Hiroshi-san and Sae-chan both preferred tonkotsu or miso broth, and I felt the same way. While I enjoyed shoyu ramen for 300¥ at my school's cafeteria, tonkotsu and miso ramen felt extra decadent when you just wanted to treat yourself. No two ramen shops make a bowl of ramen with the same flavor, since the ingredients that go into the broth are a highly guarded secret! My favorite bowl of ramen is the same as Hiroshi-san's: a bowl of spicy miso ramen from a shop called Misoichi in Nakano. The bowl itself is nearly the size of a hubcap, topped with an absurd helping of chashu (roast pork), a thick layer of deadly chili oil and a pat of butter melted on top. Who said anything about ramen being a diet food?
The first time that I ate ramen with Hiroshi-san and Sae-chan, I was blown away. The bowl of ramen that we ordered was known as one of the spiciest in Tokyo, and I was nearly sobbing before I was halfway finished with my bowl. The only thing that kept me going was that in addition to being one of the spiciest bowls of ramen in Tokyo, it was also the most delicious bowl of ramen that I'd ever tasted. Sae-chan sat next to me with her blue hair tied into pigtails, and she had demolished her bowl at a speed I hadn't even thought possible, all without breaking a sweat! That first bowl of ramen was definitely a humbling experience.
There are three main aspects to a bowl of ramen: the broth, the oil and the noodles. The broth is easily the most important part of the dish and is prepared by simmering a bone stock with various aromatic ingredients for hours, or even for days sometimes!
