Austin's food-focused filmmaker Christian Remde is launching a new series called "A Culinary Equation," and he's starting with this calculation: broth + noodles + toppings / slurp = ramen. Here to explain it all is the team behind Ramen Tatsu-Ya, the North Austin ramen shop that has patrons lining up out the door for bowls of steaming noodle soup.

Chef-owners Tatsu Aikawa and Takuya "Tako" Matsumoto, along with director of operations Shion Aikawa, break down the nuances of their signature dish, from the labor-intensive broth ("a living thing"), to the pork belly ("we want the fat content and the meat content to be balanced") to the noodles and the fine art of slurping to "aerate" for full flavor.

"I just think it's a very simple thing, but really hard to do," says Shion Aikawa. Be warned: watching this video in the middle of the afternoon may be dangerous ... Ramen Tatsu-Ya doesn't open until 5 p.m.

Video: A Culinary Equation, Episode 1: Ramen



· A Culinary Equation, Episode 1: Ramen [Vimeo]

· Christian Remde [Official]

· All Ramen Tatsu-Ya Coverage on Eater Austin [-EATX-]

· All Ramen Coverage on Eater Austin [-EATX-]