【 J-goods Magazine Ramen Tasting event】Ikkousha Hakata Ramen Torrance store
【PART III 湯頭製作篇】
店長Yasu桑跑去廚房裡拿出他的"秘密武器"出來繼續解說。拿出兩個奇怪的東西...完全看不出來是甚麼。後來發現是個類似像望遠鏡桶一樣的偵測器,往裡面看還有個數字指示標誌。原來一個是空的一個前端裝有他們的豬骨湯,他們用這個偵測器來測湯頭好維持每碗湯頭都是一樣的濃度。
Yasu桑還拿手機出來說偷偷給你們看,我們每天都要把我們煮好的實物照片發到LINE群組寄給大老闆吉村幸助檢查。他光是看照片就可以知道食物有沒有問題,這是他們另一層的品質管理。(日本老闆真的管很細阿....)
Yasu桑繼續解釋說,一般豚骨拉麵會用到豬骨跟蔬菜(紅蘿蔔白蘿蔔之類的)跟魚乾,博多豚骨講究的是純豚骨湯頭,所以他們用豬頭骨、脊椎、大腿骨等等的部位一起熬製。一般豚骨拉麵湯頭濃度是他們說的level 7,不過他們一幸舍拉麵講究的是level 9超濃豚骨湯,所以湯頭製作方式也是非常講究。
說完他就帶我們去參觀廚房。
廚房比我想像中的小很多而且還要塞好幾個大湯鍋,廚房幫手也只有四位而已。地上幾個大鍋子就是他解釋的那幾個部位,皆泡水六小時去血水跟腥味。(實在不敢仔細看或近拍...豬頭骨好可怕ㄚㄚㄚㄚㄚ) 然後第一個大鍋熬湯幾小時後要扛到冰箱冰,有濃縮跟鎖住味道的作用。拿出來後繼續燉煮(第二鍋)。照片廚房另一邊另有兩個小湯鍋是已經煮好的湯頭但是因煮的時間不同濃度也不一樣。他們會用這兩個湯頭混合配出高濃度9(加上有細微泡泡)的湯給客人。當然是用秘密武器來做品質管理。Yasu桑說整個湯頭的製作時間需要至少48小時。
這次真的是好像吃完一頓飯也聽完一堂課一樣。很多資訊是電視上看不到的(尤其是他們工作上的小細節) 真的吃得非常開心也覺得店長招待的非常詳盡貼心,一定要好好把他告訴我的資訊整理出來寫成.....作文。 XDDDDD (其實這就是為啥我很少寫食記,因為我記得的小細節太多還會另外做功課,寫出來真的是非常的長一篇我整個晚上甚麼事都不用做了 x___x)
當然也是真的因為好吃才會發表感想,要我寫違心之論我可寫不出來(所以我才不喜歡拿錢寫業配文,那種明明不好吃還得硬要咬文嚼字贅字一堆帶過難吃事實的食記不是我的風格)
Ikkousha Hakata Ramen Torrance store 博多一幸舍拉麵Torrance分店
PART III - Kitchen Tour - The Making of Hakata Ramen
Manager Yasu san took out his secret weapon - Water Resistant Salinity Refractometer. It is for measuring the broth thickness level to make sure that each bowl of ramen has consistent broth thickness. He showed us two meters... one is with the broth and the other one is without the broth. We looked through it and it got this indicator of numbers about the broth. (which I had no idea what it means).
He explained that Hakata tonkotsu ramen only uses pork while other styles of ramen use veggie and fish in the broth. Hakata ramen has thicker broth taste and that's why the making of the broth is really important. The usual tonkotsu ramen broth thickness is around level 7 and their thickness is 9. (which is really strong and creamy)
He took us for a little kitchen tour. The kitchen is not big... and they had 4 big pots for making the broth. (4 major steps)
They use pork head, pork spine, pork bones and legs to make the broth. They soak different pork cuts in the big pots for 6 hours to reduce the smell and blood. Then they boil them in the big pot for few hours, move it to the fridge to lower the temperature and concentrate the broth a little bit and take it out to keep boiling it. They repeat the step with another pot of broth so they can keep making it. (He didn't give out the detail time and numbers) Then they have another two smaller pots of broth at the other side of the kitchen with two different thickness.They adjust the broth constantly by combining the two (with that "secret weapon") to ensure the broth thickness is always at level 9. He said the whole process of making the broth would take about 48 hours to reach the thickness and richness of the broth.
Yasu also showed us his LINE group. They have to take a photo of each dish and send to Japan to show the founder 吉村幸助 Kousuke Yoshimura what they look like. He said Kousuke Yoshimura san actually knows what's wrong with the food by looking at the photos so he has to do this quality control check everyday for each store. (speaking about micro-management XD)
It was quite an interesting and impressive tour about making Hakata ramen. I was taking notes and that's why I am writing this looooooong review/essay about this place.
I am not saying good things about it because I tried it for free. I only write good things about it only when I like it. (Angie can't lie... so you will know next time if I write very little about a place I try at a tasting event.) Both foodie Sherry and I enjoyed it very much and we felt very welcomed by the manager Yasu san. Must write enough info about what he told me. XD