This book is absolutely fantastic if you love Ramen. The variety of recipes is pretty big and the recipes are delicious. We have several favorite recipes and some we still want to try. I highly recommend it.

Because of this book, my family is now OBSESSED with Ramen (and yes, pun intended). I've always been a fan, but I've gotten my 2 younger sons and husbands addicted to these recipes. So many yummy varieties that we'll be eating for many years to come!

I love this book. Easy to follow recipes if you like ramen noodles. I loved the soups. I loved the tips. This was a great book to explore. Highly recommended!

This book is full of all things ramen.  Learn about the history of ramen, the types of ramen that are popular in different regions and ramen culture. Then, learn about the six steps that lead to a delicious ramen.  These include soup/broth, tare (for example miso), aromatic oils and fat, noodles, toppings and the bowl.  There are then a number of recipes including Japanese Regional Ramen, Tonkotsue Ramen, Shoyu Ramen and much more.  Ramen lovers will have enough recipes to keep them busy through many meals.  The author grew up loving ramen and became more passionate about it after visiting New York's Momofuku Noodle Bar as a restaurant reviewer. 


In order to make the ramen recipes,  the pantry needs to be stocked with the right ingredients.  I felt that, as a novice, it would take me longer than the suggested time to prepare the recipe.  However, this is a delicious book for those who want to experiment with ramen.


Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.

Very comprehensive how to for all things Ramen. Very detailed. I appreciate the way the book is divided and how the steps are broken down. I have always heard that genuine Japanese ramen is an experience. This guide reflects that and is one in itself. There are also a plethora of recipes. Some ingredients may be difficult for US residents to readily get their hands on. My only complaint is the lack of visuals.

This is a thorough breakdown on various regional ramen recipes throughout Japan but also some internationally. Since ramen is pretty much noodles and broth with some toppings, one would think it would be fairly easy to replicate. But anyone who has lived in or visited Japan knows that ramen is a layered dish, a national obsession, and recipes are guarded zealously. It's all about the seasoning/umami/and layering of the broths. In this book, readers have the tools to make various ramens and are given the knowledge on how to create the ramen taste that they like best. One downside, however, is that there are only a couple of photos, the graphic design is weak and kind of messy, and you won't find inspiration easily. You go into this book with a plan of what you want to accomplish rather than browsing it for something that looks appetizing that day.

The book is divided into three parts. In the first part, the history of ramen and its importance in Japan are discussed. Part two goes into the components that make up a ramen, from broth to noodles to sides. The third part takes up the chunk up the book since it is all the recipes for various types/flavors of ramen.

For the second part of the book that contains the recipes for the essential ingredients (broth/noodles/sides), each 'recipe' is broken down as follows: large all caps title, allergy info, prep time, cook time, and serving size. A short one paragraph description gives further information. Then sections for preparation, stovetop method, pressure cooker method, storage tips, and repurposing tips. All have bold red headings and all steps are numbered and in small sentences rather than annoying large clunky paragraphs.

The recipes for completed bowls of ramen follow a similar format. Large all-caps blue text title. Allergy info. Prep time and cook time. Short one-paragraph intro. Ingredients in italics. Then nicely short steps that are numbered in red. Substitutions are noted in red text at the bottom and in italics. There are maybe 4-5 images total for nearly 50 recipes.

Recipes can be quite interesting: from miso pumpkin ramen with pan fried tofu and bok choy, shoyu tonkotsu with chashu pork, finger, and kikurage mushrooms, to Tokyo-style tsukemen and spinach gomaae. Recipes do not have to be authentic and the authors are careful to note that you should have fun with your recipes and make them to taste rather than authenticity.

Granted, it will be best if you live in an area to have access to food items not usual outside of Japan: daikon radish, kabocha squash, chicken feet and bones, kamboko, mirin, schichimi togarashi, sichuan peppercorns, lemongrass stalk, fried tofu puffs, various Japanese mushrooms, etc. So keep that in mind when attacking the recipes.

In all, it is a nicely thorough examination of ramen with a huge amount of recipes. Enough of an understanding of how ramen is composed is given to ensure that you can also begin to experiment with creating your own unique spins. Be prepared for longer prep times since you are making several broths by scratch that often require a long cooking time. And also be aware that there are no photos for most of the recipes (a frustration since presentation is so important in Japan) so hopefully yours won't look like a bad kitchen experiment gone awry. But otherwise, a solid cookbook on the topic. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

Ramen, a staple favorite when you're young and broke and a culinary accomplishment when you move up to the world of real ramen cooking. Yes, I'm one of the obsessed! I do not think there is anything that can not be made better by adding ramen noodles to it! The ability to take this pantry staple from very low tech to an absolutely wonderful main dish is a skill that takes very little development, yet reaps so many rewards. I have now gifted this book to my six nieces and nephews that are heading to college....along with a case of ramen, of course!

Ramen Obsession is a cookbook tutorial honoring one of the world's most loved dishes, ramen. Released 15th Oct 2019 by Callisto on their Rockridge imprint, it's 337 pages and available in paperback and ebook formats.

This is an attractively formatted and accessible book. The introduction includes a comprehensive history of the dish, some definitions of what ramen actually is (hint: it's *not* the plastic wrapped cheap student food everyone is familiar with), the parts of a ramen dish, and worldwide variations on the ramen theme.

The second part of the book is an in depth discussion of the 6 parts of a ramen bowl: the broth, the 'tare', aromatic oils, noodles, toppings, and finally assembling the bowl. Each of the components gets a thorough treatment in clear and understandable text. This section also covers the tools and supplies needed to recreate the recipes in the books.

The third part of the book covers specific recipes including regional variations and base variations on the ramen theme: Japanese, tonkotsu, shoyu, shio, miso, and recipes which fall outside of the previous categories. There are dozens and dozens of recipes. I didn't get even a rough count, but this is a substantial book full of recipes and variations.

The final section of the book includes recipes for side dishes and enhancements like pickles, salads, dumplings, tempura, and others.

There is also a comprehensive glossary and a reference/resource guide as well as a metric/US standard conversion table.

The recipes themselves are easy to read and understand. They include allergen and dietary information in a header bar along with prep/cooking time, yields and a description. Ingredients are listed bullet point in a sidebar. Measurements are given in US standard measures. Preparation instructions are enumerated step by step. Substitutions and alternative preparation or serving information are given in a footer bar at the end of the recipe.

It should be noted that these are traditional recipes using traditional ingredients. For most readers in the USA, some ingredients will be difficult to source without access to a well stocked Asian grocery or international food store (or by mail order). The only other drawback I found with the book is that there are very few cooking or serving photos included. The recipes are well written and complete, but visual readers should be forewarned that there are few pictures. The photos which are included are well done and illustrative however.

It's unclear from the publishing info available online, but the eARC I received has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references. I hope the ebook release version does also. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. Presumably that feature will carry through to the final release version.

This is probably the only ramen cookbook most of us will ever need. These are tasty and appealing. The lack of photography subtracts a bit (but not much) from the overall experience for me personally. (I like pictures, but realize and accept that they raise the production costs a lot on a book project). For hands-on learners, the lack of photography will not be any detriment and would raise the book's rating.

Four stars.

Ramen isn't an easy process. I just wished there were more pics. There were also only a select few ramens that I could actually make, but I'm looking forward to it!

I received this book at my request and have voluntarily left this unbiased review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.