Ramen and pho are widely popular noodle dishes. They can both claim to be the best dish on a frigid winter night, but only one can stand on top of all noodles. Which one wins? Let’s break it down:
Ramen: Ramen is a Japanese dish that usually consists of Chinese-style wheat noodles in a meat or fish-based broth, flavored with soy sauce or miso and uses toppings such as sliced pork (chasu), dried seaweed (nori), kikurage mushrooms, kelp, boiled egg, spinach, green onions, garlic chives, sesame seeds, menma bamboo shoots.
Pho: Pho is a Vietnamese dish that usually consists of rice noodles in a beef or chicken-based broth flavored with lime juice or vinegar and uses toppings such as sliced beef (phở bò), fresh cilantro leaves, thinly sliced white onions, bean sprouts, thinly sliced chili peppers.
The primary difference between Ramen and Pho is that the former is made with wheat noodles and the later is made with rice noodles. The added ingredients also vary, with Pho usually comprising off chicken (Pho Ga) or Beef (Pho Bo) leafy greens, lime, and herbs. Where as as Ramen offers meat or fish, eggs, chives etc
Watch this video for a good break down of the 2 fantastic asian dishes.
What are the differences between them?
The main difference between ramen and pho is that with ramen, toppings like kikurage mushrooms, kelp, boiled egg, spinach, green onions, garlic chives, sesame seeds and menma bamboo shoots are added. They all add a different flavor to the dish.
Whereas with pho, cilantro leaves and thinly sliced white onion and squeeze of lime are usually added to the dish. There may also be bean sprouts and thinly sliced chili peppers on the dish for an extra zing.
It’s hard to decide which one is better because they’re both uniquely different dishes. One may win in certain areas more than others but it really depends on what you prefer in your noodles.
Which one wins?
I hate to be on the fence here, but it really does depend.
Ramen wins the battle of the noodles in mu opinion. A dish like ramen is perfect because it has a rich, savory flavor that will warm you up on a cold day.
It also contains a lot of protein which is important for someone who doesn’t eat meat very often. Furthermore, pho noodles are made out of rice while ramen noodles are made out of wheat.
This means that ramen noodles are cheaper than pho noodles and easier to find in stores or at home since many people already have wheat flour type noodles in their pantry.
I wouldnt pass up a bowl of either personally. Give them both a try and enjoy.