Ramen - Carbo Loading with Umami

Tonkutso Ramen - with konbu, seasoned hardboiled egg,
chashu pork slices.  Tonkutsu broth takes 20 hrs to brew
At Yamadaya Ramen house - open till midnight.
:/http://www.ramen-yamadaya.com/index.html 

Ramen should be banned from a dieter's repertoire if you were thinking right.  But not on a cold drafty evening, with a head cold that threatens to split your brains worse than a hang over. A piping bowl of ramen is the perfect company. Make mine shoyu with extra chashu and egg.

 Japanese design philosophy of minimalism trickles down even to something as lowly as ramen.

The Filipino pancit threatens with its penchant for excess - with the rice noodles frantically vying for attention amidst an abundance of sliced chicken, pork and vegetables of many colors.

In contrast, the ramen is so stark in its simplicity. Two thin slices of boiled pork, half of a boiled egg, pickled bamboo shoots saved before the winter chil or shinachichu roots, a sprig of boiled spinach if you pay for it, nesting on a bed of pale yellow noodles. Peeking from a pool of gleaming broth flavored with pork bones or chicken. And it hits you as soon as you start slurping those suckers.

Tsukemen - ramen dipped in a rich warm
broth is another way to enjoy your noodles. 

Because that is how ramen should be eaten - it is fitting and proper that you make those funny noises which your mother told you not to as you tackled your first culinary venture with a spoon and fork.  The louder you slurp, the happier the ramen chef would be, tantamount to saying oishi through the whole dinner.

But slurping should proceed in an elegant manner so as not to be offputting.  Perhaps  a slice of a video from the movie Tampopo would provide an idea of how to do so -   http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=1XyoAZFREnY



It is the broth that makes the ramen, though purists will tell you that the noodles should stand on its own and must be appreciated as well.  Nowhere would you find a dish so comforting, so flavorful yet so simple than ramen, so much so that it is designated as a separate art form from sushi and yakitori.  It is where you find plenty of Umami - touted as the fifth basic taste, separate from sweet, sour, bitter and salty, - and naturally occuring in meats, vegetables like leeks, cabbage and konbu seaweed.  Did you know that green tea has an abundance of umami?  

In case you feel adventurous and you wanna work a sweat - here's a recipe   Shoyu Ramen Recipe - Food & Wine .  Me, I'd rather drive down to 182nd street, and sample the fattiest broth with my noodles, said to be the best in town.

Spicy Tuna on a bed of rice for appetizers