Tonyu Ramen (soy milk ramen)

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Tonkotsu Ramen Recipe ( almost)

(not so) Recently I made my first batch of Tonkotsu Ramen. (just found this post lurking in my 'to be published folder' from winter... ooops)

I won't lie  - I was pretty chuffed with my efforts. It is not often I'll spend a couple of days making stock for 2 bowls of noodles... had I known it would only yield that much liquid I would have started with a much heftier load of pork bones of course... 

Some people prefer a simple shio (salt), shoyu (soy) or miso based stock for their ramen, which are indeed much lighter bases, but for me - on a cold winter's night there is no Ramen that beats Tonkotsu ramen with its super rich, thick porky broth and quivering slices of 'soft as butter' pork belly.  

I did a little research and using my well practiced tastebuds as a guide I ended up making a rather decent bowl. The Ramen 'expert' (only so by comparative consumption) in the house gave it the big thumbs up.

But it did take quite some simmering - 12 hours in fact to break down the collagen from the pork bones which enriches the flavour and adds a certain viscosity.

Now for a very pale stock (which is preferred by some) you are supposed to chuck the cooking water when it starts to look like the photo below (but I don't mind my soup looking a little darker and I felt the flavour would be more concentrated this way.   

So a mixture of pork bones, spring onions, ginger, well-caramelised fried garlic simmered away for long enough to form a really decent drop. I slow cooked a nice slab of pork belly in sake and served slices of it over the noodles in the broth, with some extra, sliced spring onions. It was good - but almost too rich - which I never  thought I'd hear myself saying. So it is back to the drawing board. I'm going to give it another shot (making a much larger batch because cooking a pot of bones for 12 hours should at least provide enough broth for more than 2 bowls of noodles right? Once I have it spot on (at least in my eyes!) I'll be posting the recipe. Just a few little tweaks...

Ooh and there's a delicious chicken version I'm also going to test soon too! 

Wantsuchi Ramen - Kyoto

Kyoto's Wantsuchi (10,000 pigs) restaurant,  situated just outside the western exit of Nishiki Market (just a couple of shops in from the corner where Nishiki and Takakura streets intersect) is famous for their black sesame tantanmen (a spicy noodle soup related to the Chinese/Sechuan Dan Dan noodles with pork mince and loads of roasted black sesame seeds) among other Chinese influenced porky delights. Aren't all porky things delightful....??

To be perfectly honest the Tantanmen was not completely to my taste - pleasant enough to begin with but I found the flavour just a little overwhelming by the time I reached the bottom of the bowl. (no of course I didn't think to stop when I'd had enough...)  This particular dish was rather spicy too which is always a little lost on me but I know many ramen afficianados who would be very happy to dive into the molten mass. 

It's a jumping joint, like most ramen eateries - people are generally in and out, slurping and sliding. 

We were a group of about 8 in for some starch to soak up our farewell party martinis so we probably lingered a little longer than normal, annoying a small, hungry mob waiting for tables but it meant we were able to try some of their giant gyoza.. ( Note the size of the regular gyoza below to the right.)

 and a couple of other, non soupy noodle dishes like the version below with pork mince and plenty of black sesame and spring onion - minus the broth.  I have it on good authority that their pork belly dishes are very good and that means I need to return.. so more on that some other time.  

It was a nice change to be able to order some greens alongside your ramen..

The grapefruit sawah (sours) are a very refreshing accompaniment to all that rich piggy goodness. I love that the fresh citrus is brought to your table for squeezing into your glass as much or as little as you like... you don't want to water down the alcohol too much right?

All in all it got the thumbs up from the group (documented below) but it's probably not my favourite Ramen shop in Kyoto town. It it however, one of the most convenient if you are in the city shopping area/CBD - and to be honest, I'm pathetically fussy so do try it for yourself and let me know your opinion.  And try the pork belly for me ! It is open for lunch from 11am and for dinner  - closing at 11:30 pm.   

Here's a link in Japanese - remember to use Google translate. There is a map to help you. 

*Hot tip if coming from Shijo street -  find the eastern corner of Daimaru department store and head north up that street until you hit the west exit of Nishiki market. Turn left - and it's just a couple of doors up on your left. Look for the pigs inside on the wall! 

Thanks for the recommendation Jesse S. 

Nishin soba - Kyoto

If you are standing outside the famous Minamiza Kabuki theatre on Shijo dori - face directly north (the river will be on your left hand side) - if you cross the road and keep walking pretty much directly ahead for a couple of minutes, past a weird rotunda like building and a bicycle parking station you will see a couple of little (and one large) noodle restaurants. One  of the tiny ones, cowering in the shadow of a giant beast of a restaurant building, is Nishin Soba. 

The restaurant's name sake -Nishin (herring) soba - is also their house specialty but the rest of their menu is more varied than some soba/udon places I've eaten in.  On the day we visited many different bowls were being voraciously enjoyed by a significantly mixed clientele.  

