Soupless Spicy Tan Tan Ramen (Shirunashi Tantanmen)

What's in it

12 parts read from its 21 ingredient lines and its title.

Broth base

• Chicken “1 tsp Chinese-style chicken bouillon powder (based on 1 tsp = 200ml soup ratio, scale to your brand's strength)”
• Soy milk “2 tbsp unsweetened soy milk (unsweetened)”

Tare and seasoning

• Soy sauce (shoyu) “1 tsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu)”
• Miso “1½ tbsp yellow miso paste (awase)”
• Chili bean paste (doubanjiang) “½ tbsp chili bean sauce (toban djan)”

Aroma oil

• Chili oil (rayu) “1 tsp chili oil (rayu)”
• Sesame oil “1 tsp toasted sesame oil”

Noodles

• Ramen noodles, kind not stated “2 ptns ramen noodles”

Toppings

• Ground pork or other minced meat “150 g ground pork”
• Boiled or soft egg “soft-boiled eggs”
• Sesame seeds “2 tbsp ground sesame seeds”

How it is served

• Served without soup named in the title

Against the usual Tantanmen

It has 2 of the 4 parts of the usual Tantanmen: chili oil (rayu) and ground pork or other minced meat. Not on it: sesame paste or tahini and greens (spinach or bok choy).

Less usual for the style: boiled or soft egg (in 22% of Tantanmen recipes).

The Japanese take on Sichuan dan dan noodles: a broth thick with sesame paste and hot with chili oil, topped with spiced ground pork and greens such as bok choy or spinach. It is also made without soup (shirunashi) or cold.