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Ramen Otaku: Mastering Ramen at Home: A Cookbook
A guide to ramen for the home cook, from the chef behind the beloved shop Otaku Ramen.
Sarah Gavigan is otaku. Loosely translated, she's a ramen geek. During her twenty years working in film production and as a music executive in L.A., Gavigan ate her way through the local ramen spots, but upon moving back to her native Nashville, she found she missed the steaming bowls of ramen she used to devour. So she dedicated herself to mastering the oft-secretive but always delicious art of ramen-making and opened her own shop within a few years.
An Italian American born and raised in the South, Gavigan is an unlikely otaku. While her knowledge of ramen is rooted in tradition, her methods and philosophies are modern. Though ramen is often shrouded in mystery, Gavigan's 40+ recipes are accessible to the home cook who wants to learn about the cuisine but would sometimes rather make a quick stock in a pressure cooker than labor over a vat of liquid for twenty-four hours.
Ramen Otaku strips the mystique from ramen while embracing its history, magic, and rightful place in the American home kitchen.
Sarah Gavigan is otaku. Loosely translated, she's a ramen geek. During her twenty years working in film production and as a music executive in L.A., Gavigan ate her way through the local ramen spots, but upon moving back to her native Nashville, she found she missed the steaming bowls of ramen she used to devour. So she dedicated herself to mastering the oft-secretive but always delicious art of ramen-making and opened her own shop within a few years.
An Italian American born and raised in the South, Gavigan is an unlikely otaku. While her knowledge of ramen is rooted in tradition, her methods and philosophies are modern. Though ramen is often shrouded in mystery, Gavigan's 40+ recipes are accessible to the home cook who wants to learn about the cuisine but would sometimes rather make a quick stock in a pressure cooker than labor over a vat of liquid for twenty-four hours.
Ramen Otaku strips the mystique from ramen while embracing its history, magic, and rightful place in the American home kitchen.
208 pages, Paperback
Published November 13, 2018
32 people are currently reading
103 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 7, 2019
Awesome book. I love reading new reads on Ramen and Sarah's one is just great. Cool recipes, the interviews are top, strongly recommend to all ramen otakus out there :))
April 18, 2019
An excellent history of ramen and a professional breakdown of the mechanics of umami, the truth behind MSG, and the facts about taste, what makes a difference and what doesn't. Possibly my favorite thing in the book is the disabusement of the idea that there is such a thing as "pure ramen." Ramen reflects where it is made, always, and so clear your mind and slurp your noodles. Only problem with this is that I checked it out from the library, which means I can't cook with it (I usually splatter cookbooks with stuff) so I guess now I will have to buy one.
September 4, 2019
Love...not too strong a word
My daughter first introduced me to real ramen a little over a year ago, and I knew I was smitten. When I saw this book, I had to try it.
Caution: if you are looking for a weeknight meal that you can throw together in an hour, look elsewhere. The easiest way to put this is to say ramen is as time-consuming as Vietnamese pho. But, like pho, the reward is a bowl of delicious and sustaining soup that takes your heart.
Nothing is overly complicated as to process, and most of the ingredients are available in a well stocked grocer, though access to an Asian market is a boon. Every step has clear descriptions and after a few recipes, the reader comes away understanding a little about why ramen is love.
My daughter first introduced me to real ramen a little over a year ago, and I knew I was smitten. When I saw this book, I had to try it.
Caution: if you are looking for a weeknight meal that you can throw together in an hour, look elsewhere. The easiest way to put this is to say ramen is as time-consuming as Vietnamese pho. But, like pho, the reward is a bowl of delicious and sustaining soup that takes your heart.
Nothing is overly complicated as to process, and most of the ingredients are available in a well stocked grocer, though access to an Asian market is a boon. Every step has clear descriptions and after a few recipes, the reader comes away understanding a little about why ramen is love.
May 8, 2020
Ramen has always been in my life: maruchan as a kid, the jazzed up versions in college where I added in actual protein and veg. The height of my achievement was learning to perfectly poach an egg and add that in. This book has helped me reach the next level of evolution in my Ramen journey! It's an excellent breakdown of the construction of a bowl of Ramen, from noodles to tare to broths to toppings. Where to get hard-to-find ingredients, ways to adapt with limited resources, and what is absolutely essential to get the flavors you want. I can now now make a perfectly rolled Chashu pork that is so good, I find myself looking for excuses to add it to other meals! I'm still perfecting my techniques, but I've gotten to a point where I am both proud and excited to serve up my Ramen to friends and loved ones.
Like Sarah says, it takes practice and a lot of experimentation, but if you want to take your Ramen experience to the next level, this book can absolutely get you there.
Like Sarah says, it takes practice and a lot of experimentation, but if you want to take your Ramen experience to the next level, this book can absolutely get you there.
