finalize Soup and Storage 46
Cooking Times by Ingredient 47
Dashi 48
Basic Dashi 49
Clam Dashi 50
Bacon Dashi 50
Basic Chintan Method 51
Tokyo Style Chintan 52
“Doubutsu Kei” Style Chintan 52
All-Purpose Chintan 53
New Wave Chicken Chintan 53
Eifukucho Taishoken style Chintan 54
Yamagata Style “Akayu’ Chintan 54
Vegetable Chintan 55
Basic Paitan Method 56
Tonkotsu Soup 57
Roasted Bone Tonkotsu Soup 57
Jiro Style Tonkotsu Soup 58
Tonkotsu Gyokai Soup 59
Chicken Paitan 60
“Cement” Ramen 61
Tsukemen “Thick” Soup 62
Additional Techniques for Soup 63
Double Soup 63
Soup Clarification 65
Chapter 3: Tare 66
Salt 67
Flavor 67
Beyond Salt and Flavor: Adding Umami Concepts 68
Umami From Glutamic Acid 68
A Personal Note on MSG 68
Umami From Synergistic Nucleotides 69
Final Thoughts on Tare 70
Shoyu Tare 70
Standard Shoyu Tare 71
Toasted Shoyu Tare 72
New Wave Shoyu Tare 73
Lighter Shoyu Tare 73
Mushroom Shoyu Tare 74
Black Shoyu Tare 75
Easy Meat Shoyu Tare (Aka Jiro-Style Tare) 76
Kitakata Shoyu Tare 76
Smoked Shoyu Tare 77
Bacon Shoyu Tare 78
Mole Shoyu Tare 78
Shio Tare 79
Bare Bones Shio Tare 80
Sake-based Shio Tare 80
White Wine Chicken Shio 81
Soy/Shio Blend Tare 82
Miso Tare 83
Ramen_Lord’s Miso Tare 83
Kara Miso (Spicy Miso) 84
Sweet Miso Tare (For Akayu Style Bowls) 85
Other Tares 86
Tantanmen Tare 86
“Hot” Tare 86
Chapter 4: Toppings 88
Steeped Egg (Ajitama/Ajidama/Tsuketamago/Ajitamago/Hanjukutamago etc.) 88
Steeping Method Zero: Do Nothing, Eat The Eggs As Prepared Now 90
Steeping Method One: Quick and Easy Brine 90
Steeping Method 2: Equilibrium Brine 91
Chashu 92
Cook in Soup 93
Standard Braise 93
Dry Roasting 94
Sous Vide 95
“Rare” Chashu 96
Combination Method: Braise then Roast 97
Sous Vide Chicken Breast 99
Green Onions 100
Menma 100
Roasted Tomato 101
Wood Ear Mushroom 102
Boiled Spinach 102
Pork Soboro 103
Spice Blend 103
Akayu Spicy Miso Ball 104
Chapter 5: Aroma Oil 106
Chicken Fat 107
Stovetop Method 107
Microwave Method 108
Lard 109
All-Purpose Negi (Scallion) Oil 109
Chicken and Scallion Oil 110
Negi Niboshi Oil 110
Ginger and Onion Lard 111
Celery Seed Oil 111
Chili Oil 112
Mayu 112
Chapter 6: Putting It All Together 115
Mise en Place 115
Preparation Process 115
A Note on Jiro 116
Standard Bowl Assembly 117
Step 0: Identify Your Serving Bowl 117
Step 0.5: Get Your Mise en Place Ready 118
Step 1: Preheat Your Bowl 118
Step 2: Cook Your Noodles 119
Step 3: Add Tare, Aroma Oil, and Soup 119
Step 4: Strain The Noodles 119
Step 5: Separate and Line Up The Noodles: Noodle Fold 120
Step 6: Add Toppings 121
Step 7: EAT 121
Assembly Alternatives 122
Sapporo Miso Wok Method 122
69'N'Roll One And Multiple-Tare Approach 123
Tsukemen 123
Aburasoba/Mazesoba/Mazemen 123
Example Component Combinations 124
Shoyu Ramen 124
New Wave Shoyu Ramen 124
Miso Ramen 125
Shio Ramen 125
Akayu Ramen 125
Tonkotsu 125
Tantanmen 125
Chicken Paitan 126
Tonkotsu Gyokai Tsukemen 126
Jiro Ramen 126
Appendix: Ingredient Discussion (In Progress) 128
References 128
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Introduction
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Thank you for reading this book! This has been a long time coming. Over the last several years I have tinkered with the idea of making a book, to help everyone - from hardcore ramen-lovers to those simply intrigued by interesting food - find an all-inclusive resource of recipes and ideas on how to make ramen. I felt like it would make sense to make this as widely accessible as possible. An e-book format made the most sense, free for anyone to view at any time.
