Meet The Manufacturer: #1380: Takamori Chanpon

I thought today I’d diverge from the yakisoba for something with a broth. Chanpon is great stuff in my experience so far. Pork and seafood – can’t beat that! Here’s what wikipedia has to say about chanpon –

Champon (ちゃんぽん Chanpon?), also known as Chanpon, is a noodle dish that is a regional cuisine of Nagasaki, Japan. Due to the inspiration from Chinese cuisine, it is also a form of Japanese Chinese cuisine. Champon is made by frying pork, seafood and vegetables with lard; a soup made with chicken and pig bones is added. Ramen noodles made especially for champon are added and then boiled. Unlike other ramen dishes, only one pan is needed as the noodles are boiled in the soup. Depending on the season and the situation, the ingredients differ. Hence the taste and style may depend on the location and time of year.
History

Champon was first served by Shikairō (四海楼?), a Chinese restaurant in Nagasaki. According to the restaurant, it was based on a dish in Fujian cuisine, tonniishiimen (湯肉絲麵?)[1] In the middle of Meiji period, the owner saw a need for a cheap, but filling, meal that suited the palates of hundreds of Chinese students who came to Japan for schooling opportunities. Nowadays, champon is a popular specialty food (or meibutsu) of Nagasaki.

The word champon may also be used for many kinds of random acts where things are mixed. It can also be used to describe the practice of mixing different types of alcohol on a single occasion.

So, it’s kind of a mixed bag. Variety is the spice of life, so they say and I think that might be why I enjoy this dish. Let’s have a look at the Takamori take on this one!

Here’s the back of the package (click image to enlarge). Not sure but I am guessing there is fish in the base. To prepare, add a little oil to a pan. Fry up the seafood, pork and veggies for a minute or so and then add 300ml water and the contents of the seasoning sachet. Cook for a minute, then add the noodle pouch content and cook for another 3 minutes. Enjoy!

One of the three noodle pouches.

The soup base sachet.

The powder base.

Finished (click image to enlarge). Added squid, shrimp, kamaboko, thin sliced pork, green onion and sweet onion. The noodles have a great gauge and chew. The broth had a nice flavor to it – kind of a buttery seafood taste. 3.75 out of 5.0 stars. UPC bar code 4901959041129.

A short film by a tourist to Kumamoto Castle. I really didn’t know there were lots of castles in Japan – would be great to see someday!