December 4, 2018
Wonderful ramen cookbook with all the detailed instructions I wanted for making all sorts of ramen. Not only breaks down how to cook it but also explains why you do various things to get specific results.
My only regret is that it doesn't include how to make ramen noodles by hand but given that they're apparently made under high pressure I couldn't do that at home anyway.
Excellent cookbook I'm looking forward to using for years to come.
My only regret is that it doesn't include how to make ramen noodles by hand but given that they're apparently made under high pressure I couldn't do that at home anyway.
Excellent cookbook I'm looking forward to using for years to come.
June 4, 2019
The best ramen cookbook I've read so far.
November 28, 2019
Great intro to ramen
Fantastic summary of the ways of ramen. If you are curious of ramen ramen want to make your own, this book will give you the tools to do so.
Fantastic summary of the ways of ramen. If you are curious of ramen ramen want to make your own, this book will give you the tools to do so.
December 21, 2019
Ramen, ramen, ramen
I literally want to eat ramen noodles 🍜all day now after reading this book . Love the break down on the expansion of ramen culture. Highly recommended for
I literally want to eat ramen noodles 🍜all day now after reading this book . Love the break down on the expansion of ramen culture. Highly recommended for
March 18, 2024
Def not for casual cooks, but still delicious and an interesting read. I had no idea so much went into ramen.
September 29, 2020
Ein Kochbuch und eine Anleitung in einem um die perfekte Schüssel Ramen zu zaubern. Sarah Gavigan ist eine ehemalige Musikmanagerin aus Nashville, die uns in die Geheimnisse von Ramen einweiht, Impulse für eine individuelle Ramen-Kreationen gibt und nebenbei erzählt wie sie überhaupt zum Ramen kochen gekommen ist.
I fand es sehr spanned über die Ramen Tradition zu lesen, das immense Wissen das Sarah mit uns teilt zeigt wie tief ihre Leidenschaft ist. Und häufig habe ich mir gewünscht beim lesen eine heiße Schüssel Ramen nebenbei schlürfen zu können. Das Buch führt uns auf den ersten 140 Seiten in die Kunst Brühe zu kochen ein und die vielfältigen Zutaten die in eine Schüssel Ramen gelangen vorzubereiten. Erst auf den letzten Seiten gibt es die fertigen Suppenrezepte.
Sehr interessant.
Dennoch habe ich für mich festgestellt, dass ich wohl nie eine Schüssel Ramen zu Hause kochen werde. Das Buch ist wirklich etwas für Nerds, Köche und Food Addicts. Ich kann für mich die Zeit, die benötigt wird für eine Schüssel nicht argumentieren. Ich habe auch keine Lust meine Brühe 12h zu rühren... Auch mag ich nicht unendliche viele Zutaten im Haus haben wenn ich ab und an mal ein Püppchen essen will. Ich werde mich also darauf konsentieren das beste Ramen Restaurant in Berlin zu finden.
Daher gebe ich dem Buch nur 4 Sternen – es ist nicht für den Alltag geeignet.
Einen Stern Abzug gibt es für die etwas holprige Übersetzung und die vielen Tippfehler.
I fand es sehr spanned über die Ramen Tradition zu lesen, das immense Wissen das Sarah mit uns teilt zeigt wie tief ihre Leidenschaft ist. Und häufig habe ich mir gewünscht beim lesen eine heiße Schüssel Ramen nebenbei schlürfen zu können. Das Buch führt uns auf den ersten 140 Seiten in die Kunst Brühe zu kochen ein und die vielfältigen Zutaten die in eine Schüssel Ramen gelangen vorzubereiten. Erst auf den letzten Seiten gibt es die fertigen Suppenrezepte.
Sehr interessant.
Dennoch habe ich für mich festgestellt, dass ich wohl nie eine Schüssel Ramen zu Hause kochen werde. Das Buch ist wirklich etwas für Nerds, Köche und Food Addicts. Ich kann für mich die Zeit, die benötigt wird für eine Schüssel nicht argumentieren. Ich habe auch keine Lust meine Brühe 12h zu rühren... Auch mag ich nicht unendliche viele Zutaten im Haus haben wenn ich ab und an mal ein Püppchen essen will. Ich werde mich also darauf konsentieren das beste Ramen Restaurant in Berlin zu finden.
Daher gebe ich dem Buch nur 4 Sternen – es ist nicht für den Alltag geeignet.
Einen Stern Abzug gibt es für die etwas holprige Übersetzung und die vielen Tippfehler.
February 22, 2019
Although way more complicated than I would ever be willing to take on, the directions are clear and considering that I could if I truly wanted to try. A great resource for building an appreciation of the effort that goes into a dish.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews