Noodles are a very important staple to Japanese cuisine and there are many types of noodles. We are going to study men (麺) (That is the Japanese word for noodles), and some of the main types of noodles in Japanese cuisine.
Ramen (ラーメン)
Ramen is probably the best known to us thanks to the Naruto anime, and we have shared a lot about ramen on this website. It is a thin and curly or wavy wheat-based noodle, slightly yellow in colour. It is usually made of wheat flower, salt, water and kansui (or a form of alkaline water) and the dough is risen before being rolled.
It is mostly a dish of boiled noodles served in different flavoured soup (a soup made from chicken or pork stock) with many toppings such as kombu, katsuobushi, niboshi, shiitake mushrooms, and onions. This dish varies from place to place. Differences can be tasted in broth, soup flavours, toppings even noodle texture and much more. It is not an easy dish to make from scratch, especially because the taste of Ramen mainly depends on the soup, which requires a certain amount of skill, and chefs train a long time to be perfect with this.
Here are the best known regional variations on ramen: Shoyu – Soy sauce based (The most common). Specialty of Tokyo, Miso – Miso Ramen (not necessarily Vegetarian). Specialty of Sapporo, Shio – Salt-flavored Ramen, made from a variety of dried seafood and seaweed. Specialty of Hakodate and Tonkotsu – Pork Bone based creamy soup. Specialty of Kurume
Udon (うどん)
These white, wheat-based noodles are the thickest of the Japanese noodles and it is often enjoyed chilled and dipped in a sauce, or served in a brothy soup.
Some examples of udon are Kitsune udon, or “fox udon,” which is topped with sweetened aburaage, tanuki udon, or “raccoon udon,” which is topped with tempura batter flakes. Tempura udon is topped with tempura, and Chikara udon is topped with mochi.
Soba (蕎麦)
Soba are buckwheat noodles, made of a mixture of buckwheat and wheat flour. 100% buckwheat is the only noodles a celiac (a serious autoimmune disease) sufferer are able to eat. Soba can be eaten chilled just like udon or served in a soup. After eating the soba noodles, many people like to drink the obayu (蕎麦湯), which is the water the soba was cooked in, mixed with leftover tsuyu. Soba is also a favourite to eat on New Year’s Eve in Japan.
Yakisoba (焼きそば)
Not to be confused with soba, yakisoba is not made of buckwheat noodles but wheat flour noodles that is stir-fried instead. Very similar to ramen noodles it is usually prepared with vegetables like cabbage, onions, carrots, small pieces of pork, and flavoured with salt, pepper and yakisoba sauce. Toppings may include beni shoga (red picked ginger), katsuobushi (bonito flakes), aonori (green seaweed powder) and mayo. This dish is quite popular as a street food.
Sōmen (素麺)
Usually served cold, sōmen is a very thin, white wheat flour, popular in summer, however it can be served in a warm soup (nyumen) in winter season. In the summertime there is a fun way to serve this noodle called nagashi-sōmen (flowing sōmen). They place the noodles in long bamboo flumes and the diners ‘catch’ the noodles as the sōmen flow by, dipping it in their tsuyu and eating it.