Tantanmen Ramen

Tantanmen Ramen

My family and I travelled to Japan for the first time in spring 2024, and one dish I was determined to try while there was Tantanmen Ramen. Japanese cuisine is not known for being spicy, but every Japanese cookbook I had read described this ramen dish as one for the chilli lovers. And as I had never seen this dish on the menu at any of the Japanese restaurants in Zurich, I was eager to try it in Japan itself.

Tantanmen is a comforting noodle soup which is nutty and spicy, with layers of textures from the fresh vegetables, runny soft-boiled eggs, and crunchy meat topping. After my first taste of Tantanmen, I was instantly addicted and knew that I wanted to recreate it the moment I got home.

What is Tantanmen Ramen?

Tantanmen Ramen is a Japanese noodle soup which has a creamy soup base due to the use of sesame paste and soy milk, with a spicy and aromatic topping of minced pork or chicken. It is adapted from a Chinese Sichuan dish called Dan Dan Noodles, which is a dry noodle dish but has a similar fried minced meat topping, and which carries most of the spice and flavours for the dish.

Although Tantanmen is often advertised as “spicy”, I find the spice levels to be somewhat mild in comparison to other Asian noodle soups. Having said that, you can easily customise the level of heat by adding more chilli oil to taste.

Tantanmen Recipe

My recipe for Tantanmen Ramen is a quick and easy one for when you want a noodle soup during the busy week. In fact, I keep most of the ingredients on hand in my pantry and freezer so that I can make Tantanmen whenever the craving calls!

This recipe for Tantanmen is also much quicker than a Shoyu Ramen which relies on a meat broth which has been simmering for several hours. In fact, it’s one of the few soup recipes where I happily use chicken stock cubes, which means I can make this dish at short notice.

Asian recipes rarely use dairy, so the creaminess in the soup base is due to the use of unsweetened soy milk. Unsweetened almond milk also works equally well, if that is more readily available to you.

You can use either minced pork or minced chicken in this recipe, or even crumbled firm tofu for a vegetarian version.

I usually always have some Chinese greens in my fridge, but other vegetables which you could also use include:

• asparagus
• bamboo shoots, sliced
• bean sprouts
• broccoli, cut into florets
• carrots, grated or sliced into thin batons
• corn kernels
• green beans
• mushrooms, thickly sliced
• rocket leaves (arugula)
• spinach

How to Make Tantanmen Ramen

Step 1

Start by making the spicy meat topping. Heat some oil in a medium-sized pan, and cook the meat until it is golden and slightly caramelised. Add the garlic and ginger, and cook for a few seconds until fragrant. Add the remaining ingredients, and simmer gently for about 5 minutes for the flavours to incorporate.

Step 2

Make the soup paste by whisking together all of the ingredients. Divide the mixture between 4 noodle soup bowls.

Step 3

Make the soup broth by mixing together the stock and soy milk in a large pan. Bring to the boil, and then let it simmer gently.

Step 4

Cook the noodles according to the packet instructions. Rinse well under cold water to remove the starch.

Step 5

Bring a pot of water to the boil and cook the vegetables until tender but still crisp. I like to use baby bok choy which you can halve or leave whole. To cook baby bok choy, I like to use a noodle strainer to cook just the stems, and allow the leaves to wilt in the soup broth later. If you have very big bok choy, you can chop the stems and leaves into large pieces.

I like to reheat the noodles by plunging them briefly into the same boiling water used to cook the vegetables. I use a noodle strainer to portion the noodles and to easily remove the noodles from the water.

Step 6

Divide the warm noodles among the soup bowls.

Ladle the hot soup broth over the noodles.

Add the vegetables, soft-boiled eggs, and a generous scoop of spicy meat topping.

Just before eating, use your chopsticks to dissolve the paste into the broth. Enjoy!

Tips For Making Tantanmen Ramen

1. Use fresh noodles. As the noodles are the hero of the dish, I recommend buying fresh or frozen Japanese ramen noodles or Chinese wheat noodles (both are essentially the same) which have the best flavour and texture for this dish. I would only use dried or vacuum-sealed noodles as a last resort.
2. Use your favourite chilli oil. My Homemade Chilli Oil uses Sichuan pepper for that tingling and numbing heat, and which works great in a Tantanmen which is Sichuan-inspired. But any Asian chilli oil will work, and you can adjust the spice levels to your liking.
3. Use Japanese or Chinese sesame paste. You can find sesame paste at most Asian grocers. The paste is often separated from the oil, so you will need to mix or whisk the mixture first until it forms a cohesive paste before using. The closest substitute to sesame paste is tahini, which has a milder flavour. The next best thing is smooth peanut butter, but note that it will have a different flavour to sesame paste (it’s still delicious!).

Make-Ahead Tips for Tantanmen

• Freeze soy milk. I can only buy unsweetened soy milk where I live in large cartons, but any leftover soy milk can be frozen. I like to freeze them in batches of 250 ml (1 cup) in ziplock freezer bags.
• Freeze minced meat. I freeze minced meat in batches of 100 g in ziplock freezer bags or vacuum-sealed bags. This allows for quick and easy thawing.
• Freeze the spicy meat topping. You can cook the spicy meat topping ahead of time and freeze them in batches. Thaw and reheat the cooked meat in a pan with some oil until warmed through.
• Meal-prep in the fridge. Each of the components can be stored separately in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Use whatever leftover vegetables you may have, such as steamed broccoli, carrots, corn, etc.