Old and new ramen “by-players”! Extra-thick board, square shaped… The evolution of “menma” never stops!

Naruto,” which decorated the bowl of rice in the pioneering days of ramen, is disappearing from cutting-edge ramen…

The classic toppings for ramen are chashu pork, seasoned egg, nori …… and menma!　For the eater, the crunchy texture is the perfect accent. In the ramen scene of the ’20s, where innovation in ingredients has been half the battle, how has menma evolved? We explored the “current state of menma” through ramen noodles that have won the “Menma Craftsman Award,” which recognizes “outstanding menma cooking techniques and a love of menma of exceptional quality.

It goes well with handmade pulled noodles!　The true identity of the extra-thick board menma / Teuchi Menma Matsuri Kameisou (Chofu)

Look at it!　This thickness!　 Menma is usually sliced into thin strips, but the square board-shaped menma at “Teuchi Men Matsuri Kameisaki” is thicker and more flavorful. They are thick, well seasoned, and delicious!

Since its opening in Chofu City in June 2010, “Kame Iro” has attracted a lot of attention as a rookie restaurant with a long line of customers along Koshu Kaido Road. The owner is Kota Kamei, who started working part-time at a ramen restaurant while still in college, and trained hard by staying overnight at the restaurant. He has been making handmade noodles and thick, rich soups. His wife, Shuran, is in charge of the board menma and other ingredients such as chashu pork.

Shuran says that she was not fond of menma to begin with. She carefully prepares them in about two weeks, hoping that customers like me will enjoy them as much as she does.

What is the process?

First, let me explain the general preparation method for menma. There are four main types of menma that ramen stores can purchase. There are four main types of menma that ramen shops can purchase: dried menma, “mizu-ni-ni menma,” which is dried menma that has been soaked in hot water at the manufacturer’s factory and then packed, salted menma, which is soaked in hot water and then stored in salt for preservation, and seasoned menma, which is soaked in hot water and then seasoned.

Seasoned menma can be used as a ramen topping as is, but menma boiled in water requires seasoning in the store. Salted bamboo shoots must be seasoned after being soaked in hot water (without salt) after purchasing. Dried bamboo shoots are also seasoned after being soaked in hot water at the store, but because they are dried, soaking them in hot water is time-consuming and energy-consuming. The water is changed many times while removing dirt and other contaminants, making preparation a time-consuming and labor-intensive task.

However, the smell peculiar to dried fish is removed and the bamboo shoots are filled with water after being soaked in hot water. By adjusting the temperature of the soaking water and the frequency of water changes, it is possible to achieve a texture that fits the soup and noodles of the restaurant. In other words, the advantage of dried bamboo shoots is that they can be made to have the flavor and texture that the chef intended. Salted or seasoned bamboo shoots are heated during the preparation process, and the looping of the boiling process inevitably results in a softening of the bamboo shoots. The texture tends to be moist and crunchy rather than crispy and crunchy.

The board bamboo shoots prepared by Zhu Lan of Kameme Irora have a pleasant crunchy texture. Seasoned with a sweet homemade soy sauce sauce, they are a perfect match for the soup. The texture and flavor are enhanced by careful tuning, while the unique shape and eye-catching size, which are not found in ready-made products, add color to the ramen. This is the “Kameisou” style of menma.

The extra-thick menma lined up in a row of sleepers is a highlight! Sea Turtle Shokudo (Yokohama)

The next to the board-like thick bamboo shoots is a square piece of wood, or even a sleeper!　The next to the board-like thick bamboo shoots is a square of wood, or even a sleeper! Next to the board-like extra-thick menma is the specialty of “Sea Turtle Shokudo” in Tsuzuki Ward, Yokohama City. They are the mainstay of the ramen, but when you put them in your mouth, they are so soft that you can easily chew them up.

While the bamboo shoots at Kame Iro were fun to chew through the fibers, those at Sea Turtle Shokudo have a fresh texture with no sense of fiber. Here, dried bamboo shoots are slowly rehydrated over a period of three weeks. The process of boiling the dried bamboo shoots in water and then letting them rest is repeated about 10 times. The menma is carefully seasoned with sesame oil and chashu sauce, and a hint of sweet soy sauce permeates every inch of the pillowy bamboo shoots. After biting into it, the deep flavor of the menma will slowly overflow into your mouth.