Who’s Hungry For Ramen?

I always am! As part of my “Dinner And A Movie” series, I decided to make some ramen noodles and dig into the classic Japanese film “Tampopo!”

Slurp Up The Goodness Of “Tampopo!”

This 1985 comedy is the story of food, family and the search for the perfect bowl of ramen!

“Tampopo” means “Dandelion”, the name of our female Chef, a widowed owner of a struggling noodle shop…their journey toward the perfect bowl of ramen will make your mouth water!

A pair of truck drivers stop at her roadside ramen noodle shop. Outside, one of them rescues a boy who is being beaten up by three schoolmates. He’s the son of Tampopo, the widowed owner of the struggling business.

“Sincere” Noodles And The Creation Of A Great Bowl Of Ramen!

When Tampopo asks their opinion of her noodles, they tell her they are “sincere, but lack character.”

After such a downbeat assessment, they offer to help he master a great bowl of ramenr, and their deliciously cinematic food journey begins!

The trio turn her establishment into a paragon of the “art of noodle soup making”.

Check out the film’s trailer:

This is a delicious blend of food and film…heartwarming, funny, imaginative – and it will make you hungry for your own bowl of ramen noodles!

Some Ramen Facts!

Here’s what I found out about the original of Ramen.

A messenger from China brought the flour food culture to Japan in the 8^th century. That is when the first form of noodles were first seen in Japan. BY the Edo period (1603-1867), there was a noodle boom in Japan. During the period of 1854-1859, there were 3,700 noodle shops in Edo (old Tokyo). 

In the movie, “Tampopo,” the heroine is in search if authentic ramen, not realizing that ramen is one of Japan’s most versatile noodle dishes. These days, anything goes. It is true that there are standard tastes one expects at a ramen shop or stall, or when eating an instant ramen mix. That is only the beginning in terms of a multitude of tastes and variations.

Let’s Get Cooking!

Ramen has three main tastes: soy sauce, salt or miso (fermented soybeans). Ramen has made regional modifications. For example, Sapporo Ramen, one of the most famous, always uses butter as a garnish. It began in 1923, in Hokkaido, at a noodle shop called Takeya Shokudo.

Here are your ingredients for making a delicious, rich ramen noodle broth:

• 1 chicken carcass or 7 ounces chicken wings cleaned**
• 1 Japanese leek negi, cut in half
• 1 medium-sized onion peeled and halved
• 1 medium-sized carrot peeled and halved
• 1 large knob ginger peeled and halved
• 3 to 4 egg shells***
• 7-1/2 cups water

INSTRUCTIONS 

• Place all ingredients in a soup pot. Bring to a boil, lower heat to a high simmer, and cook, covered, for two to three hours, skimming of the scum occasionally. Strain the stock using a cheesecloth-lined colander; pressing down on the remaining ingredients with the back of a large wooden spoon to release all the flavor. If not used immediately, cool and freeze the stock until needed.

***The egg shells help to kill the smell of the carcass and/or bones, and to absorb some of the scum.

The toppings are your choice: sliced pork, a poached egg, sliced water chestnuts, and of course shredded scallions…time to eat!

Of course, I have shared several of my “ramen noodle” adventures with you, like these magical “glow in the dark” noodles:

It was a night of neon food art, and if you click here I’ll show you who did I, why they did it, and how it tasted!

I also have shared several of my terrific meals on the west side of Los Angeles, win a neighborhood known as “Little Osaka” – and where I eat this:

This incredible restaurant makes your ramen to order – and has a cafeteria style tempura bar as well!

Click here to see more:

Of course, I also showed you a somewhat disturbing but very real trend – bathing in ramen noodles!

Oh, but he did!

Click here to see why – and what health benefits come with it!

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Thanks so much for reading and let me know if you love ramen as much as I do!

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