Bok choy? Vegan shoyu broth? Daikon? Miso? Gochu jang? These Asian-native ingredients might feel a little out of place in little Athens, Ohio. Believe it or not, they are all now freshly available in West 82 at Let's Get Ramen! While these ingredients are delicious in a ramen bowl, they might be foreign to some Ohio University students.
For the sake of delicious slurp-able noodles and savory, warm broth, let's get to breaking down these ingredients. Once you're brushed up on your food knowledge and pronunciations, Let's Get Ramen!
Bok choy
This dark, leafy cabbage is native to China. The taste of bok choy (pronounced bak-choi) is slightly bitter, like mustard greens or kale. This bitter flavor will compliment the saltiness of the broth in a good bowl of ramen. The texture of this green has soft leaves (similar to romaine lettuce) and very crunchy stalks. If you are looking for a little crunch in your bowl of ramen, consider adding some bok choy.
Shoyu Broth
I myself was not sure what this broth all entailed, so I conducted some research so you don't have to. Apparently, there are four main categories of flavoring broth in ramen: shio, shoyu, miso, and tonkotsu. Shio is typically very salty, miso is a fermented bean paste (see below), and tonkotsu is a pork flavored base. At Let's Get Ramen, their shoyu (pronounced show yoo) broth is vegan and a broth flavoring of soy sauce. This broth has a rich flavor and delicious saltiness.
Daikon
Daikon is a white root vegetable from Japan, where the name daikon translates to "big root" (pronounced dai-kaan). Scientifically, this vegetable is a radish. While the Japanese variety looks fairly different from the American-grown, red-skinned radish, the tastes are similar. Like bok choy, daikon will add crunch to your ramen.
Miso
Another option to flavor the broths at Let's Get Ramen would be miso paste. As mentioned above, miso is a fermented bean paste. The beans of miso (pronounced mee-sow) are standard soy beans, and the fermentation process gives the paste a salty flavor. Traditionally, this Japanese cooking staple comes in two varieties: a mild white miso and a rich red miso.
Gochu Jang
Originating from Korea, gochu jang (pronounced go-chu-jan) is a crushed, red chili pepper paste produced in clay pots similar to kimchi. The taste has been described as spicy, but sweet and a necessity to your next order--especially if you love siracha. This paste will give a mild heat flavor to your ramen that won't overpower the other components. As shown in the picture above, the paste is added at the end of creating a ramen bowl to flavor your broth.
The Menu
There is the break-down of the ingredients you might not have known before! Take a look at the new menu below. There are tons of combinations to choose from, including vegetarian and vegan options. Now that you are a pro on the ingredients and how to say them, strut into West 82 confident in creating the perfect cup of ramen!
The Ohio University Spoon U team has recently visited Let's Get Ramen. The entire team sampled various creations of their ramen bowls. Beef, chicken, or vegetable based, we all thoroughly enjoyed our meals. Go out and try your own, and let us, at Spoon Ohio U, know your combo!