Because I don't really do herring I tried the "yurine manju ankake udon"  or lily bulb dumpling on udon noodles with ankake (thickened soy/dashi mix), spring onions and ginger (see pic). It was pretty damn good but they also offered a couple of duck and prawn noodle dishes which took my fancy (next time). Many of the dishes can be enjoyed hot in winter and cold in summer. Check it out if you are in the area - they have an English menu. 

Kakejiru - Udon noodle soup broth recipe

Hello! We are currently in the process of transferring all Japan-related content over to Jane's ZENBU TOURS site. 

This post has already been moved - you will find it HERE.

Thank you!

Typhoon departs...dinner starts

My first morning back in Kyoto was spent filling the fridge and pantry and tackling internet and phone issues. Nothing out of the ordinary - just the usual settling in bibs n bobs. I did however run into the person I was sitting next to on the plane-ride over... on a bus near my place... random.  I'd barely spoken two words to her on the plane but I'd had a feeling I might run into her again and even suggested we might bump into each other at the sunday market... she laughed it off of course thinking that the sheer number of people in Kyoto might make that impossible... and looked at me as if I was perhaps a little simple or... just being unnecessarily polite. The flippant nature in which I delivered the possibility may have made it seem less than likely however that kind of thing just happens in Kyoto. The look on her face, when I approached them on the bus with a "would you guys please stop stalking me", was priceless. As I told them when I hopped off the bus - that's Kyoto!

In the afternoon I retreated to the safety of my apartment due to threat of a rather nasty typhoon. It turned out to be a bit of a fizzer as far as Kyoto was concerned but many other areas of Japan were badly affected  - including unfortunate Fukushima where the swollen rivers threatened to burst through the village and many were forced to evacuate - mother nature could you give these guys a break please?? Landslides in other areas nearby have caused some concern too but Kyoto, once again, has avoided disaster... knock on wood and all that. 

When the typhoon subsided I received a message from the lovely Michiko-san inviting me to an impromptu dinner with her and a mutual friend and I jumped at the chance. 

Omen is a noodle restaurant near Ginkakuji temple and worth checking out if you are in the area. They have an English menu. 

Omen, the restaurant's name-sake dish, was our choice for the evening - handmade udon noodles that one dips into a broth (hot or cold) which includes your choice of several healthy, aromatic ingredients added to it for flavour and texture and bulk! 

Of course the specials menu above tempted us into ordering the nama yuba with plum soy. And Mark couldn't go without his tori no sansho yaki (succulent chicken grilled and served with aromatic sansho pepper). Michiko also ordered her favourite - sabazushi (sushi with vinegared mackerel). All were superb, and light on a humid, late summer's eve.  

 chicken with sansho

 sabazushi

 Ingredients for adding to your broth - burdock and carrots simmered in soy, myoga (ginger bud), ginger, daikon, greens, cabbage, snow peas, spring onions. That's the nama yuba (soy milk skin) at the front with the shiso flowers and leaf.

First step - add as much sesame as you like. Then add your veggies. 

Dip your noodles in and lift them out to eat them. You can drink a little of the broth if you like but it is quite salty and many Japanese choose not to consume much of it these days. 

Japanese garden expert Mark Hovane giving me instructions on how best to eat this refreshing dish. Thanks Michiko and Mark for sharing dinner with me - my first real meal back in Kyoto!

x

A spot of fresh air

I'm working backwards a little but a few days before New Year I went out for some fresh air and to stretch my legs for a bit... OK so it also involved lunch, who am I kidding? 

Just across the road from the west entrance to Demachi shoten-gai (the neighbourhood shopping strip below - the east entrance is on Kawaramachi just north of Imadegawa) there is a great noodle joint - so good I can't remember the name... forgive me. Regardless, its a cinch to find.

Its only a small place so get there early. We tried the Kitsune Udon (with fried tofu and leeks) and the Tamago Tooji Soba (with lightly cooked eggs, Kamaboko, Nori and spring onions)  - both were excellent, the broth quite different in each and packed full of flavour and the noodles spot on texturally. For someone (me) who hadn't eaten breakfast the restorative nature of the soba with eggs was wonderful.

If your Kanji knowledge is any good perhaps you could translate the above chopstick signage for me - then we will all know the name of the place!?!  Below is a mochi shop a few steps away - popular as all get out. I assumed the queue was due to a rush to grab a supply in time for the New Year celebrations but I am told the line is constantly three deep. 

Auspicious cabbages make a colourful New Year's display. 

It really was a beautiful day and I couldn't help but spend the afternoon walking in the sun in preference to heading home to work... procrastination?

We stumbled onto a marathon - very serious stuff for high school students - police, ambulance, NHK film crew... it was all happening....  and this young fish below was super keen to cheer on his hero (most likely his big brother!) Too cute!

I should have gone home right then and there as the day was fading away - but the offer of coffee was too good to refuse. Hidden in a non-descript alley (south off Marutamachi, just east of Kawabata) is Yamatoya - a smoky "Jazz spot" thankfully frequented by my friend as I would never have known it existed otherwise. Old fashioned, super cosy on this cold afternoon, decent coffee and with great music playing it was the perfect place to relax after a long walk (and away from the sunday crowds).  Even if the furnishings were permeated with years of cigarette smoke.. it kinda added to the atmosphere.