Tonkotsu Ramen has consistently been one of the most well-known and adored varieties of ramen among all the mouthwatering ramen flavors available.
Tonkotsu Ramen, which has its roots in Japan, gets its mouthwatering scent from cooked pig bones that are later turned into a creamy soup.
This extremely appealing fish is frequently topped with pork belly, an egg, seaweed, and green onions.
You may be curious about this lunch, which is appropriate for any occasion:
How nutritious is tonkotsu ramen? Is Tonkotsu ramen healthy?
Tonkotsu ramen is a moderately high-calorie meal that is heavy in carbohydrates from the noodles and high in fat from the creamy broth, making it a poor choice for weight loss. You cannot eat this ramen while on a diet even though it is not regarded as a healthy cuisine!
This article will go into great detail on the nutritional facts of tonkotsu ramen as well as how you may incorporate this dish into your diet!
Tonkotsu ramen vs Miso ramen: Which one’s better and why
We discussed and compared the two varieties of ramen in a previous post, which was titled Shoyu and Shio Ramen. We came to the realization that, despite our appreciation for both flavors, we must also discuss Tonkotsu ramen and Miso ramen before concluding the comparison.
It’s likely that if you visit a ramen restaurant, the menu will have some variation of tonkotsu or miso ramen.
This is due to the fact that both are extremely prolific and vital to the global spread of ramen.
In order to complete the cycle, we’ve chosen to contrast tonkotsu with miso and choose which one we’d like to consume daily.
Tonkotsu Ramen
Because it is a sort of broth and not a taste, tonkotsu is a special form of ramen. Tonkotsu, which translates to “pig bone,” refers to the broth created by simmering pork bones with certain herbs for a long period to produce a creamy, milky white soup.
When you’re desiring a bigger supper, this makes for a really full, extremely nutritious lunch.
Tonkotsu ramen requires the most preparation time among all the ramen variations if you decide to prepare it from scratch.
But it’s also practical since you can prepare a big batch at once and reheat it anytime you’re in the mood for some ramen.
Defining Ingredients
The following are the key components of the Tonkotsu Ramen recipe:
- Ramen noodles, either fresh or dried (immi ramen is an ideal low-carb alternative)
- Tonkotsu bouillon
- Shoyu or Miso tare
You might be wondering why Miso or Shoyu are used in the tare at this point. The problem is that tonkotsu broth doesn’t have a taste that is potent enough on its own; tare is still required to complete the flavor combination.
Sea salt can also be used, and it should be added straight to the soup. That will be more comparable to the standard Kurume Tonkotsu.
Nutrition
The following details the health benefits of a typical bowl of Tonkotsu ramen:
- 656 calories altogether
- 32 grams of fat
- 62 grams of carbohydrates
- 49 grams of protein
NOTE: The nutritional information provided here is for simple tonkotsu ramen with chashu pork and scallions as garnish.
You don’t need the fattier pieces of beef to make the meal more satisfying because the broth is thicker. You might attempt to produce chashu instead with thinner slices and yet have the same deep, velvety flavor.
Check out our immi Black Garlic Chicken flavor if you’re seeking for a more wholesome substitute for tonkotsu because it has a richer, creamier, and thicker broth.
What Makes it Great
Tonkotsu ramen occupies a particular place in our hearts because of how full it used to make us and how frequently we’ve eaten it over the years, despite how different it is from the other three main varieties of ramen.
When you take a bite of a noodle or slurp the thick liquid, it feels like a true soup and has a delightful richness that covers the palate.
A dish that is excellent for the everyday bowl and even special events may be created by adding some meaty toppings.
Miso Ramen
Finally, we have Miso ramen, which may have the most adaptable broth foundation of all the flavors.
Despite the dish’s many local and global variants, miso is still used to flavor the original recipe. This paste has a salty, almost meaty taste and is derived from fermented soybeans.
The easiest way to obtain miso is at your neighborhood supermarket or Asian grocery store. You may also manufacture your own at home.
The texture of miso ramen is thick and smooth, and it contains the familiar acidic saltiness of fermented soybeans. Miso thickens the soup a little bit because it is a paste, making it a little bit more filling than, say, the thinner Shio ramen broth.
