Liz Biro: A ramen restaurant in Indy, finally

Real ramen doesn't come in 10-for-a-dollar cellophane packages at the supermarket.

Real ramen is rich and multi-dimensional. The broth, noodles, seasonings, viscosity and garnishes differ from region to region, even street stand to street stand, in Japan.

Jun and Yoko Kuramoto miss the ramen of their homeland Japan so much that they are developing a ramen-centric restaurant on Indy's Northeastside.

That ramen just happens to be a hot food trend in America is an added bonus.

Ramen Ray will open in July or August in the former INgredients restaurant, 5628 E. 71st St., just west of Binford Boulevard. INgredients was a farm-to-table café/market/catering service that closed at 2014's end after about a year in business.

The Kuramotos will focus on Sapporo-style ramen, one of what Jun Kuramoto called Japan's "three major" regional ramen variations. Each is named for the city or district where it originated.

Sapporo, named for the capital city of Japan's northernmost island Hokkaido, is famous for its rich miso-broth ramen with wavy noodles. The style dates to post-World War II Japan when meat was scarce and people needed hot, substantial meals to cope with the area's bitter cold winters.

The other two ramen styles are Hakata, with pork broth and thin, straight noodles, and Kitakata, with thick, flat curly noodles in pork/sardine broth.

Most ramen spots in Japan use fresh noodles instead of the dried versions Americans are accustomed to seeing in supermarket soup sections, Jun Kuramoto said. The Kuramotos will import fresh noodles from Japan. A bowl of those noodles in miso broth at Ramen Ray will get topped with vegetables such as stir-fried bean sprouts, scallions and napa cabbage as well as roasted pork and soft boiled eggs, both of which will be marinated in soy sauce.

"People here, they don't know the real ramen yet. Once they try it, they will understand, 'Oh, this is the real ramen," Jun Kuramoto said. "Once they try it, I'm sure they will understand why this is better."

The Kuramotos came to the United States in the early 2000s and work brought Jun Kuramoto to Indianapolis. Until about three weeks ago, he was employed in administration of a Japanese firm that manufactures machine components. Kuramoto worked for the company for 23 years. He left to start Ramen Ray.

Yoko Kuramoto's first name means "sun" in Japanese. The "ray" in Ramen Ray is a reference to sun rays. She hails from a family of working cooks and restaurant professionals. Yoko Kuramoto suggested the couple consider a ramen restaurant business. When her husband agreed, the pair headed to Japan for ramen training.

"We always miss this food, because on almost every corner, you can find a ramen restaurant in Japan," Jun Kuramoto said. Despite ramen's growing popularity in America, with shops popping up in New York and Los Angeles since 2013, the trend hasn't hit Indy.

"We can't find it here (in the Midwest)," Jun Kuramoto said. "We kept waiting and waiting, but nothing happened."

Call Liz Biro at (317) 444-6264. Follow her on Twitter @lizbiro, Instagram @lizbirodish and Facebook.