Ramen looks like this.

Or, like this.

And noodles look like this.

1. Noodle is an umbrella term of ramen

Noodles are a type of food made of dough.

This dough is usually made of wheat flour, rice, beans, or starch.

The dough is also mixed with water and salt.

Noodles have long strip shapes or string shapes.

These shapes are made by cutting, extruding, or stretching.

Fact:

Ramen is one of them.

So all ramen are noodles, but all noodles aren't necessarily ramen. 

2. Still confused? Let’s say ramen is “Snow White”

She lives in a nice gorgeous castle.

Wearing pretty dresses, and people like her.

But wait – there’s more

There are other girls living a similar lifestyle as Snow White.

They are…

Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, etc..

What do you call them?

Princesses.

Right?

So the word noodle is princess.

3. Then what are Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, Belle, and Jasmine to ramen?

There are so many kinds of noodles…

1. pasta

2. pho

3. soba

4. udon

5. Vermicelli

Remember they aren’t ramen!

Then you might be thinking…

4. What makes certain noodles “ramen”?

That’s a good question.

A bowl of ramen must have…

Ramen noodles, soup, and usually toppings.

Big News:

Ramen noodles need to be made of flour, kansui, and water.

Raw ramen noodles and instant ramen noodles are both made of these 3 ingredients.

1. Kansui

Kansui is an alkaline solution (usually sodium carbonate or potassium carbonate).

Kansui makes noodles...

Yellow,

Chewy, and

Gives it its distinct ramen noodle flavor.

2. Wheat flour

Flour that is used for ramen noodles contain the amount of protein between all-purpose flour and bread flour.

It contains 11 to 13 percent of protein.

At some ramen restaurants, chefs mix cake flour and bread flour in order to make ramen noodles.

If you want to make flour that way...

The ratio of 2 kinds of different flour should be 1 cake flour and 3 bread flour.

3. Water

Amount of water that you mix with flour is also very important.

Regular ramen noodles are made of 30 to 35 percent water addition.

Low water addition rate noodles are under 30 percent,

And high water addition rate noodles are over 35 percent.

Water addition rate is calculated this way…

Example:

You use 1000 grams of flour and 300 grams of  water to make ramen noodles.

That means water addition of the noodles is 30 percent.

5. Quiz time!

Can you pick out which one is ramen from the pictures below?

 

 

THE ANSWER IS…

C

Could you name the other noodle dishes?

Here are the names of the other dishes from the pictures...

A: Chow mein

B: Soba

C: Tonkotsu ramen

D: Naengmyeon

E: Pho

F: Udon

G: Pad thai

6. Due to Covid, a lot of good ramen restaurants have closed

It makes me feel very sad.

I used to eat ramen out frequently,

But in this situation, 

Ramen shops started to shorten their hours, limit the number of customers, or closed their shops.

It has affected the industry so much.

7. I am afraid good ramen will be gone

But meanwhile, you can still enjoy ramen.

Here are some of my recommendations for ramen lovers..

1. Sapporo Ichiban Shio Flavor

MY THOUGHTS OVERALL ★★★★☆

In truth, Sapporo Ichiban delivers a good quality shio ramen experience.

Actually, it is very difficult to find good shio ramen.

Do you know why?

Because it is very difficult to make it since it is very simple.

There are many good shoyu and miso flavored instant noodles out there.

But I feel specifically, the shio flavor market is monopolized by Sapporo Ichiban.

Think about this for a moment having good shio ramen for your dinner with your favorite ramen toppings.

Now, you want some, don’t you?

2. Nissin Raoh Shoyu Flavor

MY THOUGHTS OVERALL ★★★★★

It is nearly impossible to make restaurant quality noodles at home without the right tools and equipment.

How can you beat that?

Using Raoh’s shoyu flavour will help you achieve this easily. This is top-notch ramen hands down!

One pinnacle of instant noodles is the soy sauce flavor. It is expensive compared to regular ones but let me tell you, it deserves every single penny.

In a nutshell, I love every bit of it.

...And I am sure you will too.

3. The problem here is that no toppings come with these packets.

Here are some topping options and recipes for you.

4. Have you ever faced these issues...

A lack of large, high-quality soup bowl sets at home?

Are you still struggling with...

😢 ...small bowls that aren’t large enough for soups, noodles and toppings.

😢 ...spillage every time you eat out of your bowl.

😢 ...low-quality tableware and utensils that don’t compliment your food.

Look no further, 

Our best-selling bowls are here to fix all the issues you face with small, inefficient tableware.

After struggling with spillage and leakage during dinner time, 

We decided to introduce APEX S.K’s large soup bowls to the market.

Want to hear why some people absolutely love our ramen bowls?

"These are perfect for homemade ramen soup nights! The bowls we have at home are not large enough and my wife has been trying to look for larger bowls. I'm so glad I stumbled upon these. They made a great Christmas gift for the whole family. Everybody was so excited and we can't wait to put them to use on our next ramen night."

"Amazing quality! They are very durable. I dropped it from standing height to test if they would break, but no dents or anything."

"The shape, the color, and the overall appearance of the bowl was exactly what I was looking for - the shape, the color"

Check our sets on Amazon..

   

 

About the Author

 

Kei is a self-proclaimed ramen lover, blog writer and founder of "Apex S.K. Japanese tableware".

"I am from Ibaraki, Japan.

Ramen is great! It can bring you a sense of happiness and satisfaction that no other food can. I have been eating ramen for 30 years.

If there is no ramen, my life would be miserable.

Ten years ago, I worked as an office worker. The job was really stressful - excessive working hours, low wages, unpaid overtime work, and constantly being yelled at by my boss.

I was new and alone, no girlfriend, no friends, and felt very lonely.

My only oasis was the ramen shop near the office. For me, the ramen chef there was literally an angel. I saw a halo on his head. (No joke)


Tonkotsu shoyu ramen was my all-time favorite. He made ramen with broth chock-full of umami flavor, nice chewy handmade noodles, and tender chashu.

My greatest dream is connect people with ramen through my blog. I want to share a lot of interesting and funny stories and ramen trivia with you.

Knowing more about ramen can help you appreciate your ramen and make it taste extra delicious."

11 Crucial Differences Everyone Should Know: Ramen vs. Pasta