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Eating Ramen at Moto-i

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One of the best parts of eating at a Japanese restaurant is getting the opportunity to try Japanese cuisine in an authentic style. For many people in Minneapolis, this often means involves tasting ramen noodles for the first time. Sure, most of us have had that store-bought ramen that you heat up in the microwave, but at Moto-i, we believe you should get the chance to try these noodles in their authentic form.

In today’s post, we will discuss what to expect when ordering ramen from Moto-i. If you are in Minneapolis and you would like to try ramen noodles, then remember to visit our Japanese restaurant!

Brief History of Ramen

Ramen, which roughly translates to “pulled noodles” in Japanese, is a Japanese adaptation of a Chinese-style wheat noodle dish. Historians are unsure of when exactly ramen became part of Japanese cuisine. Some argue that it came over from China as early as the 1600s, while others believe it traveled to closer to the 1860s.

When Japan experienced poor rice harvests in the years following World War II, ramen shops began to gain national popularity. That popularity extended to the rest of the world after the invention of instant ramen (that stuff you find in the store) in the late 1950s. Now, ramen is a staple of Japanese cuisine, and ramen shops can be found all over Japan. While you can’t find as much authentic ramen in Minneapolis as you can find in Tokyo, options are still available.

Pork Ramen from Moto-i

At Moto-i, we love ramen. Traditional ramen is served with a meat-based broth, most commonly made from pork. For that reason, we have many pork ramen dishes available on our menu.

One pork ramen dish you can order from Moto-i is our Classic Ramen. These noodles are served in a shoyu broth (soy sauce flavored) and topped with smoked pork shoulder, pork belly, and scallions. This dish also features chili oil and a poached egg to round out its delicious flavor profile.

Two other pork ramen dishes on our menu are Miso Shoyu Ramen and Pork Abura Ramen. Miso Shoyu Ramen is similar to our Classic Ramen, but it has a fish cake as an additional topping and features soybean flavoring in the broth. Pork Abura Ramen is an excellent choice for a brothless ramen, and it is served with bonito to give it an authentic flavor.

Vegan and Vegetarian Options

Our menu also features some ramen options designed for vegans and vegetarians too. For those wishing to try a brothless ramen, Maitake Abura Ramen is a great dish to order. Maitake Abura Ramen showcases the tasty flavor of maitake mushrooms and can be made to meet vegan or vegetarian dietary options.

Our Mushroom Ramen is a similar dish, but it is designed for those that wish to try a more traditional style of ramen. This dish features enoki mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, tofu, and a mushroom-based broth. Like the Maitake Abura Ramen, it can be made to meet vegan and vegetarian diets upon request.

Try Moto-i

Even if none of these dishes suit your palate, Moto-i has options for you. We have ramen featuring duck, as well as a dish featuring beef. If ramen is not your style, then our Japanese restaurant still has you covered with salads, other noodle-based dishes, and other staples of Asian cuisine. Next time you are in Minneapolis, remember to try Moto-i.