If you’re wondering how best to eat ramen, it’s okay to slurp. In fact, you should be practically inhaling them. This is considered good manners in Japan, and audible sound effects are expected. It’s a tradition that goes back to the Edo period, when increased urbanisation meant that ordinary working people were on the move and food stalls selling noodles were a quick and tasty solution after a long day’s work.
Some attribute the slurping to the fact that these were regular, rather than finely bred folk, but the more general consensus is that slurping allows the diner to suck in a rush of air over the noodles as they are eaten, increasing the aromas and olfactory pleasure, as is common with wine tasting.
If that all sounds a bit too complicated, don’t worry about the air bit, slurp away, but make sure you don’t chew or bite the noodles.
As with everything, practice makes perfect, and you can now do it in the comfort of your own home (where else?), not with dehydrated noodles and powdered MSG soup but with the noodles from Bia Rebel, the Belfast ramen joint that was voted best cheap eats in 2018 in the Observer Food Monthly awards.
After a few weeks of testing, they have got into the delivery game and – drumroll – they deliver all around Ireland, and indeed London and Edinburgh, if you happen to be living there.
Three ingredients
It is the noodles, not the broth, that define a bowl of ramen: the noodles must be made from wheat flour with the addition of an alkaline solution. And even though there are just three ingredients – flour, sodium carbonate and water – the type of flour used and level of hydration has a huge influence on how silky or chewy the noodles will be. They can be served in various broths, from a light stock to something creamier, or even served on their own. And typically, they have toppings.
There is, of course, a whole load of work involved in getting the noodles right, and you benefit from this when you buy the Bia Rebel ramen kit (£20). When I ordered, the menu options were limited to three: char siu (barbecue pork), soy shiitake, and a plain option. But there are plans to add their signature tori shoyu chasu to the menu, which is better known as the Belfast Original, as well as braised stout brisket, cider pulled pork and crisp duck confit toppings.
Each kit contains enough ramen for two, white miso paste, pickled ginger, spring onions and Japanese sesame seeds, plus whatever topping you have selected; and very clear instructions are sent with my email. All you have to do is add boiling water to the miso paste for the broth, give the char siu a quick flash on the pan, cook the noodles for 50 seconds, and serve the noodles and broth in bowls with the pork, sliced spring onions, pickled ginger and sesame seeds on top. For the other option, the soy shiitake topping just needs to be reheated in its pouch in some boiling water.
In minutes
It’s a steaming bowl of sustenance on the table in minutes. The ramen are delicate, cloaked in the creamy savoury flavours of the miso broth, and the pork, which is tender and gently charred at the edges, with sweet spice flavours, is particularly good; the pickled ginger and green onions adding freshness. The soy shiitake works equally well, the mushrooms are meaty and sweet, adding depth to the bowl.
Ramen was never designed to be expensive; in Japan, it’s street food, sold at stalls and in vending machines. So, it is quite wonderful that it can be delivered right to our doors at an affordable price. This is a very tasty meal that requires minimal preparation and will give you a well-deserved night off.
Ramen for four was £40 plus £6.50 delivery.
Where it comes from: Bia Rebel, Belfast, Northern Ireland; biarebel.com
Difficulty factor: Easy to follow instructions, very little to do
Food provenance: Irish and local where possible
Vegetarian options: Shiitake mushroom, which is also vegan
Delivery: Order online, national delivery
THE VERDICT: 7.5/10 You'll be bowled over with these handmade noodles
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