Ramen noodles: not your Mama Romano’s pasta… Source

Unless you’ve been living under a noodle-free rock for the past several decades, you will know that a ramen noodle is not just a strand of fat spaghetti. What you might not know is why.

What Makes Ramen Noodles Special?

Ramen noodles are wheat-based, but what makes them unique is the use of kansui, an alkaline mineral water that contains some combination of sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate, and sometimes phosphoric acid. Though none of that sounds too appetizing, reducing the acidity of the mixture (which also includes wheat flour, salt, and water) is what gives the noodles their unique colour (slightly yellow) and firmness even when they spend a long time soaking in broth.

The broth in which ramen noodles are served is the second distinguishing feature of the different types of ramen you may see on a menu. A couple of the more common varieties include:

Tonkotsu
Made by boiling pork bones, fat and collagen for a very long time, this broth is thick and flavourful with a consistency like milk or even gravy (there are many variations - from region to region and also from one shop to another).

Shōyu
The clear brown broth of shōyu may be based on chicken, fish, or beef to which the ramen chef has added soy sauce. You’ll quite likely also see bits of seaweed, bamboo shoots, or green onions floating about in your bowl.

Miso
This broth variation features lots of - you guessed it - miso along with oily chicken or fish broth. Some chefs may also introduce some tonkotsu or lard, which makes miso ramen rather feisty and flavourful. The noodle variety used with this broth is often curly.

Oh Yes, the Noodles

The noodles are the star of the ramen show and there are several variations that are served according to how they best complement the various broth and topping options. Thin, thick, curly or flattish are some of the noodle types you may run across.

To Top it All Off

As if good noodles and tasty broths weren’t enough, different chefs and restaurants use a wide range of toppings to make a great dish even better. Roast pork, seasoned bamboo shoots, hard-boiled eggs, seaweed, pickled and seasoned mustard leaves or bean sprouts are just some of the possibilities in the toppings department.

Are Instant Noodles Still Ramen?

Popular quick meals and an after school snack stable at our place, instant noodles are popular if not exactly the real thing… Source

I wonder if Momofuku Ando had any idea that his 1958 invention would take off the way it did. Gazillions of portions are consumed in countries all over the world, perhaps because they are so darned easy to prepare. Add boiling water to your noodle brick, stir in the provided seasoning, and hey presto! a couple of minutes later you have a bowl of shockingly edible noodles.

In terms of instant noodles being considered true ramen… well, it’s a bit like suggesting my efforts at painting the portrait of a woman who is sort of smiling are equivalent to the master strokes which produced the Mona Lisa. Yes, I may be using paint, brushes and canvas but there’s a world of skill, subtlety and difference between my work of ‘art’ and the real thing. Sure, instant noodles are based on and inspired by the original ramen noodles (fried and dried or air-dried) and many of the same ingredients could be listed, but a portion of cup noodles does not a bowl of ramen make.

The Ramen Museum in Yokohama

In 1994 the Ramen Museum opened in Yokohama in Japan and is billed as the ‘world’s first food-themed amusement park.’ [Note: The world needs more of these!!] The museum dates the first contemporary Japanese ramen back to 1859 when the nation lifted trading restrictions and opened its ports to foreign imports like wheat-based noodles from China.

A couple of very cool things stand out about this shrine to the humble noodle. First, a replica street dating back to 1958 (the year instant ramen was invented) includes a dagashi-ya (old-fashioned sweet shop) packed full of traditional candy and children’s toys, a traditional tea shop, and, of course, numerous ramen shops.

While there’s also a gallery where you can learn all you ever wanted to know about ramen by traditional museum means (displays), that’s not the second super cool attraction. Visitors to the museum can take a noodle-making class in the ‘experience corner.’ I totally want to do this next time I’m in Tokyo!!

The traditional dough-flattening technique involves lying a fat bamboo pole over a counter/low table on which the noodle dough has been placed. The noodle-maker then slings a leg over said fat bamboo pole and jumps up and down to spread the dough out. Though the process may sound a bit strange, it’s the capturing of tiny pockets of air caused by the lifting and squashing of the dough that creates the unique texture of noodles hand made in this way. [Note: if you are all excited and eager to buy a ticket to Tokyo so you can hop up and down on one leg while squeezing a fat green bamboo pole between your thighs, please check with the museum about dates, times, and availability of spaces in the classes].

If you are not inclined to get intimate with bamboo but would still like an authentic ramen experience, as luck would have it we have some exceptional ramen noodle options right here in Canmore.

Where to Get Ramen in Canmore

You can’t do much better than a bowl of Chef Seki’s tonkotsu ramen. [Nikki Tate]

Ramen Arashi
1000 7th Avenue, Canmore

Ramen Arashi has been going strong in Banff ever since ramen chef Kentaro Seki opened his doors and started filling noodle bowls with his delectable, authentic ramen variations. In even better news, as of 2020, you no longer have to drive to Banff to enjoy the chef’s creations.

There are plenty of varieties to drool over, but for a real treat try the Tonkotsu Ramen flavoured with tonkotsu base, pork belly, garlic oil, red ginger, takana (pickled mustard leaf), garlic, and green onion.

Chef’s Studio in Canmore has a couple of ramen options on the menu that you should definitely check out if you are a noodle-lover. [Nikki Tate]

Chef’s Studio
709-8th Street, Canmore

Chef’s Studio offers a range of Japanese dishes including Sukiyaki Ramen topped with slow-cooked sukiyaki beef and onion, soy sauce-based pork broth and Tomato Ramen topped with grilled chicken in a milk, chicken and pork-based broth.

Love Looking at Menus?

For full menus of all of Canmore’s restaurants on our menu blog, click the ‘Explore Now’ button on the main page of the website. A ramen-lover? Let us know your favourite variation (noodles, broth, and toppings) in the comments below this post. If you’ve tried any of the menu items listed on our menu blog, you can also comment under each menu.
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