Full Interview

Mihoko Obunai combines the Japanese flavors she grew up with—including Kikkoman Soy Sauce—and the French techniques she developed as a chef to create award-winning ramen and more.

Ramen is one of those comforting, delicious signature dishes that chefs and customers alike have become obsessed with. Mihoko Obunai is one of those chefs; in fact, her Ramen Freak/Mibo Ramen pop-ups have attracted a cult following wherever she takes them. And her skill with this iconic Japanese specialty won her the first annual Ramen Battle, cosponsored by Kikkoman, which pitted her against four ramen masters (Harold Jurado, formerly of Yusho in Chicago; Jamison Blankenship, from Bar Chuko in Brooklyn; Youji Iwakura, of Boston’s Snappy Ramen; and Richie Nakano, formerly of Hapa Ramen in San Francisco) at the StarChefs International Chefs Congress in New York City this past October.

“I’m addicted to ramen, but I do like to put my own spin on it,” says the Japanese-born chef, who came to the United States at the age of 16 to attend college at NYU. There and during a stint in the Peace Corps in Peru, she discovered her true passion for cooking, then proceeded to work her way through a number of French kitchens in New York City after graduating from the French Culinary Institute (now the International Culinary Center).

Obunai has used and loved Kikkoman products all her life, since she first learned to cook while helping her mother prepare 10-course meals for her family in Japan.

Her winning recipe for Gyojkai Yuzu Shoyu Ramen, from the StarChefs ICC Ramen Battle, relies on Kikkoman Soy Sauce to bring depth, flavor and the all-important quality of umami. It also reflects her cross-cultural background, layering Japanese flavors and ingredients with rigorous French technique to create a complex yet pure-tasting dish that’s the kind of thing any noodle lover could obsess over. But ramen need not be overly complicated, as Obunai’s recipe for this simple Miso Corn Butter Ramen shows.

In fact, Kikkoman Soy Sauce is a key ingredient in every step of the ramen-making process, from the rich shoyu (soy) broth to the slow-braised pork belly to the steeped six-minute egg that tops the noodles. Kikkoman Soy Sauce also marries well with the other iconic Japanese umami-bomb ingredients in her recipe, including sake, bonito flakes, dried squid, dashi and seaweed, which won over the Ramen Battle event’s prestigious judges.

“People think that soy sauce is [too] salty,” the chef explains, “but it’s not if you know how to use it properly. In fact, it’s essential to the flavor of Japanese food.”

In addition to taking her ramen pop-ups around the country, Obunai developed the menu and is cooking at the new Huge Café in Atlanta, where Kikkoman Rice Vinegar flavors the pickles she makes and Kikkoman’s Wasabi Sauce anchors her wasabi cream cheese, which is served with house-cured salmon on a bagel.

That’s what Obunai means when she talks about her cooking style: simple, flavorful and a true reflection of who she is as a chef.