Defining Ingredients
The following are the key components of the Miso Ramen recipe:
- Chuka soba noodles or wheat noodles (Our low-carb immi ramen is a healthier alternative)
- Shiitake or Nameko mushrooms
- Shinsu or Shiro (lighter, sweeter miso) (yellow, saltier miso)
The aforementioned shiro and shinsu miso pastes, as well as aka (red, powerful miso), and hatcho, are just a few of the miso paste variations used by contemporary chefs (dark, stronger miso). We wholeheartedly suggest giving each one a try because they all produce fantastic-tasting broths.
Nutrition
The following health facts apply to a bowl of Shoyu ramen:
- 596 calories overall
- (16 grams) fat
- 69 grams of carbohydrates
- 53 grams of protein
The chashu pork, the chilli oil, and the ramen noodles itself make up the majority of the calories in this meal. Surprisingly low in calories and nutritious too, miso paste. Also, since it has a rather powerful flavor, you don’t need much of it.
What Makes it Great
Because of its meaty, salty flavor and kotteri (thick-style) broth, miso ramen is one of the best Asian comfort dishes. Even though it was produced in a cooler part of Japan, we may still eat it whenever we want!
Miso broth seems more like a soup than the thinner assari (thin-style) broth of Shio or Shoyu ramen. It also prevents the noodle from becoming mushy as fast as thinner broths do and allows the noodle to maintain its chewy quality for longer. Miso also makes a fantastic taste basis overall and comes in a variety of flavors.
The (noodle) toppings are the cherry on top! As a topping, we advise using thinly sliced veggies. They will better absorb the salty flavor and feel more at home in the soup.
There are many options available when it comes to meat toppings. In addition to the standard chashu pig, you may also have kakuni, which is steamed chicken or pork belly that has been cooked using the traditional red cooking method.
Overall, Miso ramen is a dish that will always warm you up (and fill you up!)
Tips to eat Tokotsu ramen to fit your diet
Here are 3 tips you can take away from this article:
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Make Sure to Focus on Portion Size
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Eat Lower Calories Meal Throughout the Day
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Understanding How Many Calories You Need to Eat
Tip 1: Portion Size
If you have a severe need for Tonkotsu Ramen, the most crucial thing to remember is to watch your intake of it.
Due to the high calorie and low nutritional value of Tonkotsu Ramen, this is something that may happen quite quickly.
Let’s take a closer look at the nutrient data for one Tonkotsu Ramen meal to see if the claims made in this statement are supported by the data.
Tonkotsu ramen typically has 41 grams of protein, 91 grams of carbs, and 44 grams of fat per bowl.
Tonkotsu ramen might seem like a very challenging meal to put into your diet with just about 1000 calories in one serving!
If you believe that eating this bowl of ramen is not a good idea if you are trying to lose weight, I would surely be on your side.
But, as a proponent of flexible dieting, I must point you that banning particular items from your diet has repeatedly been demonstrated to result in several diet failures and ultimate weight gain of all lost weight or even more!
Why do food restrictions typically have such disappointing outcomes?
You are using your willpower to keep yourself from eating if you are experiencing a craving but not giving in to it.
You will ultimately give in to your desires and maybe binge on all the things you prohibited yourself from eating as they continue to fester as you try to restrain yourself from eating something.
This is why it’s crucial to pay attention to your urges and figure out what your body and mind need.
This does not imply that you should simply consume anything you choose at any time! Do not forget that eating until you are full will not help you lose weight if that is your primary objective.
Satisfy your craving, but in moderation.
Let’s apply this idea to our examination of tonkotsu ramen. This meal includes a lot of calories and may be challenging to incorporate into a diet because it contains probably more than half the daily caloric allowance for someone on a diet.
Try halving the dish instead, though, if Tonkotsu ramen is all you can think about.
With 22 grams of fat, 45 grams of carbs, and 20 grams of protein, your dish now contains 500 calories.
