Japanese Soy Sauce Ramen, Tokyo Ramen
FOOD NEWS
Baking Soda Is All You Need To Transform Your Spaghetti Into Ramen
By Kalea Martin
Spaghetti and ramen are both technically noodles, but ramen contains kansui, which gets its texture and color from its alkalinity. However, if you ever find yourself in a situation where you need to substitute one for the other, there is a way to turn spaghetti into an almost-perfect ramen substitute, and all you need is baking soda.
Since the difference between spaghetti and ramen lies in the dough, there’s no way to fully transform one into the other once they’re in noodle form. Instead, bake some baking soda at 250 degrees Fahrenheit for an hour (which makes it more alkaline) and then cook it with the spaghetti, giving it a more ramen-like texture and color.
Be sure to cook your ramen-like spaghetti two to three minutes longer than you would otherwise and stick to a ratio of 1 tablespoon of baking soda for every liter of water and serving of spaghetti. If you're planning to put your ramen in a soup that has a ton of spice or a bold flavor, you can safely use up to 1 tablespoon of baking soda without leaving any aftertaste.