About YUU日本語
Tantanmen (Sesame Chili Ramen)
Serves 2 · About 30 min
Soup-style tantanmen: a mild soup of sesame paste and soy milk, topped with spicy ground meat and bok choy. Adjust the heat with chili oil.
① Cut the ingredients→② Make the meat sauce→③ Make the sauce in the bowls→④ Heat the soup→⑤ Boil the noodles and serve
What to buy
Meat
Noodles & tofu (refrigerated)
Vegetables
Seasonings
Check what you already have
Tap an item to check it off (checks clear when you close the page).
How to make it
1
Cut the ingredients
- On the cutting board, cut 1 cm off the root end of the bok choy, pull the leaves apart one by one and wash in water. Cut long ones in half
- Finely chop the long green onion
How to tell it's doneNo dirt is left at the base of the bok choy. The green onion is finely chopped.
2
Make the meat sauce
- Put 2 tsp sesame oil in a frying pan and heat over medium heat. Add 1 tsp each of garlic and ginger and the chopped green onion, and stir-fry 30 seconds
- Add the ground meat and stir-fry, breaking it apart with a spatula
- When all the ground meat has changed color, add 1/2 tsp doubanjiang, 1 tbsp tianmianjiang, 1 tbsp sake and 1 tsp soy sauce, and stir-fry 1–2 minutes until the liquid is gone
- Take it out onto a plate
How to tell it's doneThe ground meat has no red parts. It is crumbly, with no liquid pooled at the bottom of the pan.
Be carefulAfter adding the doubanjiang, it burns easily. If the heat is too high, turn it down.
3
Make the sauce in the bowls
- In each of 2 bowls, put 1 1/2 tbsp sesame paste, 1 tbsp soy sauce and 1/2 tsp sugar
- Mix well with a spoon
How to tell it's doneThe sesame and soy sauce are blended into a smooth brown sauce.
4
Heat the soup
- Put 500 ml water and 1 tbsp chicken stock powder in a pot over medium heat
- When it boils, turn to low heat and add 200 ml soy milk
- When the edges start to bubble, turn off the heat
How to tell it's doneSmall bubbles have started to appear around the edge of the soup.
Be carefulIf you bring it to a hard boil after adding the soy milk, it separates and gets curdled.
5
Boil the bok choy and noodles, and serve
- Bring 2 L water to a boil in another pot. Add the bok choy, boil 1 minute, and take it out with tongs
- Loosen the noodles and add them to the same water. Boil for the time on the package
- While they boil, reheat the soup from step 4 over medium heat (do not boil it). Pour half into each bowl from step 3 and mix well with the sauce
- Drain the noodles in a colander and put them in the bowls. Top with the spicy meat and bok choy, and drizzle 1/2–1 tsp chili oil on each if you like
ReadyIt is OK if you eat 1 noodle and there is no hard center. Eat while mixing the meat into the soup.
📚 Learn more about this dish
🥬 Ingredient guide
🔪 Cutting & cooking tips
If it didn't work out
Too spicyToo much doubanjiang and chili oil. Next time, start with 1/4 tsp doubanjiang and no chili oil.
The soup got curdledThe soy milk boiled in step 4. It tastes almost the same. Next time, stop at low heat.
The flavor is weakThe sauce in the bowl and the soup are not well mixed. Mix from the bottom. If it is still too mild, add soy sauce 1/2 tsp at a time.
Lumps of sesame paste are leftNot mixed enough in step 3. Next time, mix while adding the soy sauce a little at a time.
Was this recipe helpful?
This site is free with no ads. If you like, you can support it with a tip.
☕ Send a tip Choose how many cups. Everything stays free to read.Made by YUU, a teen who loves cooking → About me