Ramen noodle soup is my favourite Japanese dish that is super popular as a late-night dish

Ramen noodle soup is the best meal to eat in Japan! It consists of so many flavours, it’s delicious, it seems to be different everywhere you go, you can customise it, it’s healthy and it is really affordable fitting into most people’s budgets.  And the best thing is, everybody loves it!  Especially the kids!

If you are going to visit Japan you have to try Ramen noodle soup!!

We found so many different varieties of Ramen throughout Japan. Check out our posts below:

• Staying in Shinjuku
• 5 days in Tokyo
• Ski Hakuba (Ramen goes so well in the snow)
• Kyoto

Best Ramen in Tokyo?

Nakiryu is arguably the best place and most famous place in Tokyo for ramen. The is next level noodle soup and the restaurant has even been acclaimed with a Michelin Star. Nakiryu still maintains its coolness though, despite its fame.

And you may wait up to 2 hours over lunch, if you visit at less popular times, you will be duly rewarded. Cash only, closed on Tuesdays, located here.

What is in the Japanese Ramen Noodle Soup?

This delicious local delicacy consists of Chinese style wheat noodles, meat or fish-based broth, or can also be flavoured with soy sauce or miso (traditional Japanese seasoning).

Toppings include pork, dried seaweed, boiled eggs, menma (bamboo shoots) and green onions.  Almost every region has its own variation of Ramen noodle soup, which makes it very interesting when travelling around Japan!

Ramen Noodle Soup Varieties

Noodles – these are made of mainly 4 basic ingredients such as wheat flour, salt, water and a type of alkaline mineral water found in the lakes of Mongolia.  Noodles come in a variety of shapes and sizes, such as thick or thin, straight or wrinkled

Soup – the broth is generally made from the stock of chicken or pork and combined with a variety of different ingredients such as kelp, tuna flakes, dried sardines, beef bones, pork bones, shiitake (mushrooms) and onions.  There are also some vegetable-based broths available.

The Different Flavours of Ramen:

• Shoyu (soy sauce flavour) based on a chicken and vegetable stock making it tangy, salty and savoury. This is the oldest and most traditional type of ramen.
• Shiyo (salt) made with salt, chicken, vegetables, fish, and seaweed.
• Miso (fermenting soybeans, salt & koji) blended with oily chicken or fish broth and generally has a tangy flavour.
• Curry soup is mainly made of pork bones and vegetables, seasoned with curry.

Different Toppings in Ramen Noodle Soup

• Barbeque or braised pork
• Spring onions
• Crispy duck
• Salted boiled egg
• Beans, Bamboo shoots
• Seaweed
• Fish paste
• Corn or butter
• Wakame (edible seaweed)

What this means is that you never get sick of Ramen because there are so many different combinations for a chef to choose from.

So happy Ramen eating!!

REMEMBER! YOU ARE ALLOWED TO SLURP YOUR NOODLES! SO DON’T BE SHY SLURP AWAY!

SEE WHO HAS THE LOUDEST SLURP WHEN CHOWING DOWN ON A DELICIOUS RAMEN NOODLE SOUP.

If you would like to learn more about Ramen when visiting Japan I recommend going to visit the Shin-Yokohama Rauman Museum in the Shin-Yokohama district Kohoku-Ku, Yokohama.  This is a museum that is all about ramen. See map here.

A Brief History of Ramen

According to the records from the Shin-Yokohama Rauman Museum Ramen originated in China and made it’s way over to Japan in 1859.

In 1910 a Chinese restaurant serving ramen received public praise in Japan. So according to the expert on Ramen, Hiroshi Osaki, the first specialized Ramen restaurant in Yokohama opened in 1910.  By the early Showa era (1926-30), Ramen had become a popular dish when eating out for many Japanese people.

In 1958 instant noodles were invented by a Taiwanese Inventor which allowed anyone to make an approximate copy of the dish at home by just adding boiled water.

By the 1980’s Ramen became a Japanese icon and now is associated with the Japanese culture and can be bought everywhere.

How to Make Your Own Ramen Noodle Soup

Just check out this little video to see how you can make this Japanese cultural icon dish at home.

Well, I hope this has given you a little bit better understanding of the iconic Ramen noodle soup dish in Japan and has made your mouth water just a little, I know mine is!

Japanese food is amazing and it is also very good for you! How many overweight Japanese people do you see or know? Hardly any, and they have some of the longest life expectancies in the world! The food must be good.

Have you tried eating Ramen with a baby on your lap???

I really miss the food in Japan, I tried to replicate it when I got home but just could not do it. My Ramen would turn out nice, but just not perfect like overseas. Thankfully we have an awesome authentic Japanese restaurant right down the road.

Let us know down in the comment box below, what type of Ramen was your favourite and did you slurp loudly when at a restaurant?

“Keep Calm

and Eat

Ramen”