Ramen which becomes very popular dish in Japan is a food originating from China. Actually, there is no evidence that can prove exactly where the origin of ramen. Some sources said that ramen originated from China. The other sources mention that ramen was found in Japan in the early 20th century. Ramen is a noodle dish that is served with soup and a variety of topping. Some topping commonly used in its presentation are meat, fish, sliced pork, dried seaweed (nori), kamaboko, and green onions. Soup ramen is usually made from broth of chicken or pork, It is also combined by another ingredient. Mostly noodles for Ramen made from wheat flour, salt, water, and kansui. Kansui is a type of mineral water which is consist of sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate, and phosphoric acid.
Every region in Japan has a distinctive ramen dishes. It is intended that could be one of the attractions for tourists. Several style of ramen from various regions in Japan are Wakayama ramen in Kansai, Kitakata ramen in northern Honshu, Kyushu ramen in Hakata, Sapporo ramen in Hokkaido and much more. Although each region has a different style of ramen, there are four basic categories of soup used in the manufacture of ramen ie shio, shoyu, miso, and tonkatsu.
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Takayama Ramen
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Shio ramen is the oldest of all types of ramen in Japan. In Japanese, shio means salt. As the name implies, shio ramen has particularly soup with salty flavor more pronounced than other types of ramen, its color is pale and clear. Noodles commonly used in the presentation of shio ramen is noodles that have thick and straight elongated shape. Presentation of shio ramen comes with topping the form of chicken, onions, some vegetables, and nori.
Shoyu ramen has a clear brown colored soup, salty and savory. Noodles commonly used are noodles that have not too thick and curly shape. Topping used are bamboo shoots, nori, a boiled egg, bean sprouts and scallions. Sometimes, it is served with chili oil or Chinese spices.
Miso ramen is the newest ramen type of four other categories. Hokkaido is the origin of miso ramen type, it is developed well there. The hallmark of category of miso soup are thick, yellow (little bit brown), it was more savory than the four other categories. Noodles commonly served with miso is a type of noodle category that has the form of a thick, curly, and not chewy.
Tonkotsu ramen is a type of ramen that has white and creamy sauce, its taste is savory. Tonkotsu is Japanese of pork bones. As the name implies, the main ingredient for making soup in Tonkotsu is pork bone. Noodles commonly used are noodles that have the form of thin and straight. It is also often served with pickled ginger.
Three stalls selling ramen with good taste is Kururi, Bassanova, and Harukiya. Two of ramen stalls of Kururi is located in Tokyo. The first location is in 3-2 Ichigaya Tamachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo. The second location is 3-70-1 Minami Koenji, Suginami-ku, Tokyo. The cost of miso ramen in Kururi is approximately JPY 700. The next best ramen stall is Bassanova, it is located at 1-2-18 Hanegi, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 03. The price for a menu mainstay in Bassanova ramen stall is JPY 850. Location of Harukiya ramen stall is located 1-4-6 Ueogi, Suginami-ku, Tokyo. Harukiya is also open a ramen stall in 2-14-1 Honmachi, Kichijoji, Mushashino-shi, Tokyo. The cost in Harukiya ramen stall is ranged between JPY 800 to JPY 2000.