Many of you probably have never had ramen beyond the dry noodle packages found regularly at your local grocery store. This book is not about that kind of ramen, which is more akin to instant noodles. While tasty in their own right, instant noodles aren’t quite the same thing as the dish discussed in this book. Ramen, a dish originating from Japan, is a complex soup that is challenging to make and, even to this day, still has quite a bit of mystery. I’m hoping I can at least break apart the ambiguity a little, primarily through discussing concepts rather than solely relying on recipes.
As for the rest of you, I know what you are thinking. A book on ramen? That sounds awfully specific. Who is this guy? Why should I even care? Why is an American making ramen? Is this a poor man’s Ivan Orkin?
Not exactly.
My name is Mike. I’m a food nerd who lives in Chicago, and I am particularly obsessed with ramen. Most folks know me by the name “Ramen_Lord” on Reddit, which is pretty ostentatious, I know. The username was tongue-in-cheek at first. I thought I might post some of my creations to the ramen subreddit, /r/ramen, have some fun in the process, and learn along the way. I did not, however, expect my posts to catch on at all. And despite this, people started paying attention.
But what sparked this weird obsession? In all sincerity, it was kind of a coincidence. Many years before my interests really kicked in, I’d been studying Japanese in highschool and college, eating ramen with some mild regularity. Usually, I’d go out to a Japanese market in Chicago called Mitsuwa and splurge on miso ramen. The bowls I had were good, but nothing that really sparked the passion I had now. Driven by my interest in Japan, I stumbled on an opportunity in college to move there as part of a study abroad program at Hokkaido University. Naturally, I applied and was accepted to the program, where I moved to Sapporo for a year. Coincidentally, miso ramen was designed, created, and invented in that city. I thought, hey, I like Japanese food, and ramen is good, I ought to get a taste of the real deal. I mean, surely, it must be better than what I’d eaten before.
I tried a few bowls in touristy destinations like Ramen Yokocho. Felt fine. Packed it up.
But it wasn’t until a friend suggested I try out a shop named Sumire that my total worldview on ramen changed. I remember the experience vividly: I climbed some shambly metal stairs to the side of an office building in the drinking district of Sapporo known as Susukino. I walked past a hanging curtain over the door, and selected “miso ramen” from a ticket machine, sitting down, oblivious to what would happen next.
What arrived was ethereal. A scalding hot bowl of rich intense miso and pork soup, with punches of garlic and ginger and a slight tinge of spice. A blanket of melted lard floating on top, trapping the soup’s heat in the bowl. The aggressively chewy, crinkly yellow noodles, the delicate sprinkling of thinly sliced green onion, tender slices of braised pork. This was unlike ramen, no, any food,I’d ever had. Prior, I’d assumed ramen was tasty junk food. With Sumire, this whole idea of “kodawari”, or obsession with quality, became obvious to me.
All I could think was, “THIS is Sapporo’s legacy!” I had to find more of the stuff.
For the next year in Sapporo, I basically went out for ramen whenever I could. I bought guide books, rented textb