Tantanmen is a Japanese version of the Chinese dish Dan Dan Noodles.  It features ramen noodles with pork and bok choi in a creamy soup base.  There are a lot of ingredients, but most of them are things I already had, and the dish is quick to make once all the ingredients are ready. This version is adapted from sudachirecipes.com and makes 4 servings.  We had two servings last night and will cook up noodles and bok choi tomorrow to use the rest of the soup base and cooked pork.

For reasons unclear to me, it is difficult/impossible to find fresh ramen noodles for sale as plain noodles.  At Lotte Mart I finally chose Marquis Brand Shanghai Style Plain Noodles, which worked well.

For the Pork

2 tsp. neutral oil

1 tsp. chili oil

1 Tbs. chili bean paste (Toban djan)

½ tsp. red pepper flakes (amount for a mild dish – increase if you want it spicier)

8 oz. ground pork

1 tsp. finely chopped fresh ginger

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 oz. finely chopped leek (white part only) or green onions

1 tsp. sake or dry sherry

Pinch of black pepper

For the Tare

¼ cup tahini or Chinese or Japanese sesame paste

1 Tbs. smooth peanut butter

1 Tbs. ground sesame seeds

1 Tbs. soy sauce

1 Tbs. chili oil

¼ tsp. sugar

For the broth

1 piece (4 x 4 inches) dried kombu

3 cups plain water

Chicken bouillon powder or concentrate for 3 cups water (I used 1 Tbs. of Better than Bouillon)

½ cup unsweetened soy milk

1 tsp. rice vinegar

For the Noodles and Vegies

16 oz. package fresh ramen noodles or Chinese wheat noodles (I used Twin Marquis brand Shanghai Style Plain Noodles)

Bok choi or other greens (I used 4 per serving very small baby bok choi)

Green onions, or finely chopped leek (optional garnish)

Begin by boiling 3 cups of water in a medium saucepan and adding the kombu.  Let it steep for a minimum of 30 minutes.  Remove the kombu and mix in the chicken bouillon powder or concentrate, the soy milk, and rice vinegar.  Keep warm on the stove.

Next, heat up the water for the noodles, but do not cook the noodles until the last minute.

Third cook the meat.  In a medium skillet heat the vegetable and chili oil over medium high heat.  Add the chili bean sauce and red pepper flakes and fry for a minute until fragrant.  Add the pork in a single layer.  Fry undisturbed for 2 minutes, and then flip to fry the other side.  Break the meat into little clumps and add the ginger, garlic, and leek.  Stir fry for a minute.  Add the sake to deglaze the pan.  Season with black pepper.  Remove from the heat and cover to keep it warm.

Fourth, combine all the tare ingredients together in a small bowl.  Stir the tare into the warm soup base.

Firth, cook the noodles in boiling water for 1 minute less than the package instructions.  Add the bok choi and cook for one more minute.  Drain.

Portion the soup base in 4 bowls.  Portion the noodles in the bowls.  Portion the meat and the bok choi.  Garnish if desired with the leek or green onion.  Serve hot.

Note – To make this dish for multiple meals, prepare everything except the noodles and bok choi in advance.  For a second meal, reheat the soup and meat and cook fresh the noodles and bok choi.