Foo-Foo Challenge - Day 5: Mabo Ramen

I've tried Foo-Foo Tei's Mabo Ramen on several occasions in the past and it's always been one of my favorites. It's basically a Mabo Tofu sauce poured on top of your choice of soup base (shoyu, shio, or miso). I typically enjoy it with shoyu, like I did today, but I have yet to try it with miso or shio.


Unfortunately, Murakami-san was unable to join me today as he was busy taking care of the administrative side of his restaraunt. No worries, he was still generous enough to explain his version of Mabo Ramen to me directly over the phone. If you've had this before, you'd realize that this is more than just a simple prepackaged mabo sauce that you can buy from the market. It's definitely closer to being authentic Chinese-style than most others. The main ingredient is Murakami-san's homemade chili sauce that will remain a secret. But other ingredients include ten men jyan, tobanjyan, ground pork, firm tofu, bamboo shoots, onion, shiitake mushrooms, and peanuts. It's taste is remarkable and everything just seems to match, including the noodles. It's not too spicy either, but just right.


I also ordered some Kurobuta (Berkshire) Sausage because I was too full to try it last night when Murakami-san spent a good half hour teaching us the difference between a sausage and a weiner. Apparently, sausage casings are made with pig and wiener casings are made with sheep...interesting! And although this sausage is not homemade, he's done several brand comparisons to choose only the best tasting Japanese sausage.


Murakami-san also revealed last night how he is currently testing his own Berkshire pork recipe in hopes of adding it to the menu soon. From the sound of it, it's a very complicated process that involves a cold smoking technique using tea leaves. Awesome! I can't wait to try it!!

Tomorrow's ramen: Hot & Sour

Foo-Foo Challenge - Day 4: Torikara Ramen

I spent the last night dreaming about the miso ramen from yesterday. And when I woke up, I couldn't stop imagining the tori karaage (fried chicken) soaking in the outstanding miso. I even daydreamed the exact technique I would use to submerge the miso soaked drumstick. Yes, I'm a nerd...hahaha.

Foo-Foo Tei's Torikara Ramen is your choice of soup base (shoyu, shio, or miso) accompanied by 3 fried chicken drumsticks. You already know how I feel about the miso, so let's talk about the chicken. The meat is pushed up the bone and then lightly breaded with a mixture of seasonings that are enhanced by the soup you choose. It's like ramen "shabu shabu" with miso-sogged fried chicken!


My good friend that accompanied me tonight also tried the Torikara Ramen but with the shio base instead. It was his first time at Foo-Foo and after he read my Day 2 post, he had his mind set on the shio. I don't blame him! Now he can go back home to his wife and say that he's tried the best darn shio in the southland!


Here's a close up look at the chicken. So close you can almost taste it. Mmmmm.....


I promised Murakami-san that we would be joining him for some drinks tonight so it was only natural to have the side dishes show up just as he squeezed every bit of the first bottle of shochu into our glasses. The first to arrive was Ika-geso Karaage (Deep-fried Squid Legs) with a side of wasabi mayo. It's like calamari, but the Japanese version. Just ask my friend how good these were. He practically inhaled them all...haha.


The next dish was Chilean Sea Bass, a Murakami-san favorite. Okay, aside from your choice of ramen and the gyoza, you MUST order this on your first visit. And if you can't on your first, then you MUST on your second. Trust me. It's too good to wait any longer than that! Unless of course you're allergic to fish like my friend was. Sorry dude, you missed out! Murakami-san also told me the ingredients, but honestly my memory is starting to fade from the shochu.


My friend cannot do really spicy, so before we ordered one of the kimchee dishes, Murakami-san brought out a sample for him to try. I'm okay with spicy as long as it's not extreme, but unfortunately the kimchee was too spicy for my friend.


It's not a very good picture but I just wanted to highlight how the shichimi is made fresh and not store bought.


Murakami-san disappeared for several minutes and we were wondering where he went when all of a sudden he arrived with a special ad hoc improvised spinach and scrambled egg dish that you won't be able to find on the menu. The sauce was amazing and he created it especially for my friend that can't do spicy. This guy is incredible!


What a night! It's almost like I'm living a dream. I'm so glad that I decided to do this because every night it just gets better and better. Imagine being able to sit down at your favorite restaurant and have the head chef sit across from you and explain in exact detail what you're eating and the passionate history behind it. That's precisely what I've had the privilege to do these past 4 days and how I hope to do for the next 27.

Murakami-san also revealed to us what he plans to do once the Monterey Park lawsuit is settled and he gets back what he is owed. I won't spill the beans, but let's just say I'm excited and can't wait! Let's all hope the madness ends in Murakami-san's favor...SOON!

