Tan Tan ramen is a spicy Japanese noodle soup with Chinese origins. It’s rich and creamy with a spicy kick, perfect for those cravings of a warm bowl of ramen.

Table of Contents

Ingredients and Substitutions

*The Recipe Card below includes all the full measurements for these ingredients!

Sesame Paste: You can find the Chinese and Japanese variations of sesame paste in most Asian supermarkets. Popular brands I like to use are either Watson or Wangzhihe. Tahini can also be used in a pinch, though it’s much lighter in taste.

Soy sauce, chili oil, rice vinegar: Along with the sesame paste, these ingredients will provide a savory, rich foundation for our ramen. Soy sauce can be replaced with tamari or coconut aminos. Rice vinegar may also be replaced with any other type of acid, such as white vinegar or apple cider vinegar. Chili oil may be omitted if you’re not a fan of spicy as well.

Unsalted Chicken stock: Stock will provide a savory base for our ramen broth. You can either use store-bought or homemade. Beef, mushroom, or vegetable stock can also work.

Non-dairy milk: Oat or soy milk work beautifully with this recipe. Make sure they’re unsweetened and without any-flavoring. Cashew and/or almond milk could work, based off of other responses (though I haven’t personally tried this). I wouldn’t recommend using standard animal milk as it has a higher chance of curdling when used as a broth.

Ground pork: This will be the protein component of our ramen which will add to the heartiness of the dish, along with some texture. Other proteins such as ground turkey, beef, or chicken can work. Minced mushrooms or crumbled extra-firm tofu can also work.

Mirin, sugar: Mirin is a Japanese rice wine that adds a mellow sweetness to the dish on top of the standard sugar. If you’d like, you can also omit the mirin and simply add a half-teaspoon extra of sugar to account for it.

Doubanjiang: The name is usually interchangeable along the lines of “chili bean paste” or “spicy bean sauce” labeled on the jar, but they all typically refer to the same thing. This can be found in most Asian supermarkets. In a pinch, most people would recommend to use gochujang, a similar Korean fermented chili paste. They’re not exactly identical in flavor, but I’d imagine it would still taste pretty good in this recipe.

Ramen: Go for fresh ramen noodles to get the best texture, they usually sell them vacuum-sealed and refrigerated next to other fresh noodles. Otherwise, you could also use the dried ramen noodles if that’s more readily available. Though not exactly the same, other great replacements include egg noodles, yakisoba, or udon. You can also go for rice noodles, vermicelli, or even the noodles that come from the ramen packs.

Instructions

*The Recipe Card below includes all the full detailed instructions!

Prepare the tare by combining all the ingredients together until smooth. Divide the mixture evenly into two bowls and set aside.
Prepare the broth by simmering together the chicken stock and non-dairy milk. Keep warm until serving.
Prepare the pork mixture by cooking the pork in a pan and seasoning with the ginger, garlic, doubanjiant, mirin, soy sauce, and sugar. Set aside.
Prepare the toppings. Blanch the leafy greens and drain. Cook the ramen noodles according to packaged instructions.
Assemble by combining all the ingredients into individual serving bowls. Serve with a drizzle of chili oil, if desired.

Cooking Tips

Slightly undercook your noodles: Your ramen noodles will continue to cook when you pour the hot broth over them. I’d recommend slightly undercooking them to the point where they’re soft, but still with a slight chew, as to avoid mushy noodles when serving.

Customize your ramen: Recipes are meant to be altered to fit the preferences of the cook, so feel free to adjust some components of the dish to make this tantanmen your own.

Add extra toppings: You can add your favorite ramen ingredients such as menma (bamboo shoots), nori (seaweed), fishcakes, or even mushrooms. Feel free to add additional veggies such as corn, spinach, or shredded carrots.
Adjust the spice: Feel free to add more or less of the doubanjiang and chili oil according to preference. Alternatively, you can always omit these ingredients if you prefer a non-spicy dish.
Adjust your broth: To make the broth more rich, thick, and creamy, you can use a higher ratio of milk to stock.

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

Can I make this vegetarian/vegan?

Yes! You can substitute the ground meat with plant-based/impossible ground meats or simply with minced mushrooms or tofu.

The stock can also be substituted with vegetable or mushroom stock to make it more vegetarian/vegan friendly.

Can I mix the Tare and Broth all in one?

You definitely can. Keeping the tare and broth separate is a traditional method when making ramen as you can easily customize the flavor of your soup (i.e., adding more or less tare to suit how salty or umami you want it to be).

Otherwise, mixing them together is just fine and wouldn’t alter the final taste.

Can I freeze the broth?

Since this is a milk-based broth, I wouldn’t recommend freezing this as milk, in general, tends to separate when thawed. The final texture, as a result, may not be too appealing.

Looking for more noodle recipes? Here’s a couple you might enjoy: