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Tantanmen ramen served with sesame paste broth and minced meat
Spicy sesame and chilli noodle soup with ground pork

Creamy tantanmen ramen

Author: Flavelo
Recipes Main Courses Soups
Tantanmen is one of the most exciting representatives of Japanese ramen, which is actually a Chinese immigrant: the Japanese cousin of Sichuan 'Dan Dan' noodles. While the original version is a drier, extremely hot dish, in Japan – adapted to local tastes – they transformed it into a creamy, rich soup. The secret lies in the meeting of sesame paste and chilli bean paste, which forms a thick, nutty-spicy emulsion, perfectly coating the springy noodle strands.
🕒 Prep Time 20 mins
🍳 Cook Time 15 mins
⌛ Total Time 35 mins
🍽️ Servings 2 servings
🔥 Calories 780 kcal
🌍 Cuisine Japanese

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

  • Large soup pot (for cooking noodles)
  • Medium saucepan (for the stock)
  • Frying pan (for frying the meat)
  • Whisk (for mixing pastes smooth)
  • Chef's knife and chopping board
  • Colander

Allergen Information

⚠️ Cereals containing gluten
⚠️ Soya
⚠️ Sesame

Instructions

1 ✓

Prepare the vegetables: chop the garlic and ginger very finely, slice the spring onion thinly. Wash the pak choi and cut in half lengthways.

2 ✓

Heat a little oil in a frying pan, and fry the minced pork for 5-6 minutes until its juices evaporate and the meat browns nicely, getting a darker colour. Then add the minced garlic, ginger, half the soy sauce (approx. 15 ml) and a teaspoon of gochujang. Fry together for another 2 minutes, then set aside.

Tip: Let the meat brown properly, don't just steam it! The brown sear gives the meat its deep flavour. (Maillard reaction).
3 ✓

Prepare the soup base: bring the chicken stock to the boil in a saucepan. In a small bowl, mix the sesame paste, the remaining gochujang, and the remaining soy sauce until smooth with a ladleful of hot stock, then pour back into the saucepan. Boil together until the soup becomes slightly creamier.

Tip: Mixing separately helps the fatty sesame paste distribute evenly in the watery stock. (Emulsion).
4 ✓

Drop the halved pak choi into the soup, and cook for 2-3 minutes, just until the stem is tender-crisp and the leaf wilts.

5 ✓

Cook the ramen noodles in plenty of boiling water for the time indicated on the packaging (usually 2-3 minutes). Drain, shake the water off thoroughly, and toss with the sesame oil so they don't stick together.

Tip: Do not overcook the noodles, they should have a 'bite', because they will soften further in the hot soup.
6 ✓

Serving: Portion the noodles into deep bowls. Ladle over the hot, creamy soup. Mound the fried spicy meat on top, place the pak choi next to it, and sprinkle generously with fresh spring onion.

7 ✓

Garnish with the halved or sliced nori sheet. Consume immediately whilst steaming!

Recipe FAQ

What should I do if the soup remained lumpy?
It's worth mixing the sesame paste with a ladleful of hot stock separately in a small bowl first, and only then pouring it into the large batch of soup, so it becomes nice and silky.
The result was too thick, what did I do wrong?
The sesame paste thickens the soup. If you feel it's too thick, add a little more hot water or stock at the end.
How do I reheat it?
Always store the noodles and soup separately! Reheat the soup slowly, because the sesame paste can burn if you boil it suddenly.

Ingredients

  • 200 g Ramen noodles (dried or fresh)
  • 800 ml Chicken stock (salt-free or lightly salted)
  • 30 g Sesame paste (tahini)
  • 15 g Gochujang (Korean hot pepper paste)
  • 35 ml Soy sauce (20 ml for soup, 15 ml for meat)
  • 150 g Minced pork (fattier, e.g. shoulder)
  • 2 cloves Garlic
  • 10 g Fresh ginger
  • 30 g Spring onions
  • 100 g Pak choi (or bok choy)
  • 10 ml Sesame oil
  • 1 sheet Nori sheet