3 Pro Tips That Will Change Your Ramen Game Forever

[@naotosuzuki9040]

In the home kitchen in Japan konbu(dried kelp)-glutamic acid katsuo-bushi(dried bonito flakes)-inosinic acid niboshi(dried small sardines)-inosinic acid hoshi-sitake (dried shiitake mushrooms)-guanosic acid It is common to always use The three umami ingredients are combined to suit the dish. Of course, fermented seasonings such as soy sauce, miso, sake, and mirin are also rich in umami ingredients. The balance of umami ingredients is important for both Japanese food and ramen. If the balance is not right, you have no choice but to cheat with spiciness and oil. It is important to think in terms of subtraction, not addition.

[@ZisoRegondo]

Thank you for this guidance, 友人 🙇🏾‍♂️

[@SzavaHunorLevente]

You can’t leave us hanging ☹️ We totally need a full recipe with all the learnings! ❤

[@bLaDeMVP]

I second that.

[@essstiterrible]

clearly a dish like ramen cant be simplify to a single recipe, that's why its more accessible and interesting then most dish. Alex is being full meta because that's what's make ramen incredible. Dont be afraid to experiment its a big part of the fun. Basically im saying dont cook ramen like its a pastry. Like they said, just make it really flavorful, the opposite aint ramen.

[@helvettefaensatan]

He really should create a overview of types and recommendations for combinations.

[@korihoko3843]

Would love to see your breakdown of pho broth and what connections there are to the ramen science you gathered!

[@fejfo6559]

1. lots of oil (2 tablespoons) to transfer flavor from broth to noodles 2. Don't make your own noodles 3. Umami is king, get as much MSG as possible and don't forget about umami boosters.

[@bebisibeb]

I've actually tried to make a ramen with as much umami as possible as an experiment and the result was that it was just, too much... It's hard to explain but it almost makes the food taste unhealthy. Anyway, that's why I disagree with your third point.

[@Temulgeh]

@@bebisibeb sometimes unhealthy is what you want! for exemple jiro-kei ramen and similar styles, but i agree there is definitely such a thing as too much umami. my threshold for it is very high though lol

[@bebisibeb]

@Temulgeh Yeah I know, but ny results were even worse than jiro... lol

[@Temulgeh]

@@bebisibeb if you don't sniff a kilogram of msg every morning are you really a ramenhead /j

[@cubandarknez]

I think dashi is the real game changer in terms of effort for impact. Family week day meals will just go up in satisfaction by so much just from including it into any broth-like components.

[@HayTatsuko]

Thank you for sharing these lovely experiences with us! I will have to incorporate them into my own cooking -- and I can see this going well beyond just ramen!

[@chrisholmes66]

You are an inspiration to me. I have started my ramen journey since watching you. My son loves ramen so it is a quest that brings a teenage boy and father closer. Thanks Alex.

[@bluesoverlord]

Oh yes, umami needs to be applied almost everywhere. A little anchovy paste in the pot roast makes it “beefier”, for example. Awesome video!

[@jrkorman]

A bottle of Vietnamese Fish Sauce will last for quite a while but what it does for flavor is wonderful; just go slow until you figure it out. Love using anchovy paste also; it does so much for many sauces.

[@bluesoverlord]

@@jrkorman Ahh, yes, Red Boat fish sauce is the best.

[@RAIN_B0T]

"MSG" .. my mind goes 'FUIJOOOH' and seconds later that little clip of uncle roger.. glorious!

[@danielsantiagourtado3430]

You SO deserve your own Netflix/Food network show alex! You would show them what true passion and cinematography are!🎉🎉🎉

[@hankytorious]

This channel is that show/series. Here he's free to make it how he want.

[@boppins]

Yeah if you never want to see him again. Can't tell you how many big KZbinrs I've watched disappear after going mainstream.

[@JackHudler]

Networks will screw him up

[@Atomy111]

Why would he degrade himself by going on netflix

[@ajtwyman2737]

I second this

[@bcatbb2896]

love this type of video where you get all technical and actually teach the audience something

[@BeeepBo0op]

Counterpoint for homemade ramen: If you have a pasta machine it's totally doable, you just cannot make large quantities! As long as you do small chunks of dough at a time you can use the machine to knead it and get a good structure. Essentially do what you do in the lamination steps of regular pasta. The results are really good if you're somewhere where good noodles aren't readily available, it just takes some time and it's a bit cumbersome at the beginning

[@Getpojke]

I wonder if you used the likes of an African "woduro", the large pestle & mortar type device that fufu is made in or a Japanese "mochitsuki", mochi mallet, if it would bring the noodle dough together more easily? There must have been a way to do it on a large scale before automation came in in Japan after-all!?

