Ramen Noodles
By Shannon Langan
The Japanese dish with the worst identity crisis, there is no set formula for ramen - kind of like how Iced Vo-Vos and pfeffernüsse are both biscuits. Ramen derives from the Chinese word la mian, or hand-pulled noodles - none of that "cut" business. The two necessities to qualify for this blanket term are (1) Chinese noodles and (2) chicken or pork broth. After that all bets are off.
The noodles are a standard recipe of water, salt, wheat flour and kansui, a mineral water with sodium and potassium carbonates, essential for that enticing yellow shade. They're fat, curly, or whatever-shaped and, combined with a broth seasoned with everything from seaweed to bones to mushrooms, running the gamut from glassy to milky.
There are roughly four sorts to slurp (Japanese etiquette demands slurping): tonkotsu (pork), shio (salt), miso (soybean paste) and shoyu (soy sauce). Then again, countless Japanese regional variations lend this seemingly cut and dried (in a matter of speaking) dish its chameleon-like character so adding another ingredient could change everything. They're topped with a mishmash of veggies, seafood and seasonings.