The ramen we know and love today was developed in Japan after WWII. During this time American wheat flour and meat became more readily available and affordable to the average Japanese household, ramen shops opened all over the country, offering cheap and filling meals to the populace. Today there are around 22 different styles of ramen in Japan, featuring variations in broth, type of noodles, toppings and saltiness.

A ramen chef’s greatest secret is their tare (sauce/seasoning) which adds the umami that takes a soup from good to great. There are many ingredients that can go into tare including soy sauce, mirin or sweet sake, salt, kombu (kelp), miso, dried sardines or niboshi, and even fish oil. Often the chef will mix tares together to create a unique flavor that’s distinctly their own.

Besides seasonings and tare, the flavor of a bowl of ramen comes from a variety of ingredients in the broth. Chintan (Qing Tang) ramens are rich, clear broths that extract flavors at a low temperature and are most commonly found in shio and shoyu ramens. At the opposite end of the spectrum is paitan ramen, which uses a high amount of collagen and fat to create thick and cloudy broths like tonkotsu shokunin.

Noodles are the foundation of ramen and they can be made from various types of flour. Typically they are thin and cylindrical in shape, though other shapes can be used for different styles of ramen. Thicker noodles are usually served with heartier bowls of ramen while thinner noodles are often enjoyed with lighter styles. Noodles are often cooked in chicken or beef stock but other types of broth can be used as well, depending on the style of ramen being prepared.

At a ramen restaurant, the toppings that are included will vary by location and the type of ramen being served. Some common toppings include sliced nori, kamaboko (fish cakes), narutomaki (sawtooth edged white fish cake) and negi (chopped green onions). Some restaurants will have an array of condiments on the table to further customize your ramen experience, some popular choices include sriracha or chili oil paste, garlic oil or powder, sesame oil, doubanjiang (Korean chili paste; spicy), miso paste or the traditional Japanese seven spice mixture – shichimi togarashi.

A quick and easy way to enjoy ramen at home is by using the data macau instant packets that you can find in your local supermarket, but you can level up your ramen game by making it from scratch. A simple addition of fresh boiled eggs, bean sprouts, negi and corn can make a big difference to the overall flavor of your bowl. For best results, boil your egg for 6.5 minutes to achieve a soft and creamy yolk with a set white.