Tan Tan Ramen (Tantanmen)

• portioner: 2 servings
• aktiv tid: 15 minutes
• total tid: 50 minutes

Ingredienser

2 Tbsp Japanese sesame paste (neri goma) (substitute it with Chinese sesame paste or tahini, or make my Neri Goma recipe)

1 tsp miso (I use my favorite miso by Hikari Miso; most types will work, with the exception of Saikyo and Hatcho varieties; try different miso types to create a slightly different flavor for the soup broth)

1 Tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp rice vinegar (unseasoned)

1 Tbsp la-yu (Japanese chili oil) (use store bought or make my quick and easy Homemade La-yu)

1 knob ginger (1 inch, 2.5 cm) 1 2.5

2 cloves garlic

1 Tbsp neutral oil

6 oz ground pork (use meat alternatives or chopped mushrooms for vegan/vegetarian)

1 Tbsp sake (substitute it with Chinese rice wine or dry sherry)

1 Tbsp doubanjiang (spicy chili bean paste) (use either the spicy or non-spicy type, or use gluten-free doubanjiang)

2 tsp soy sauce (use gluten-free soy sauce for GF)

1½ cups chicken stock/broth (plus more to dilute the broth, as desired; use salted or unsalted; you will adjust the salt level to taste in the final stage of seasoning the ramen broth)

1½ cups unsweetened soy milk (plus more to make the broth creamier, as desired)

Diamond Crystal kosher salt (for seasoning the broth, to taste)

1 head Shanghai bok choy

2 servings fresh ramen noodles (10–12 oz or 283–340 g fresh noodles; 6.3 oz or 180 g dry ramen noodles; I use medium-thick, wavy ramen noodles by Myojo; you can also use GF ramen noodles for gluten-free) 10–12 283–340 6.3 180

Instruktioner

Gather all the ingredients. For substitution suggestions, please read the blog post. Prepare a big pot of water for cooking the bok choy and noodles. Slowly bring it to a boil on low heat while you prepare all the ingredients.

A typical ramen bowl can hold 1200–1400 ml of liquid. We will prepare 1½ cups (360 ml) of soup broth per bowl, which should be more than enough for a ramen bowl size. If you‘re using bigger bowls, you may need to prepare extra soup to fill them up.

To Prepare the Soup Seasonings (“Tare“)

Please note: Typically, ramen shops will prepare each ramen bowl to order, adding individual portions of tare soup seasonings and soup broth from their big stock pots. Since my ramen broth recipe is already pre-measured, I just combine the tare and broth together in one pot. For making ramen at home, I found this method creates a more flavorful outcome as you can meld all the seasoning ingredients and let them simmer together. If you prefer, you can portion this tare into the individual ramen bowls, then pour in the soup broth and mix it before adding your noodles. Make sure the soup broth is piping hot as it will cool down after mixing with the tare sitting at room temperature.

In a medium bowl, combine 2 Tbsp Japanese sesame paste (neri goma) and 1 tsp miso.

Add 1 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp rice vinegar (unseasoned), and 1 Tbsp la-yu (Japanese chili oil).

Mix them all together (I use a flat whisk) and set aside. We‘ll use this seasoning mixture when we make the soup broth.

To Prepare the Aromatics and Bok Choy

Grate 1 knob ginger (I use a ceramic grater) and mince or press 2 cloves garlic (I use a garlic press).

Cut 1 head Shanghai bok choy in quarters lengthwise. Rinse well under cold running water and make sure there is no dirt between the leaves. Drain and set aside.

To Make the Pork Mixture

Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat. When the saucepan is hot, add 1 Tbsp neutral oil, then 6 oz ground pork.

Cook the pork, stirring frequently, until it‘s no longer pink. When it‘s almost done cooking, add 1 Tbsp sake and stir to combine. Tip: Sake helps remove the unwanted odor from the pork.

Add the grated ginger with juice and the minced garlic and stir to combine.

Add 1 Tbsp doubanjiang (spicy chili bean paste) and 2 tsp soy sauce and stir to mix.

Lower the stove‘s heat to medium low and let the pork mixture simmer until the cooking liquid is almost evaporated, for about 2–3 minutes. Then, turn off the heat. Transfer half of the pork mixture to a bowl and leave the other half in the saucepan.

Cover the bowl with plastic to avoid further evaporation and to keep it warm.

To Prepare the Soup Broth

With the stove‘s heat off, add the soup seasonings to the pork mixture in the saucepan and mix well.

Turn on the stove‘s heat again to medium. With a spatula, stir the pork mixture constantly while you gradually add 1½ cups chicken stock/broth, combining them well. Tip: If you add the stock all at once, it‘ll be difficult to combine well.

Then, gradually add 1½ cups unsweetened soy milk while stirring.

Taste the soup now and adjust the seasoning with Diamond Crystal kosher salt. Don‘t be shy about adding salt because the broth will taste less salty after you add the noodles. Also, if you feel it‘s too creamy or too thick to your taste, you can adjust the soup broth by adding a few tablespoons of chicken stock or water. Once the soup broth tastes good, turn off the heat, cover the saucepan with the lid, and set aside.

To Blanch the Bok Choy

Prepare a medium bowl of cold water and set aside. In the big pot of boiling water, add the bok choy, stem end first, and cook it for 2 minutes. When the bottom end is tender, turn off the heat.

Without draining the water, remove the blanched boy choy from the pot and transfer it to the bowl of cold water to stop the cooking. Keep the hot water in the big pot to cook the noodles in the next step. Once the bok choy is cool enough to handle, squeeze the water out and set aside.

To Reheat the Broth and Cook the Noodles

Now, it‘s time to reheat the soup broth until it‘s piping hot, but don‘t let it overboil because it may curdle. Before cooking the fresh noodles, loosen them up with your hands.

Turn the stove‘s heat back on and bring the water in the big pot to a boil again. Once boiling, add 2 servings fresh ramen noodles and cook according to the package instructions. While cooking, stir and separate the noodles with chopsticks. Here, I cook the noodles inside a big noodle strainer (I got it in Japan) that I‘ve set inside the pot.

When the noodles are done cooking, drain them well in a strainer, shaking it a few times to drain the water thoroughly (otherwise it will dilute the soup broth). Transfer the noodles to the individual ramen bowls.

To Serve

Divide and pour the soup broth with seasonings over the noodles.

Place the reserved pork mixture on top of the noodles and place the bok choy to one side to garnish.

To Store

You can keep the soup broth in the refrigerator for 3 days. Cook the noodles right before serving.

Näring

• Kalorier: 644 kcal
• Totalt fett: 41 g
• Mättat fett: 10 g
• Omättat fett: 27 g
• Transfett: 0.1 g
• Kolesterol: 86 mg
• Natrium: 1393 mg
• Totala kolhydrater: 40 g
• Kostfiber: 7 g
• Totalt socker: 7 g
• Protein: 33 g