Tomorrow's ramen: Mabo

Foo-Foo Challenge - Day 3: Miso Ramen

If you've read some of my past posts, you probably know that I'm not a big fan of miso ramen. Mostly due to the fact that nobody in Southern California can seem to replicate the supreme taste of Hokkaido Miso. UNTIL NOW!! I was surprisingly shocked and shockingly surprised by Foo-Foo Tei's Miso Ramen. With a single sip, I felt the cool Hokkaido breeze raise goosebumps down my neck. Seriously folks, this soup is good! The base is made with 12 different ingredients, including 2 types of white (not red) miso. I've been sworn to secrecy on the rest, but in the words of Murakami-san, it contains "nanana and nanana plus nanana with nanana..." One thing that really impresses me about Murakami-san is his constant desire to perfect his soups. He's always searching and experimenting with new quality ingredients without stopping at just being good. He wants it to be great! This Miso Ramen, for example, reached this point a little over a year ago. So if you've tried this in years past, chances are you won't recognize its taste today. Hey Monterey Park, it's too bad you can't steal talent!...HA!


As I was slurping, Murakami-san remembered my recent post of Sumire's Miso Butter Corn Ramen from last month's Hokkaido Fair and proceeded to whisper something to the waitress. When she returned, I couldn't believe my eyes. A spoonful of fresh-looking butter to add to my Miso. Sweet! And as I dipped it in, there was an instant transformation. The mildly spicy soup became buttery smooth and charmingly sweet. Sigh...I'm speechless.


This is not your ordinary supermarket butter. It is butter from France that contains no salt and no additives. You cannot replicate this flavor with American butter and that's precisely the way Murakami-san thinks when it comes to his ingredients. "Only the best!", he says.

I also need to make a clarification at Murakami-san's request of how I've previously stated how he only uses organic ingredients. Obviously, it's difficult and nearly impossible to have an organic version of everything, so he told me that when he has to choose between a less-expensive non-organic ingredient and a more-expensive organic ingredient, he will almost always choose organic without regard for price as long as it improves the flavor of his recipes. Now that's honesty. And the fact that he's perfected these flavors without the use of MSG is masterful in itself!

Tomorrow's ramen: Torikara
And I get to choose the base: Shoyu, Shio, or Miso. So what do you think I should choose?

Foo-Foo Challenge - Day 2: Shio Ramen

Is it really only Day 2? This challenge is beginning to feel very daunting, but I guess it wouldn't be a challenge otherwise. Today, Murakami-san offered to reward me with two more bottles of shochu if I make it through this. Apparently, everyone just wants to see me drunk on Halloween...haha. Bring it on!

The Shio Ramen is remarkably mild and light-tasting with a near-perfect blend of salt. It looks and smells very simple, but don't let that fool you. Like all of Murakami-san's soup bases, it involves an intricate process of flavor extraction and taste infusion. Some other key ingredients are konbu and sake. The chashu was surprisingly more tender than yesterday and almost broke apart when I picked it up with my chopsticks. The bok choy was crisp and the mushroom had a light firmness indicating its freshness. The oval-shaped naruto swirled in the background as the chopped green onions topped it off.


Murakami-san brought out a sample of the main ingredient for me to try. It was indeed the soul of his shio ramen. And although it's exact composition will remain a secret, he did say that it's purer than regular salt. I believe him!


Another dish that Murakami-san brought out "on the house" was his Fried Burdock, otherwise known as gobō. I've never tried burdock in a fried form before so it was an enlightening experience. It tasted much like senbei with a sweet crunch. I like!


Tomorrow's ramen: Miso

Foo-Foo Challenge - Day 1: Shoyu Ramen

And so it begins. The unofficial Foo-Foo challenge: One noodle a day for 31 days straight. Okay, so you think I'm crazy or stupid or a combination of both. Well, I agree...hahaha. After having visited nearly 80% or more of all ramen restaurants located throughout southern California, It's time I try something new to appease my ramen obsession. What could be better than this? It was an idea that sprung from my recent dinner with Murakami-san (the owner) and it could possibly end up being tougher than climbing Mt. Fuji. There are no guarantees that I'll finish, but I would never be satisfied if I didn't give it a try. I will be posting semi-live on nightly basis throughout the month of October so if you happen to run into me, please say hello. And oh yeah, I almost forgot to mention that rameniac will be sponsoring my reward! ^_^


If you've ever been to Foo-Foo Tei, then you've seen the list of 31 types of noodles hanging from left-to-right on the far wall opposite of the entrance. First on this list (far right) is the Shoyu Ramen. A simple looking soup that is Murakami-san's most complicated and most difficult base to create. There's no pork in the soup base, but it begins with a blend of chicken, dried squid, and seaweed as well as several other ingredients. It tastes pretty impressive for a ramen outside of Japan. It's wafu style is light, yet strong enough to leave a nostalgic impression. The tender chashu is flavorful and lined with a layer of nourishing fat. The hanjuku egg is mostly flavorless, but the texture is smooth and fresh. The rest of the organic ingredients (moyashi, menma, naruto, negi) are also very fresh and all together delicious. If you lack a sense of adventure (as you will see in the coming weeks), then you can't go wrong with choosing the shoyu.


Afterwards, I was able to talk with Murakami-san about the different types of Kansui and how it adds "koshi" to any noodle. He insisted that it's very important for the soup to match the type of noodle you create (kansui content, texture, taste, etc.) or otherwise the results could be disastrous. He currently has Myojo produce his own custom brand of noodles, but dreams of someday having his own noodle making room to comply with health regulations. I can't wait!!

Tomorrow's ramen: Shio