[@themushroominside6540]

Also for super hard to knead doughs i suggest getting a silicone kneading bag, it is reusesable and durable as heck and doesn't stick to low hydration doughs such as ramen dough. I got this tip from @mynameisandong from his "Is this still ramen video" and the silicone bag is good for preparing ground meats as well, used it to make dumpling filling and menchi katsu.

[@DarkMimii]

We started to make Ramen after I watched your series and we still make the noodles ourselfs by mixing the dough roughly, putting it in a freezing bag and kneading them with our feet :D I find it fun and I bought a spaghetti rolling pin so we don´t have to cut them (there´s no space for machinery here). All the noodles I saw in the stores here where expensive, so we didn´t try them. Our first try was with glass noodles but I doubt we´ll ever switch to them again ^^

[@diabeticdaniel7848]

This is brilliant and i can't wait to try it out. My brother lived in japan for a while and misses the ramen, i really want to be able to make him a bowl he's satisfied with. I have three years of culinary school behind me but i've honestly learned more from youtube than i did at school. At least when it comes to knowledge.

[@tomrockholm-timeless_morph6691]

No more blue fridge, now we have a gorgeous blue wall. Loving your new space Alex! Congratulations on the massive upgrades and growth!

[@danielsantiagourtado3430]

12:37 And we will be here to listen to that fascinating story Alex! And thank tou as always! Agree with you on everything! Specially the Umami part! Here in Colombia we love our Umami! Your entire series has been one great journey and learning experience! Each ramen bowl i make i cheer to you when i slurp away!😋😋😋😋🍜🍜🍜🍜

[@zabuma]

Hopefully Alex will eventually go to Japan to learn from actual Japanese Ramen chefs, that would be so damn cool!

[@lam1991hahaha]

About oil, I watched a Japanese KZbinr improving the soup of his instant ramen, he fried some oil from chicken skin + a bit of lard + half a tea spoon of soy sauce and added them into the soup, it looks good

[@SevenBates]

Impeccable. Possibly the most dense, yet seemingly effortless video you've made. I did not realize how the quantification of umami in that database, changed how I thought about it. Up to a factor of 8? Wow.

[@BriceStacey]

The new space looks great, thanks for the tips.

[@brettmuir5679]

I lost you for a few minutes. Glad I am back. I am going to binge watch all content to get me up to date. Would it not be nice to see how the new studio is coming along? Salute :)

[@georgeaxiotidis2783]

There we go again with ramen! Alex I can’t wait to see the content from your new studio and hopefully give up ramen!

[@yakesbves3294]

Thanks for the sharing ! Your journey saved us lot of time ;) It will be really nice now to have a full final Ramen video. Where you can cook an home made ramen to one of the chefs you visited and see what they think about it ! Also it would be nice to have a full Ramen recipe video with one of your new favorite recipe to reproduce home ! Salut !

[@shahoorkausmally519]

time to come to Japan Alex. you should explore Tsukemen and Abura-soba!

[@yodrewtube]

Great insight and loved the story telling & delivery! Your umami insight was enlightening!

[@ocbtyga3238]

awesome video for someone who watches your ramen videos for the first time, but watching them all i already knew them all ;D loved the summary of all your tips anyway, especially the umami dictionary and how natural glutamate and insosate work together the best thanks again alex!

[@T-Towel]

Love the Gastronomy book casually on the side, such amazing combinations of foods in there! 😊

[@PrimevilKneivel]

Yeah, the new set is beautiful!

[@PietroBrunetti]

I think the first and the last lesson learned are important for any savory dish, not only ramen

[@SuperMastermindx]

the new studio looks beautiful, well done

[@JeffONeill-w1v]

Great work on the umami analysis

[@pinobluevogel6458]

It was nice to look back on the ramen journey. It is certainly not a substitude for watching the individual episodes, but a clear overview of it all. So far having made ramen several times now, I can say it really helped me explore my cooking and this dish. Thank you!

[@stamene7274]

Awsome video! Alex, you should really consider visit Japan for once, their ramens are in whole new level. I believe it will definitely gives you inspiration!

