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A review by apoorvasr
Ivan Ramen: Love, Obsession, and Recipes from Tokyo's Most Unlikely Noodle Joint by Ivan Orkin, Chris Ying
4.0
I really like reading about books about food and fiction or a memoir in combination. Ivan Orkin's book constitutes his mediation on Ramen. Shows such as Midnight diner and books such as rice, noodle fish have made me respect and adore food of Japan. This is one such book.
In spite of facing many personal odds in life as well as being labelled as gajin in Japan, Ivan perseveres towards making the perfect bowl of Ramen. To normal folk, Ramen is mainly labelled as instant food and is devoid of the complexities of flavor.
Ivan goes into the intricacies of Ramen in this book . Each formulation and each ingredient is meticulously and painfully made. He is so through in his approach that it almost seems like art.
Ivan spent so many years perfecting Ramen and tells us how Ramen is such a versatile dish. But be wary, the amalgamation of flavors has to be perfect- the umami, the perfectly cut egg yolk, the bean stalks, the thinly made rye wheat noodles- they must be in delicious harmony.
"People were applying real technique and serious thought to once-simple bowls''
The next half of the book also talks about detailed recipes for each component of Ramen. Orkin is so thorough that he goes ahead and even tells the naive cooks where to look for these ingredients. Also, each recipe is completely edible. None of the parts are wasted, easily being recycled to omurice, soups and innovative tofu starters. This is a true mark of a cook..
"Of all the principal Japanese cuisines- sushi, soba, kaiseki, washoku- ramen is the most open, the most receptive to change and experimentation.''
In spite of facing many personal odds in life as well as being labelled as gajin in Japan, Ivan perseveres towards making the perfect bowl of Ramen. To normal folk, Ramen is mainly labelled as instant food and is devoid of the complexities of flavor.
Ivan goes into the intricacies of Ramen in this book . Each formulation and each ingredient is meticulously and painfully made. He is so through in his approach that it almost seems like art.
Ivan spent so many years perfecting Ramen and tells us how Ramen is such a versatile dish. But be wary, the amalgamation of flavors has to be perfect- the umami, the perfectly cut egg yolk, the bean stalks, the thinly made rye wheat noodles- they must be in delicious harmony.
"People were applying real technique and serious thought to once-simple bowls''
The next half of the book also talks about detailed recipes for each component of Ramen. Orkin is so thorough that he goes ahead and even tells the naive cooks where to look for these ingredients. Also, each recipe is completely edible. None of the parts are wasted, easily being recycled to omurice, soups and innovative tofu starters. This is a true mark of a cook..
"Of all the principal Japanese cuisines- sushi, soba, kaiseki, washoku- ramen is the most open, the most receptive to change and experimentation.''