Strange — though some tasty — renditions of ramen have been popping up in Singapore of late. But for Yuki Onishi, staying true to classics have never been more important.
The chef-owner of the popular one Michelin-starred Tsuta in Tokyo, Japan, is known to draw crowds for his shoyu-based ramen. At his Singapore offshoot, brought in through a partnership with Hersing Corporation, the group behind Tim Ho Wan and Hawker Chan, the truffle-accented noodles have proven equally popular.
Now, the Japanese chef is set to unveil his latest creation — a duck ramen in both dry and soup versions, to celebrate Tsuta Singapore's first anniversary.
This is no fancy riff on local duck noodles from hawker stalls. To be sure, the MICHELIN Guide Singapore digital team even dabao-ed (local slang for take-away) duck noodles from the popular Yu Kee (友记卤鸭之家) to give the Japanese chef a taste of our local noodles for comparison. His take: “This is really delicious."
This is no fancy riff on local duck noodles from hawker stalls. To be sure, the MICHELIN Guide Singapore digital team even dabao-ed (local slang for take-away) duck noodles from the popular Yu Kee (友记卤鸭之家) to give the Japanese chef a taste of our local noodles for comparison. His take: “This is really delicious."
Chef Yuki gamely tries a take-away bowl of duck noodles from local stall Yu Kee (友记卤鸭之家).
He continues: “This has a complicated flavour as compared to Tsuta. The soup here has a light taste, whereas Tsuta aims for a creamy taste.”
For starters, only a special type of light shoyu is used for the dry version of the duck ramen. “In order to make the (duck and noodles) really stand out in the dry ramen, the shoyu has to be light. With light shoyu, it allows the lard and the duck to stand out without overpowering the flavours,” says chef Yuki.
To balance out the creaminess of the duck ramen soup, chef adds chopped onions, baby leaves and a generous topping of chopped cashew nuts and black pepper.
Here’s a closer look behind the scenes at the making of Tsuta’s duck ramen, specially created for Singapore.
For starters, only a special type of light shoyu is used for the dry version of the duck ramen. “In order to make the (duck and noodles) really stand out in the dry ramen, the shoyu has to be light. With light shoyu, it allows the lard and the duck to stand out without overpowering the flavours,” says chef Yuki.
To balance out the creaminess of the duck ramen soup, chef adds chopped onions, baby leaves and a generous topping of chopped cashew nuts and black pepper.
Here’s a closer look behind the scenes at the making of Tsuta’s duck ramen, specially created for Singapore.
For more information on Tsuta and to book your free bowl of duck ramen, visit here: http://cho.pe/chopextsutasg
