Not the homemade kind, but I frequently take my son to a take out Raman place and it’s made with bone broth and pork belly. He doesn’t like the pork belly but I’m hoping that the bone broth is good for us? Looking for a quick heathy alternative on those busy nights.
So firstly I assume you’re talking about Tonkotsu Ramen, Tonkatsu means a fried pork cutlet (from Ton meaning pork meat and Katsu meaning cutlet), and Kotsu on the other hand is Japanese for bones, one vowel makes a big difference here.
Secondly, bone broth is very healthy and contains plenty of collagen, an important protein for improving skin, bone and hair health. It also is mineral-rich and helps boost immunity.
I’d just be wary of the sodium content since it is coming from takeout. Bone broth on its own is very healthy but might not necessarily be as healthy in the context of a restaurant meal. Consuming excess sodium can make your blood pressure too high, and also lead to bloating and upset stomach.
A good alternative is to buy your own bone broth at the supermarket, if they have pork bone (Tonkotsu) it’s a bonus, but chicken or beef bone will also be a good substitute, and add noodles that are made with simple ingredients as well as all the toppings like soft-boiled egg, mushrooms, seaweed, bamboo shoots, etc. And of course, do not add an excess of salt.
If you don’t mind spending money on bone broth https://www.kettleandfire.com/ you can also just get some miso paste and then it’s just miso paste + water.
For the noddles it depends on serving size & what the noodles are made out of. Skip the packet of soup in ramen, it’s full of sodium. This is my prefered noodle as it has sensible serving sizes and no added sodium. Buckwheat noodles are also a good choice but with the flavor profile I like in a broth they don’t work great as they overwhelm other flavors.
If you go to an asian market (or amazon) you can pick up big containers of dried vegetable flakes or just keep bags of frozen diced veggies in the freezer. Dried mushrooms also do well and add a boatload of umami flavor. Only thing you really need to add fresh is green onions.
If you don’t want to make pork belly literally any protein works. I like those bags of frozen pre cooked tiny shrimp/salad shrimp.
If you want to add seaweed a bag of wakame goes really far (you don’t need more than 1tbsp per bowl, it expands massively). Make sure you soak it in cold water and then rinse it to remove some sodium.
To be honest, the jury is still out on whether bone broth has healthful benefits. I can’t stand it so I don’t eat it. I’ve noticed bone broth fans are intense about their love for it and attribute many benefits to it. I’ve heard if you’re eating clean, the bones contain any substances the animal ate, good or bad, and they’d be concentrated in the broth. Metals, etc are possible. I am neutral because it disgusts me.
If kids eat happy meals all the time where’s the harm in enjoying some ramen from the ramen shop?? No harm, everything in moderation! Plus the broth itself does have some good properties like collagen but likely has an excessive amount of sodium.
It’s alright but like everyone else is saying it’s loaded with sodium and it’s pretty heavy on carbs, as pretty much all noodle based dishes are.
I’d say its fine to eat here and there but I wouldn’t be eating it more than 3 times a week tbh. If you really have a craving for it then you can make your own with some vegetable noodles and go easy on the salt, not gonna taste as good but it’ll be healthier.