Amino Acids, Peptides, and Proteins

When winter arrives, all I crave is a bowl of hot ramen from the restaurant near our home in Oakland. Every spoonful is a marvelous combination of savory and salty notes, with a tiny hint of sweetness and a variety of textures from the slices of chashu (braised pork belly) and ramen. This soup owes much of its savory flavor to the presence of amino acids.