[@nathan_watson]

I enjoyed the studio sneak preview!

[@MaarioDN]

Now that you have the knowledge I would love a specific ramen recipes video for homecooking, to have a base and then experiment with different ingredients, thank you Alex!

[@barucheven4128]

What I need now is an updated guide to Ramen...

[@sampaiorafa]

Tips taken! Thanks for the knowledge, Alex.

[@danielsantiagourtado3430]

Always applying your tips to my cooking game alex! you have made my skills and dishesh so much better! thanks from the bottom of my hearth man! You're the best 😊😊😊😊❤❤❤❤

[@charlesdevalois2676]

Thanks for all your hard work and these amazing pro tips!

[@DM-bl9ll]

The bit about Italian cuisine not emphasizing umami, sure, but what about parmesan cheese or tomatoes? Seems like they found it even if they don't "focus" on it

[@shinu92]

Awesome tips! Definitely giving these tricks a deeper look in my next batch of ramen 👌

[@helenswan705]

Great little video, informative, and in your usual style, so funny!

[@ivanfaigenbom5300]

I love this series so hard

[@padders1068]

Alex, thanks for sharing and educating! 🙂

[@extremepanda351]

glad to see the next episode, inspires me to make a bowl!

[@Roxomus]

I remember one of the chefs you interviewed also asked you to present a dish to him and if it was good enough, he would add it to his menu. Would you take that challenge? I really believe you can pull this off!

[@truckerspike]

Thank you Alex, you continue to inspire me.

[@infin1ty850]

Not gonna lie man, I am beyond bored with your ramen content. I'm looking forward to you getting back to other foods.

[@459_nilavratbera4]

You always amaze us Alex. Keep it Up. We'll be by your side always.

[@billc7211]

Nice wrap up. I feel all tooled up with new knowledge

[@nioxic77]

i've seen a clip on reddit where some... (somewhere in asia i'd guess) they make noodles in a large (very large) bowl of boiling water. they have some liquid dough and put it into a big soup ladle, with holes in it. That looked pretty easy tbh. of course it might not be "noodles" in the classical sense, but it looked like it.

[@sonnechezper]

Awesome content and advices as usual, despite the complex setup ! Just saw the flavor Thesaurus. Great book.

[@MICHOU1800]

Alex thank you so much for this amazing video and please please please 🙏 we need more videos about Ramen! Peace ✌️

[@d_bribe]

Lovely advice. Tbh, didn’t have much difficulties with making noodles. Resting them really helps the flour hydrate and mine came quite nice, with small hydration and kansui. The other advice was amazing, hadn’t thought about it but I think they are fixing my issues as well. Awesome content, Alex!

[@nic.trades]

Same, had no difficulty at all making noodles using a KitchenAid. Even down to 30% hydration. Yes the first pass-throughs were a bit challenging since the mixture was basically like sand, but once it starts binding together, it's really a breeze. People should really give it a try and not be intimidated. Made all of Ramen_Lord's noodles and also tried Ivan's Ramen recipe. I have also done a variation of Ivan's recipe by adding some vital wheat and lower hydration, they were my favorite of all the ones I made. Chewy, with a great bite and that toasted rye flavor.

[@kohakuaiko]

​@@nic.tradesgood to know that Gramma's KitchenAid is the most valuable thing I could have inherited. It kneads just about any dough better than I can by hand.

[@timready9194]

Welcome back to the audience, Alex. Great to see that you have found a way, while under construction.

[@cfitz9976]

So educational, learned so much. Thank you

[@JeffWhite417]

Thank you, Chef! Excellent info and content.

[@theblackrose3130]

For the vegans and vegetarians there scratching their heads about how to achieve the rich umami flavour without inosinates from meat or fish the answer is yeast extract. The two primary ways to get it are in instant broth forms like meat free Oxo cubes or marmine/Vegemite. I prefer the Oxo cubes just for the more clean flavour but I've tried marmite and it absolutely works as well.

[@Temulgeh]

not vegan but tackled vegan broths as well. you can also just add MSG if you don't mind the added sodium, or if you want inosinates, nutritional yeast is pretty good (and it also adds some well needed funk in otherwise too clean-tasting soups)

[@fefeduberry4939]

Amazing video. Thank you so much for such quality! (Sure you already have your eyes/ideas on it, there was quite some echo on your mic. I hope the works are going smoothly). Love, Féfé

[@goodgoods664]

Content is awesome new studio is awesome, thanks you.

