Tantanmen

Name: Tantanmen
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: Japan
Ingredients: 200 g ramen noodles (fresh or dried wheat noodles); 200 g minced pork; 2 tsp doubanjiang (Sichuan chilli bean paste) or Korean gochujang; 1 tbsp togarashi (Japanese chilli powder) or chilli flakes, for extra heat; 3 tbsp sesame paste (or tahini); 2 tbsp white miso paste; 2 tbsp soy sauce; 1 tbsp sake or dry sherry; 1 tsp sesame oil; 700 ml chicken or pork stock (or dashi for more Japanese character); 150 ml unsweetened soy milk or regular milk (for creaminess); 3 garlic cloves, minced; 2 cm fresh ginger, grated; 1 tbsp neutral oil; To serve: pak choi (halved, blanched), spring onion, sesame seeds, chilli oil

Japanese sesame spicy noodle soup: Japan's beloved adaptation of Sichuan dandan mian

Origin: Japan

From the journey of Chilli Pepper.

Tantanmen (担々麺) is Japan's signature chilli noodle dish (a creamy, sesame-rich, mildly spicy soup that descends from the Sichuan Chinese dandan mian but has been transformed by the Japanese culinary sensibility into something entirely its own. The chilli pepper arrived in Japan around 1543, brought by Portuguese traders to the island of Tanegashima in southern Kyushu) it was called togarashi (唐辛子, literally 'Chinese mustard') and quickly became incorporated into Japanese cooking as a seasoning and pickling spice. Japan's relationship with the chilli is subtler than China's or Korea's: Japanese cuisine does not pursue extreme heat but uses chilli as one element in a complex balance. The shichimi togarashi spice blend (seven-spice), which contains dried chilli alongside sesame, orange peel, ginger, and Sichuan pepper, is the canonical Japanese chilli preparation: heat as one of many flavours rather than a dominant force. Tantanmen represents the mature expression of this philosophy: a bowl that is unmistakably Japanese in its richness (sesame tare, miso, dashi-enriched broth) yet built on the Sichuan chilli-sesame tradition. It is one of the most popular ramen styles in Japan and a touchstone of how Japanese cooking absorbs foreign influences and makes them its own.

Ingredients

Noodles

200 g ramen noodles (fresh or dried wheat noodles)

Topping

200 g minced pork

Chilli

2 tsp doubanjiang (Sichuan chilli bean paste) or Korean gochujang
1 tbsp togarashi (Japanese chilli powder) or chilli flakes, for extra heat

Sesame tare

3 tbsp sesame paste (or tahini)
2 tbsp white miso paste
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sake or dry sherry
1 tsp sesame oil

Broth

700 ml chicken or pork stock (or dashi for more Japanese character)
150 ml unsweetened soy milk or regular milk (for creaminess)

Aromatics

3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cm fresh ginger, grated

Fat

1 tbsp neutral oil

Toppings

To serve: pak choi (halved, blanched), spring onion, sesame seeds, chilli oil

Method

Make the sesame tare: whisk together the sesame paste, miso, soy sauce, sake, and sesame oil until smooth. Set aside.
Cook the minced pork: heat oil in a pan over high heat. Add garlic, ginger, and doubanjiang. Fry for 1 minute. Add the pork and cook, breaking it up, until browned and fragrant. Season with a little soy sauce. Set aside.
Bring the stock to a simmer. Add the soy milk. Stir in the sesame tare and whisk until fully dissolved and the broth is creamy and smooth. Add togarashi to taste. Simmer gently for 5 minutes. Do not boil.
Cook the ramen noodles according to package instructions. Drain.
Divide the noodles between 2 deep bowls. Ladle the hot sesame broth over the noodles.
Top with the spiced pork, blanched pak choi, sliced spring onion, sesame seeds, and a drizzle of chilli oil.

Notes

The soy milk is a Japanese addition that gives tantanmen its characteristic creaminess and differentiates it from the Chinese dandan mian (which uses no dairy or soy milk). For a richer version, replace the soy milk with full-fat dairy milk or add a splash of heavy cream. Tantanmen is intensely customisable: the sesame tare can be made spicier with more doubanjiang, richer with more sesame paste, or more savoury with more soy. The chilli oil drizzled at the end (rayu in Japanese) adds a final aromatic heat; Japanese rayu made with sesame oil and dried chilli is different from Chinese chilli oil and available in most Asian food shops.

The Gastrographer

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control