Class Act: Ramen 101 with Nami Ramen’s Jason Jan

Ramen. The very name conjures cheap college eats cooked in microwaves or electric hot pots, salty as sin, get-your-noodle-fix-easy and so totally not good for you. Here’s the story about those little noodle bricks. They ain’t high-class ramen, dudes and ladies. 

Get ready to slurp. Ramen shops offering delicious noodle bowls of great goodness are about to hit our city big time.

“When you walk into a ramen shop in Japan you hear only slurps, no talk,” Jason Jan says. “Everyone stands. There are no seats. People are packed in very close together.”

Jan, who will open Nami Ramen in Clayton in early fall, knows of which he speaks. He was no stranger to the national dish of Japan before he set foot in Tsurichiya, the family-owned shoyu-style ramen shop where he worked every day for six weeks to learn what makes the perfect bowl of ramen.

Malaysian-born Jan, married to a Japanese wife, father of two boys and one girl, started his ramen journey in his own kitchen where weekend meals are all about the noodles. “My children especially love ramen. They beg me to make it, which is what inspired me to open a shop.

“Ramen itself is simple. Five elements -- broth, noodles, toppings, tare (seasonings) and aroma oils -- make up each bowl. The process, though, is complex. At home, I start the [bone] broth over high heat right after dinner. I stay up until 2 a.m. or later, stirring the broth to find the exact moment when the bones release their marrow and the consistency is right.

“The stars of the bowl are the broth and the noodles. The flavor of the broth should be infused within the noodles. The shape and style of noodles should match the broth,” Jan says. “Everything else is a supporting player. Each bowl should be in balance and harmony.”

Jan (right) believes ramen shops will do well in St. Louis. Several restaurants offer notable bowls of ramen, but shops solely dedicated to ramen in all its incarnations have yet to flourish here. “I’m not an impromptu person,” Jan says. “I think now is the right time.”

Jan believes a diverse workforce, trained in house to learn the right way to do things, produces a consistently good product. It’s a theory he’s put to the test in his other businesses.

Jan, chef Arron Syedullah, and general manager Rob Morrison have been tweaking ramen recipes weekly in a rented commercial kitchen for several months. “We start at three or four in the afternoon and go home sometime between two and three in the morning,” Jan says.

Although the shop opening is still a few weeks off, anxious ramen fans will have a chance to taste Nami Ramen bowls and more at special pop-up events August 6^th and 7^th at White Box Eatery in Clayton.

Click here to check out the elegant promo, review pop-up details and to order tickets. The event, designed by Eric Hamblett of Bazaarboy, conveys Yan’s elegant sense of style. He credits Jay Reeves of Tao + Lee Associates for the sleek design of the shop at 46 North Central. Unlike the standing-room-only shops in Japan, the Clayton shop offers plenty of seating options for guests.

Slurping, however, crosses international boundaries. To help you slurp happy, we present Ramen 101, a brief introduction to the bowl: 

Each element in a ramen bowl is cooked separately and assembled just before serving. Here’s a checklist of ramen-esque ingredients to consider:

Broth: Broth flavors vary, but one thing is constant. In a proper bowl, the broth must be steaming hot. Broth variations abound in ramen kitchens, but the glistening liquid always shows the skill of the ramen chef in its richness, weight, and texture. Here are four broths you’ll find at Nami Ramen:

• Hakata style – a slightly opaque, creamy bone broth with a rich and strong texture. Usually a pork bone broth, or a combination of pork and chicken bones.
• Vegetarian broths -- with red or white miso
• Spicy ramen broth – a flavorful tomato broth with a bit of yuzu zest
• Seafood broth – a tomato-based broth to bring out the flavor of the seafood

Noodles: Nami Ramen will serve fresh wheat noodles with all bowls. Choices abound.

• Wavy or straight, thick or thin, gluten-free, or spinach infused in several variations.
• Each noodle should co-exist comfortably with the chosen broth. Nami Ramen lists recommendations, but the final choice remains with customers.

Toppings: The combination of toppings, each one balanced against the others, gives ramen bowls individuality. Finely shredded scallions are a must as is a perfectly soft-boiled egg sliced in half lengthwise.

Proteins include cha-siu roast pork, braised pork belly, braised pork shoulder, and braised boneless pork ribs, shredded pork, bacon and minced pork. Seafood selections include shrimp, scallops, and kamaboko fish cakes

• Veggies may include cabbage, spinach, carrots, corn, minced grated white onions, mushrooms, garlic, menma (bamboo shoots), and toasted sesame seeds (optional).  
• Nori, thin sheet of dried seaweed  

Tare: The seasoning for the ramen broth.

• Shoyu, soy-based addition
• Sea salt (shio) may also be used.
• Another addition may be red or white miso.

Aromatic oils: As a finishing touch, the chef drizzles flavored oils across the ramen.

• At Nami Ramen, the oils include mayu, a black garlic sesame oil, tomato-infused vegetable oil, and spicy chili oil. For customers who prefer things hotter, Nami Ramen offers its homemade chili bomb to spice things up.

Once the bowl is assembled, Jan recommends beginners approach the dish with chopsticks and a spoon. “Smell the bowl first,” he says. “Spoon a little broth to taste. Pull the noodles up with chopsticks and slurp. Don’t be hesitant – slurping ramen is good.”

Need a little encouragement? Watch the master explain the correct ritual for eating ramen in Tampopo, the Japanese movie that glorifies ramen-ology in every noodle-licious scene. Slurp-happy ramen, coming soon to St. Louis.

Nami Ramen

46 N. Central

Clayton

namiramen.com

Facebook: Nami Ramen

Twitter: @NamiRamen

Order Tickets for August 6^th and August 7^th preview pop-up here

Expected opening date: Fall 2015