[@philosophiabme]

Ramen_Lord is opening his restaurant soon and I can’t wait!

[@alinfriedman8080]

Amazing! Thank you Alex!

[@ARTUR2CRMJ]

I felt in love whit your series, so I bought the bue machine that you bought and open a little restaruant my self, just for the sake of traying to replicate your noodles and for that I love you my friend Alex

[@MrCaseyJohnson]

Alex I love your channel… I love ramen.. I love noodles.. just a suggestion.. help your viewers conquer pho.. that series would be scary good

[@melaniewyffels4478]

J'adore ton nouveau studio!!!!!!

[@Regin82]

Great advice thanks, really enjoy your content.

[@stevewilcox6375]

NIce book on the desk, a flavour matching book! Volume two is out now too!

[@scrubber1986]

I am surprised that you did not mentioned dried shiitake mushrooms when talking about umami. They are umami BOMBS. Kombu, Bonito and Shiitake is the umami holy trinity.

[@bjorn_]

My thumbnail reaction: is that a Spisa Ribb plate?!? One of my favourite everyday object designs (by Stig Lindberg for Gustavsberg; launched 1955) … but then I saw that it wasn’t. Tasty as the ramen looks, everything tastes better when eaten from a Spisa Ribb. It elevates (Alex-speak) every eating experience.

[@Choscura]

the ramen noodle machine thing surprises me. Ramen is specific and regional with many varieties of noodle. In all cases they adapt to the best thing they can acquire locally. For my own practice, I have adapted a compromise noodle process between the italian egg noodle dough and the chinese hand pulled noodle traditions- I make an egg dough, usually I will adjust final hydration with some grams of bone broth with the fat included from the soup, and then I stretch and fold continuously until the dough consistency is very stretchy, like a pizza dough, and then I will make whatever sort of noodles. Since I do this mostly by hand with a knife and a cutting board on the counter beside a pot of boiling soup, I usually do either snail noodles (roll a log, cut off pepperoni slices, and then as they separate, pull the knife back against the cutting board, rolling the "pepperoni noodle" back under the blade into a snail shell) or bowties/butterflies (cut a sheet, into squares, pinch) or fetuccine (roll a sheet, cut off slices of the roll as if to make peperoni slices, and unroll each slice and stretcch into a noodle).

[@scottboettcher1344]

A few years ago "Cooks Illustrated" published a short blurb (if it was an article I can't find it) about this Umami "multiplication factor" using glutemates and "enhancers", but they referred to them as Glutemates and Nucleotides, and claimed a multiplication factor of 20x, not the 8x you mentioned (I know of no scientific measurement of "total umami", so this may be a moot comparison). The blurb did mention a good ratio, one part powdered porcini (for the glutemates) and one part fish sauce (for the nucleotides). This is now my standard "secret ingredient" for most everything I make (and you don't need much, half-tsp of each for a big pot of stew, soup, tomato gravy, whatever). My mouth is still watering when I finish a bowl and am completely full, so I really think it works.

[@woolfel]

I just cheat and use hondashi, a powder version that quick and easy. When I make miso soup, I add 1/2-1 TSP depending on how many servings.

[@scottibass]

I love how Alex went Père Fouras for the last tip

[@waltercranston5176]

My mind is blown about the umami knowledge you just bestowed!!! What are some recommendations for where to buy good noodles?

[@alexbecket6945]

Bonito, Kombu, bone broth, roasting vegetables covered in tomato paste - my food game is better for this channel. Thanks Alex!

[@leacruz7311]

Wow, very interesting to know! I already have dashi powder.

[@ErwannKerfers]

So… you’re not gonna talk about that awesome book you have on your left? Quite an interesting read imo :) Great video Alex!!!

[@frontonarnar3954]

First video I saw was the perfect mashed potato, you go all out everytime. Insane

[@mustansirmohamedally]

This is the best channel on youtube....CHALLENGE ME!

[@brovo66]

Well, I like Roman I really enjoy your French and Italian dish is the most. I’d like to see more of that please.

[@vincentx2850]

I wish you can move beyond Japanese ramen and explore other soup noodle dishes at some point. From South East Asian noodle powerhouses like Vietnam and Malaysia, to the diverse schools of noodles in China, I think there is so much potential to explore. The Su-style noodles of Suzhou and the hand-pulled noodles of Northern China would be particularly interesting, the latter is the one that gives the "ra" in "ramen".

