By Willow (willowashmaple.sbs, formerly of willowashmaple.xyz)
March 12, 2025
In the last 15 years, I have seen many ramen restaurants open in this part of the world. Until then, one had to go to Seattle for a decent bowl of ramen. Then, ramen joints began opening in Portland's neighborhoods following gentrification: Boxer Ramen on Northeast Alberta Street and Noraneko in the Central Eastside Industrial District were among the first. Today, there are homegrown ramen places and outposts of Japan-based chains (such as Afuri and Kizuki).
Once you have real ramen, you'll immediately notice that it is a completely different creature from instant ramen noodles (especially the deep-fried ones found in U.S. supermarkets).
But finding real ramen (fresh or frozen) is still a challenge in most parts of the U.S., and even if you could, it is very pricey.
The other day, I found a trick that solves this problem. And it is cheap.
What distinguishes ramen from all other types of wheat noodles is jian shui 碱水 (kansui), that is, sodium carbonate (Na2CO3). Traditionally, ash containing sodium carbonate (peng hui 蓬灰) is mixed into brine, and that brine is used to form dough.
Sodium carbonate causes chemical reactions in the dough, leading to the distinct texture and color that makes noodles ramen.
You can easily simulate this process by boiling dried spaghetti in water with one tablespoon of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate, NaHCO3) and some salt (sodium chloride, NaCl). In boiling water, sodium bicarbonate splits into sodium carbonate, carbon dioxide, and water.
Pretty soon, it will start smelling like fresh ramen, and the color of the spaghetti will turn yellowish, like the real deal. In my experience, I would recommend boiling the noodles a bit longer than you would typically do (around 15 minutes).
Once it is done, dump the water (as you'll see, the water is now dark yellow), and wash the noodles in cold water. You can use this for any ramen dish, or for yakisoba (which is stir-fried ramen noodles).
The benefits of this lifehack are the cost and accessibility. Even at a tiny general store in a very small rural town, you can find packs of dried spaghetti and a box of baking soda. In a typical supermarket in the Portland area, one pound of spaghetti costs around $1 and $1.25, and a box of baking soda is under a dollar (at WinCo Foods, the spaghetti is 99 cents and the baking soda is 88 cents, as of this writing).
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