Tan Tan Ramen

Tan Tan Ramen is a popular Japanese noodle soup with an incredibly delicious and creamy broth, flavored with sesame paste and chili oil. It’s served with ramen noodles, bok choy, vegan minced meat, and a ramen egg!

Table of Contents

• 🛒 Ingredients
• 👩‍🍳 Visual Step-by-Step Instructions
• 🫙 Storage Instructions
• 🥚 More Japanese Recipes
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

Tan Tan Ramen, also known as Tantanmen Ramen, is a popular Japanese ramen recipe. It is actually based on a Chinese noodle dish, spicy Dan Dan Noodles with Sichuan pepper. 

The Tan Tan ramen soup base is mainly made of sesame paste and chili oil. Therefore, it has a creamy sesame flavor and can be a tad spicy (you can adjust the spiciness easily). The ramen toppings consist of minced meat, baby bok choy, a ramen egg, and sliced scallions.

I’m showing you a vegetarian version of Tan Tan Ramen, using vegan soy-based ground beef. If you prefer a vegan Tan Tan Ramen, just omit the ramen egg. The original recipe is made with ground pork – but you won’t miss out on anything with this tasty meatless recipe variation!

Tan Tan Ramen is, next to Miso Ramen, one of my favorite ramen dish, because it’s so creamy, has a wonderful sesame taste, is slightly spicy, and all the toppings turn it into a perfectly balanced main dish! A bowl of this Japanese ramen soup is high in protein, warming, satisfying, and comforting!

🛒 Ingredients

See recipe card for quantities.

• Ramen Noodles → Fresh, dried, or homemade! Authentic Japanese ramen noodles contain Kansui (alkaline water). Tastes also delicious with regular ramen noodles from the supermarket. If you are super fancy, ask your favorite ramen bar for fresh ramen noodles, you can often get them fresh or frozen for take-away.
• Vegan Minced Meat, Garlic, Ginger → Typical topping for Tan Tan Ramen. I prefer to use vegan minced meat made from soy beans.
• Baby Bok Choi → Can also be substituted with other vegetables such as spinach, cooked corn or sautéed mushrooms.
• Ramen Eggs → Prepare according to this recipe for homemade ramen eggs!
• Scallion/Green Onion → To garnish!
• Tan Tan Ramen Broth: Tahini, Soy Sauce, Rice Vinegar, Sugar, Chili Oil, Vegetable Broth, Unsweetened Soy Milk → Chili oil can be replaced with Sriracha/Sambal Oelek/Gochujang/Doubanjiang (spicy bean sauce). If you don’t like spicy food, use sesame oil instead for the flavor.

Tahini: Chimajan, a Chinese sesame paste, is used for the authentic Japanese version. However, I like to prepare this Tan Tan Ramen recipe with tahini. Some folks even love to use peanut butter instead.

👩‍🍳 Visual Step-by-Step Instructions

This visual step-by-step instruction will help you along the way – definitely recommended if you’re a cooking beginner! 😉

• Vegan Minced Meat: Heat a wok with oil. Add ginger and garlic, sauté for 2 minutes. Add vegan minced meat, and fry for another 5 minutes.

• Bok Choy & Noodles: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Wash and cut bok choy in half, blanch briefly for 2 minutes in the boiling water, then set aside. In the same pot, cook ramen noodles according to package directions. Drain, rinse with cold water, and set aside.

• Ramen Broth: Mix sesame oil, tahini, rice vinegar, sugar, and chili oil in a small bowl. Divide into two ramen bowls. Add vegetable broth and soy milk to a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Divide between the two bowls and stir well.

• Serve: Arrange ramen noodles, minced meat, bok choy, and ramen eggs in the bowls. Decorate with sliced scallions and serve immediately!

Hint: Garnish the ramen soup with a splash of chili oil and toasted sesame seeds!

🫙 Storage Instructions

Ramen should, if possible, always be prepared fresh & enjoyed immediately! But as long as it is not yet served, you can store the individual components separately in an airtight container in the refrigerator. By pouring the hot broth, the remaining ingredients become warm again.

🥚 More Japanese Recipes

• Miso Ramen Soup
• Yaki Udon
• Teriyaki Tofu
• Wakame Salad

📖 Recipe