Chiefly illustrations.

Includes index.

Ramen -- A brief history of ramen -- How to enjoy ramen -- Navigating a japanese ramen-ya with brian macduckston of ramen adventures -- Pantry -- Equipment -- The master ramen bowl -- Some of our favorite bowls -- Get ready to rumble -- Stocks & broths -- A word about stocks, tares, and broths -- Ivan orkin on the beauty of finesse and the strength of nostalgia -- Chicken stock (and fat) -- Pork stock (and fat) -- A word about dashi -- Dashi -- Shio broth -- Shio tare -- Shoyu broth -- Shoyu tare -- Miso broth -- Miso tare -- A word about paitan broths -- Tonkotsu broth (pork bone broth) -- Torikotsu broth (chicken bone broth) -- A word about homemade instant ramen cubes -- Homemade instant ramen cubes -- Fast weeknight ramen broth -- Yasai broth -- A word about gyokai broth -- Gyokai broth (seafood broth) -- Noodles -- A noodle primer with kenshiro uki of sun noodles -- A word about ramen noodles -- Handmade ramen noodles -- Baked baking soda (kansui) -- Meats -- A word about chashu -- Chashu -- Shredded pork -- Pulled chicken -- Yakitori (marinated and grilled chicken) -- Japanese meatballs (niku dango & tsukune) -- Accompaniments -- A word about ajitsuke tamago -- Ajitsuke tamago (seasoned soft-boiled egg) -- A word about onsen eggs -- Onsen eggs (slow-cooked soft-boiled egg) -- A word about menma -- Menma -- A word about wok-fried vegetables -- Quick crunchy saute -- Saute and steam -- Greens saute -- Crispy chicken skins -- Pickled shiitake mushrooms -- Gari (pickled ginger) -- Charred shallot & scallion -- A word about seasoned oils -- Aromatic garlic and shallot oil -- Rayu (japanese chili oil) -- Mayu (black garlic oil) -- Offshoots & riffs -- A word about tsukemen -- Tsukemen (dipped noodles) -- Fortified dashi -- Goma miso sauce (sesame miso sauce) -- Chashu liquid for tsukemen -- Spicy tsukemen broth -- A word about abura soba -- Abura soba (oil noodles) -- A word about mazemen -- Mazemen (mixed noodles) -- Creamy mushroom mazemen -- Hot and cold summer tomato mazemen -- A word about tantanmen -- Tantanmen (spicy ground pork ramen) -- Pork for tantanmen -- Yakisoba (wok-fried ramen) -- Curry ramen -- Kimchi-braised chicken ramen -- Shrimp and roasted tomato ramen -- Adobo chicken ramen -- A word about pressure cookers -- Pressure cooker tonkotsu broth -- Pressure cooker Ajitsuke Tamago -- Mike Satinover on simplifying ramen in the home kitchen.