Ramen, a noodle soup dish is one of the most popular Japanese foods around the world. Originated in China, Ramen has evolved distinctively in Japan over time and Ramen restaurants can be found anywhere in Japan and each area has its own unique regional variations.

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<What is Ramen?>
Ramen consists of three main elements: noodles, broth, and toppings. Most noodles are made from four basic ingredients: wheat flour, salt, water, and "kansui", a type of alkaline mineral water. The broth is the base of ramen and is usually made with meat, either chicken or pork bone, as well as other ingredients such as seaweed, dried bonito, dried sardines, vegetables, and sometimes seafood or other ingredients. For toppings, each restaurant chooses its favorites, but normally we can find "chashu" or roast pork, dried seaweed, green onion, pickled bamboo stems, and boiled egg.

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<Flavors of Ramen>

 In general, Ramen are categorized into 4 flavors: "shio" (salt-based ramen), "shoyu" (soy sauce-based ramen), "miso"(soybean paste-flavored ramen), and "tonkotsu" (pork bone broth ramen). Nowadays, as the Muslim tourist population in Japan grows, there is a steady increase in the number of Ramen restaurants offering "Halal ramen", which is made with only halal meat and seafood stock for its broth. Moreover, although most Ramen are made with meat-based stock, some restaurants offer options for vegans, such as a Ramen which is made with 100% vegetable-based broth, and wheat noodles blended with lotus root (no egg).

Ramen Curriculum at JCI

Through our Ramen and Japanese noodle course, you will learn this unique cuisine, from basic Ramen making skills including noodle making, different types of broth, ingredients, and flavors, under the guidance of the instructor who is a professional Ramen chef at one of popular Ramen restaurants in Japan. We can also organize special lessons for those who are interested in halal Ramen or Vegan Ramen making on request. Moreover, our Ramen course offers visits to famous Ramen restaurants.  Explore the deep world of Ramen in Japan! 
In the first week, you will learn not only ramen but also other important Japanese noodles such as handmade Japanese soba noodles, handmade udon noodles, cold noodles, their different soups and toppings, etc. The second week is an internship lesson at a real store. 
We recommend students to take both courses together to complement each other.