Lesson Report: Special Five-Week Course (Part3: 1-week Ramen)
Jan 16, 2025
This article highlights the 1-Month special Culinary Training Course held from April to May for Peter, who is from Hungary but now works as a notable French cuisine chef and the head chef on a super yacht. For the last 4days, he is going to take our Ramen Course.
Initially, he will learn the essence of ramen and its four basic elements: noodles, seasoning oil, soup, and kaeshi(sauce base). Like many other dishes, when you begin making ramen, you quickly realize there’s much more to it than expected. Our goal is for him to gain as much knowledge and expertise as possible within the four-day period.
Next, he learns how to prepare essential ramen toppings, including chashu (braised pork), seasoned eggs, and menma (pickled bamboo shoots).
Our Ramen Session also includes noodle making. Under the guidance of Our Ramen Instructor, Irokawa, Peter experiences the physically demanding process of kneading dough, using a machine to create the noodles. He will then use the noodles he made himself to craft various types of ramen throughout the session.
In addition to noodles, he learns the essential techniques for preparing soup, kaeshi (sauce base), and seasoning oil—all indispensable components of ramen making. By mastering various types of soup, kaeshi, and seasoning oil, he will be able to create hundreds of unique flavors through different combinations. This is a special skill that only students who take our Ramen Course can master.
Peter then makes his first attempt at creating ramen, using a soup broth made from oysters and clams. It takes him only 10 minutes to make a savory ramen, which amazes him since ramen making is often assumed to require a lot of time and effort. The instructor also demonstrates not only a cold version of oyster and clam ramen but also mixed noodles to showcase different ramen variations.
To conclude the first day, the instructor prepares a bowl of ramen for him. Peter is amazed, remarking that he’s never tasted ramen so delicious. Through the lessons, he will learn how to craft ramen of this caliber and eventually develop his own original style.
Starting from the second day, Peter also learns how to prepare popular side dishes served in ramen restaurants, such as curry, fried rice, and gyoza. Instructor Irokawa, known as the ‘Spice Magician,’ generously teaches Peter his signature spicy curry, which features the complexity and depth of flavors derived from various roasted spices. Peter is thrilled to learn curry in addition to ramen, as his goal is to expand his repertoire of recipes. This is another special lesson available exclusively here. The spicy curry can also be adapted to create ‘mapo noodles’—ramen topped with tofu sautéed with ground meat and chili pepper in a rich sauce.
Each day, Peter learns about and tastes a variety of seasoning oils, kaeshi, and different styles of ramen, including tsukemen (noodles served with a separate dipping sauce), chilled ramen (cold ramen served with toppings), and mazesoba (mixed noodles), which may still be unfamiliar in many other countries. If you keep the essence of ramen and its four basic elements in mind, you’ll be able to craft any type of soup and ramen by combining a variety of ingredients.
Since Peter is a chef on a super yacht, preparing soup in a large stock pot onboard may present quite a challenge. However, he expresses a desire to see how much he can replicate what he has learned.
We sincerely hope he enjoys adapting his newfound skills and knowledge from the one-month Sushi, Izakaya, and Ramen Sessions to cater to the preferences of his customers.
We are thrilled to hear that he intends to return, as there is still so much more for him to learn.
We wish you good health and great success, and we look forward to seeing you again soon, Peter!