[@wasabi_6684]

spend a lifetime making ramen and you will still be apprentice of the craft. oil, noodles, stock, toppings, tare, balance really are there own crafts in their own regard

[@uri5416]

Been making noodles with your original recipe for a couple of years now and have to say, my pasta machine has managed to hold out with no problems. I find that if you use a rolling pin just before the first pass, it works great and doesn't struggle.

[@uri5416]

Also... your recipe is AMAZING! absolutely swear by it! Enjoyed MANY great homemade ramen bowls!

[@nic.trades]

Same, had no difficulty at all making noodles using a KitchenAid. Even down to 30% hydration. Yes the first pass-throughs were a bit challenging since the mixture was basically like sand, but once it starts binding together, it's really a breeze. People should really give it a try and not be intimidated. Made all of Ramen_Lord's noodles (his free e-book is amazing) and also tried Ivan's Ramen recipe. I have also done a variation of Ivan's recipe by adding some vital wheat and lower hydration, they were my favorite of all the ones I made. Chewy, with a great bite and that toasted rye flavor.

[@cpuman]

Alex, I think you're just gonna have to go to Japan and try a bowl from the highest rated ramen restaurant there.

[@ianCD_]

If you don't have kombu and benito flakes at home, and also dont have access to instant dashi; A really quick and dirty Umami bomb that I found is by replicating dashi, by adding MSG powder and fish sauce in warm water. I add this quick dashi-like/umami liquid to some stews, broth and soups to really push it to the next level! Careful with the ratios! Use tiny amounts of MSG and fish sauce is also a very salty and powerful ingredient. I recommend doing some experiments first with ~33ml of water!

[@pleggli]

I only make vegan ramen and I typically only use kombu and dried shiitake which has a high glutamate content and it works fine for me. You have to make sure to really get a good concentration of mushroom broth out of preparing the mushrooms to make it work. Then again you can always just add pure MSG if you think it's needed, there is nothing wrong with that either.

[@iv3shf]

I've had ramen all over the world, from LA to Japan and Singapore, but when you do it yourself, is just never quite there, it's close, it's good, but there is always something missing, the noodles are not perfect, the broth and the noodles don't tie together, the broth is too light (or too strong) there is ALWAYS something wrong or rather, something that could have been done better, I know what it feels like Alex to search for that perfection, that kind of flavor, but that research changes your mind on how you cook everything else FOREVER. thank you Alex for all your series on ramen, the oil one was really funny, and I'll remember it forever... : RAMEN WITHOUT OIL IS JUST A BORING SOUP!!

[@skullly9074]

newbie chef here. alex you are an amazing cook and an amazing insperasion for both home cooking and profesinal cooking to me. thank you for the tips and the Entertainment that you produse.

[@tmts9633]

Love the title!

[@etiennelaval342]

Oh, a nice package of your last ramen season! Thanks Alex! I' be curious to see you try to apply your umami skills to improve your western previous dishes (omelette, beef bourguignon , all the way to your old pizza series or even the croissant one!)

[@thistlefooderie]

Sun noodles is amazing!!! Here in the USA they also sell noodles with an awesome broth packet.

[@calculusentropy]

I got mushroom based Umami powder for the wifey, its remarkable.

[@The2caorafeiro]

Just amazing explanation. About the noodle brands do you advise to buy, which ones?

[@grayleafmorgo]

Alex I totally got dissapointed to cook Ramen by myself and It seems I just can try real one in restaurants, but after your series as an specialist ;))

[@frogfence18]

Mind Blowing

[@dariusrobertsz]

WHAT A GREAT VID ALEX ✌🏾

[@totalredeem44]

I didn't saw guanylate disodique mentionned ! We must lean by ourselves that's the message ! And what about KOKUMI from yeast !!

[@usr_nme3117]

The blue fridge evolved into the blue room, amazing.

[@awestacular]

100%, wish you'd have known to just buy noodles back in your original series. I'm glad I went through the process, but that's an insane amount of work that is best outsourced to someone who has the tools to do it better. I love your ramen series, I have no regrets about making noodles, but absolutely, not worth the work.

[@rhuspimentel]

I laughed so hard from 7:14 to 7:27!!! Love you and your editing Alex

[@gritcheatreides6828]

Le gras c'est la vie X ) Je me demande si ça ne vient pas du grand philosophe Karadoc ; )