Why Ramen Is Perfect for Your Soup-and-Noodle Cravings

Cup noodles are the go-to food of college students on a budget. Since it’s ready in five minutes or less, cup noodles are also convenient for busy professionals who don’t have a lot of time to cook. However, these instant meals pale in comparison to the real deal. Ramen broth is simmered for hours and has a much more complex flavor profile that you just don’t get by mixing hot water with a packet of seasonings. With ramen, you can pair your noodles with your choice of protein and greens for a complete meal that’s guaranteed to fill you up.

There is some debate whether ramen originated from China or Japan. But one thing is clear: the Japanese have made it their own ever since it was imported by their soldiers who came home from World War II. Today, ramen has five basic flavors: shoyu (soy sauce base), tonkotsu (pork bone broth), shio (sea salt base), miso (Japanese seasoning with fermented soybeans), and tsukemen (dipping ramen). Each region in Japan also has their own spin on ramen, which adds up to 20 established regional styles of the noodle dish. These include Sapporo ramen and Hakata ramen, to name a few.

A bowl of ramen can set you back at least PhP300. It doesn’t come cheap and for good reason. Creating the soup base alone takes time and effort. Ramen restaurants cook their broth for hours, some even up to 16 hours. Considering the time to make the noodles and cook the toppings, coming up with just one bowl is a labor-intensive feat. You can have a do-it-yourself (DIY) version by boiling together pork and chicken bones with aromatics and spices for three hours. But if you don’t have that kind of time or patience, ordering is the way to go.

Whether you’re a meat-lover or vegetarian, ramen is a great base for whatever soup-and-noodle combination you can think of. If dropping by the nearest ramen restaurant puts a dent on your wallet, you can buy fresh Japanese noodles from a grocery or Asian superstore and dress it up however you want. Another option is to buy instant noodles but skip the MSG-laden seasoning packet. There’s a plethora of affordable, totally doable ramen recipes on the internet that you can follow. Since you’re not constrained with what’s on the menu, you can put any kind of toppings and condiments you like!

If you’ve had one beer too many, you could expect to nurse a hangover. But did you know that your favorite old Japanese noodle dish can be used to treat the dreaded morning-after sickness? When you drink, you lose water and nutrients from your body. Since ramen is high in salt content, it helps to replace the sodium and potassium that is flushed out in the urine because of excessive drinking. Throw in an egg in there, too since it has amino acids that help expel acetaldehyde, a toxic byproduct of alcohol being broken down by enzymes in the liver.

If you’re trying to eat healthy, instant ramen is not exactly the ideal type of food you should be stocking up on. One pack of ramen alone can have anywhere between 861 to 3,000 mg of sodium plus the refined carbohydrates in this low-fiber food make it quite not advisable for those trying to lose weight. With a little creativity though, you can turn your version of ramen into something healthier. You can make your own broth using fresh ingredients, and then add lean protein such as chicken or shrimp and high-fiber vegetables like broccoli or carrots.

As if the variety of ramen isn’t enough, creative restaurateurs have taken this classic Japanese dish and put their own spin on it. Of course, nothing beats traditional ramen flavors, but if you’re feeling adventurous, there are ramen restaurants in the metro which offer varieties that are off the beaten path. For instance, Oyasumi Ramen has La Paz Ramen, which combines ramen with the traditional and familiar flavors of La Paz batchoy ingredients like pork blood and chicharon (pork cracklings). For cheese lovers, Mitsuyado Sei-Men has double-cheese tsukemen ramen. Lastly, Wrong Ramen adds Spam, bacon, and eggs to their ramen.

The simplicity of having noodles, broth, and toppings in one bowl makes ramen an easy dish to customize according to your taste. Some ramen joints are straightforward, serving bowls of ramen cooked the way that the chefs want it, while others give customers the freedom to make the dish their own. Some establishments let diners choose their type of broth and its richness, kind of noodles, hardness of the noodles, heat level, pork and vegetable toppings, and the like. With Japanese restaurants like these, it’s quite possible to enjoy the same bowl of ramen in a lot of different ways.

For these reasons and more, ramen continues to be a well-loved food enjoyed by everyone from around the world.

Visit Yoorekka Consumer Magazine for more dining options in Metro Manila!