Compared to previously, this is not that horrible! Nonetheless, fitting a 500 calorie lunch into your day vs the prior 1000 calories sounds much more doable. It is still considerably heavier in fat and carbs and lower in protein.
If sharing is a typical practice when dining out with friends or family, this is the ideal scenario for you to indulge your hunger while still adhering to your diet.
Consider placing a higher protein dish order, such as grilled fish or a hearty low-calorie salad.
You are welcome to get a small bowl of the tonkotsu ramen as a treat.
Currently, you have only consumed around 14 of the bowl, or 250 calories.
Reviewing these three situations will make these decisions simpler.
SCENARIO 1: YOU EAT THE WHOLE BOWL OF TONKOTSU RAMEN
You may overeat and reach a calorie excess since you are now down to the last few calories of the day and experience intense hunger during the day or at night.
SCENARIO 2: YOU EAT HALF A BOWL OF TONKOTSU RAMEN
If you can’t finish a half-bowl of tonkotsu ramen in one sitting, you could eat other items on the table and consume the same number of calories as if you ate the entire bowl.
SCENARIO 3: YOU EAT TONKOTSU RAMEN AS A SIDE DISH
You may fulfill your appetite and yet feel satisfied after a meal if you eat Tonkotsu Ramen on the side and another high-calorie, voluminous dish as your main entrée.
You may technically integrate any of these situations into your diet, but you should pick the one that suits you the most.
Most individuals would come under Scenario 3, however if you feel like you can finish the bowl in one sitting or that you just require one large lunch each day, Scenario 1 and 2 work just well.
This is the beauty of flexible dieting, which teaches you to categorize things as simply “higher in calories” and “lower in calories” rather than “good” or “bad.”
Tip 2: Eat Lower Calories Meal Throughout the Day
Planning ahead is essential for achieving weight loss success if you know that one of your daily meals will be consumed at a restaurant.
You should modify your other meals throughout the day in light of the fact that tonkotsu ramen has a high calorie content.
Eating a lighter breakfast that provides you just enough energy for the day but isn’t overly substantial is a wonderful illustration of preparing ahead.
On sometimes, skipping breakfast entirely might be a
Have a lighter lunch, such as a big salad and some chicken breast, if you are heading to supper.
You have greater leeway to dine out at night and yet stay within a calorie deficit as a result.
This is similar to our spending account, in my opinion. Consider having $100 available to spend throughout the day on anything you like.
You really want to buy a $60 pricey game, so you put the money aside and spend the other $40 on less expensive stuff.
The thing you really want to buy is the tonkotsu ramen, and the other cheaper products are the little meals you eat throughout the day.
It’s critical to stay within the $100 budget to avoid debt or, in this case, an excess of calories.
Tips 3: Understanding How Many Calories You Need to Eat
It is crucial to have a grasp of your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) when it comes to comprehending calories.
In essence, this is the sum of the daily caloric expenditure from movement and activity, resting metabolic rate, and caloric expenditure from meal digestion.
You only need to eat less calories each day than you burn off in order to lose weight!
But, you might be wondering how to calculate your TDEE. Indeed, it’s quite easy.
Find an online calculator that will automatically compute an approximation of your TDEE using your weight, height, and gender.
It is up to you to make the necessary modifications after applying the estimate because everyone’s TDEE differs.
After consuming about 300–500 calories (the healthy suggestion range) less per day than your TDEE for a week or two, if you still don’t feel like you’re losing weight, reduce your calorie intake by 100 calories at a time.
Also, you don’t want to limit calories too quickly because this will only have short-term effects and give most people uncontrollable hunger desires.
Conclusion
All in all, numerous studies have indicated that tonkotsu ramen can be eaten in moderation. Despite its high sodium content, if cooked at home with a variety of healthy ingredients, tonkotsu ramen can be a tasty and nutritious meal. At the end of the day, it’s important to practice balance and moderation when consuming this popular food item. Furthermore, keep in mind the importance of maintaining a healthy diet while considering dietary standards as intended by experts and health professionals. Lastly, if you ever have any questions or concerns regarding nutrition or overall wellness and health, don’t hesitate to contact us with your inquiries!