Food Porn

Eating Up Japan: You Can’t Have Ramen Without Gyoza

Adding chahan or yakimeshi makes it the perfect food trifecta

Ramen, gyoza, and a beer. Photo taken by the Author.

Whenever I return to Japan after an absence, one of my first meals is almost always Ramen and gyoza with a beer. Admittedly, not always with chahan, but two of these three dishes, in various combinations, are frequently offered together as a set.

“Wait!” you say, “Ramen’s Chinese, not Japanese! And so are gyoza and chahan!”

Well, this isn’t quite true. While the three dishes had their origins in China, they have become Japanized, like so many things in the world, and, in my humble opinion, they have become improved in the process.

Let’s look at the differences, one at a time.

Ramen

Miso Ramen — photo taken by Author.

Ramen is said to have been adapted from Chinese noodles (lamian), but the Japanese dish has a few major differences.

Chinese noodles are typically pulled by hand, while ramen noodles are rolled and cut, either by hand or by machine. This makes Chinese noodles softer and gives Japanese noodles some elasticity and…