A Sensory Evaluation of a Miso ramen.
Living in Canada has been a really good experience, and every day it surprises me. When I think: What is the Canadian typical food? The answer that always comes to my mind is poutine! Although, in the last 2 years that I have been living here, I have observed the diversity of restaurants with international cuisine. There are many options to experience new flavours! French, Italian, Indian, Lebanese, Greek, Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese, Brazilian and many others that I don’t know. It made Canada a perfect place to experience them!
Last weekend I was watching Master Chef Brazil, and in one of the episodes the participants had to create a fusion between Brazilian food and oriental food. One of them cooked a Ramen soup. The plate looked amazing. The presentation and the chefs comments made me want to try it. Since then I have been thinking to taste that soup. At the beginning, I was a little afraid of not liking it, so I made a small research to be familiarized with the names and know what do I had to choose in the menu to tell the server.
How to combine the ingredients is the most important thing to the success and flavour in a dish, and the Japanese really know how to do this. A traditional ramen is made with noodles and soup flavoured with soy paste, but what makes more attractive are the toppings like the marinated eggs, the Narutomaki, and the roasted pork shoulder. There are many different flavours, as beef, pork, fish and seafood. For the noodles you can choose the thickness and the amount.
After my research, I chose a Japanese restaurant to finally try that dish. The ambience was calm and inviting. The server was attentive, and rapidly took us to a table and brought us the menu. I picked a Tonkotsu Ramen, that comes with noodles, pork shoulder, soy sauce, marinated egg, Narutomaki, bamboo and scallions. For starter I chose a pork gyoza. The meal was accompanied by a cold sake.
The appearance of the food was great. The smell made my mouth water and I wanted to try it without any doubt. At the first moment I could feel the umami sensation with the soup. The toppings added the necessary texture to change the palate from one bite to other, making everting have a unique feeling. The sake, helps to clean the mouth for the next bit, and helps insure an enjoyable and relaxing time.
As a culinary student with a Brazilian background, I tend to look for foods that appeal to my liking. The Canadian life has given me a great opportunity to experience and try many flavours. As a future chef, these experiences are really important to help me increase my knowledge in gastronomy and construct my critical personality. As a cook, I will always prime for the quality and flavour of the ingredients in my kitchen.