We believe “Ramen” is a favourite comfort food for many people and during this time, many might daydream of flying to Japan to eat a bowl of original ramen.
Techniques like the Japanese do
But no matter where you eat ramen, it’s important to implement certain techniques like the Japanese do, in order to get the best out of total flavour experience. Now, run to the kitchen and get your chopsticks and bowl ready for
the lesson!
1. Smell the Aroma
Don’t rush, take a whiff and sniff of the bowl of ramen in front of you. Like they say, people don’t just eat with their tongue but also feast with their eyes and nose!
2. Use Wooden Chopsticks
This helps you indulge in the texture of the ramen noodles, much better than using a fork. And this also prevents the noodles from easily slipping. The more you practice using wooden chopsticks, the better eating experience you can
fully enjoy.
3. Don’t grab too much noodles
This will come handy for when you slurp, you can also use a spoon to support so the soup doesn’t spill all over. And to be a pro like a Japanese, you shouldn’t get any soup on your face!
4. Slurp the noodles
It might take some time to get used to, but slurping helps us enjoy both the aroma, as well as the flavour of the noodles at the same time, combining the two senses to help the ramen taste 4 times better!
5. Pay attention to different toppings
Different toppings in a bowl of ramen brings out different flavours. The Japanese chef had already thought it through on which toppings go well with which soup. Now imagine the Chashu pork, the soy-marinated egg, with nori and chopped
green onions. Your stomach growls just thinking about it!
6. Slurp the Soup
After you finish with the toppings and noodles, you can slurp the soup down really loudly. This helps bring out different hidden flavours in the soup, and your taste buds will be more receptive to these flavours. This is also considered
complimenting the chef too, so don’t be shy, slurp it loud and clear as if you are eating ramen in Japan!
The entire bowl of ramen should be consumed within 5 minutes, the reason being if you leave it around for longer, the flavours become more bland. And if you want to avoid tongue burning, try making your mouth into an “O” shape when you eat.
This helps bring in more air and helps cool the ramen off a bit in your mouth.
Practice holding chopsticks and slurping, so next time we can truly enjoy a bowl of ramen like a Japanese!
