Friday, March 29, 2013

Coming to terms with my budding Tonkotsu addiction

You see this picture on the right? This abso-fuckin-lutely beautiful, awe-inspiring, foodie boner-inducing photograph of a bowl of tonkotsu ramen? I have amazingly vivid dreams about this bowl; with its pork-based broth, bejeweled with tiny droplets of pork fat, its thin slices of pork, its hanjuku tamago, (egg soft-boiled in rice vinegar and soy sauce,) and of course, the ramen noodles. Not the nineteen cent dried bricks of noodles you get at the supermarket, but real, fresh made ramen noodles cooked ever so slightly beyond al dente. Cover it with some chopped scallions and call it done. No need for special toppings nor special sauces. Even sriracha is completely unnecessary, (normally I would find such thought blasphemous.)  Like a fiery, passionate lover, it will seduce you, intoxicate you, and leave you starving for more. Eat this and you will spend an inordinate amount of time not wanting anything else.

I get mine from Umami Ramen and Dumpling Bar here in Madison. It's pretty damned good. I wouldn't say it's great, though. It occasionally suffers from consistency issues and it is really the only trick in town for real ramen. This is most unfortunate in that I see a movement in the U.S. to educate people about real ramen. Most major cities have a bustling ramen scene these days and Americans are starting to see ramen for what it can truly be...

...delicious!


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