(Lifehack) How to make ramen
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March 12, 2025
In the last 15 years, I have seen many ramen restaurants open in
this part of the world. Until then, one had to go to Seattle for a
decent bowl of ramen. Then, ramen joints began opening in
Portland's neighborhoods following gentrification: Boxer Ramen on
Northeast Alberta Street and Noraneko in the Central Eastside
Industrial District were among the first. Today, there are
homegrown ramen places and outposts of Japan-based chains (such as
Afuri and Kizuki).
Once you have real ramen, you'll immediately notice that it is a
completely different creature from instant ramen noodles
(especially the deep-fried ones found in U.S. supermarkets).
But finding real ramen (fresh or frozen) is still a challenge in
most parts of the U.S., and even if you could, it is very pricey.
The other day, I found a trick that solves this problem. And it is
cheap.
## Spaghetti + baking soda = ramen
What distinguishes ramen from all other types of wheat noodles is
jian shui 碱水 (kansui), that is, sodium carbonate (Na2CO3).
Traditionally, ash containing sodium carbonate (peng hui 蓬灰) is
mixed into brine, and that brine is used to form dough.
Sodium carbonate causes chemical reactions in the dough, leading to
the distinct texture and color that makes noodles ramen.
You can easily simulate this process by boiling dried spaghetti in
water with one tablespoon of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate,
NaHCO3) and some salt (sodium chloride, NaCl). In boiling water,
sodium bicarbonate splits into sodium carbonate, carbon dioxide,
and water.
Pretty soon, it will start smelling like fresh ramen, and the color
of the spaghetti will turn yellowish, like the real deal. In my
experience, I would recommend boiling the noodles a bit longer than
you would typically do (around 15 minutes).
Once it is done, dump the water (as you'll see, the water is now
dark yellow), and wash the noodles in cold water. You can use this
for any ramen dish, or for yakisoba (which is stir-fried ramen
noodles).
The benefits of this lifehack are the cost and accessibility. Even
at a tiny general store in a very small rural town, you can find
packs of dried spaghetti and a box of baking soda. In a typical
supermarket in the Portland area, one pound of spaghetti costs
around $1 and $1.25, and a box of baking soda is under a dollar (at
WinCo Foods, the spaghetti is 99 cents and the baking soda is 88
cents, as of this writing).
=>
https://sudachirecipes.com/ramen-noodle-hack-recipe/ More about
this
