Tan Tan Ramen, also known as Dan Dan Ramen or Tan Tan Noodles, combine delicious ramen noodles & ground pork with a spicy, creamy broth seasoned with chili oil, peanut butter and sesame paste.
Table of Contents
Rick and I often head to our favorite local ramen spot for a bowl of steaming hot noodles on Sundays. It’s a perfect, hearty meal after a long weekend of perhaps too much wine tasting.
And, while I’ll often reach for a spicy miso based ramen, his favorite is the Tan Tan Ramen.
I’d describe them as having a much more creamy, nutty broth. They tasted a bit like peanut butter to me… and I decided that I needed to do some research into the recipe to find out what really was going on here.
Reader
Love
I just wanted to let you know I used your recipe today and it was GREAT!!!!! I amped up the spice and used soba noodles. This has been the best Dan Dan recipe I have found so far.
Definitely going in my SAVED FAVORITES!
Kimberlee
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What is Tan Tan Ramen?
Tantanmen ramen seems to be one of those dishes that have many different variations and different names. Tantanmen is the Japanese variation of sichuan noodles known as Tan Tan. It’s also known as Dan Dan Ramen, which tends to be served with less broth than Tan Tan noodles.
The noodles can be served dry (with no broth) or in a spicy, chili flavored broth that’s made creamy with the addition of peanut butter and/or sesame paste. Then the bowls are topped with a mixture of ground pork.
I prefer to make my Tan Tan Noodles with broth, but not super brothy like a traditional ramen. I use about half the broth as you would in a ramen noodle soup. Because the broth is so rich and creamy, I find that you don’t need as much as you would with a lighter clear-based broth.
The ingredient making this ramen broth so rich & delicious is the peanut butter. An ingredient that I always have on hand. It’s such a versatile ingredient. I love adding it to savory recipes like these Grilled Lamb Chops with Spicy Peanut Sauce or these 20-Minute Sesame Chicken Noodles.
Ingredients needed
- Fresh Ginger + Garlic
- Green Onions
- Black Bean Sauce – This packs a delicious salty, punch. You’ll find it in the asian foods aisle.
- Peanut Butter – We’re going for creamy here.
- Tamari – Or low-sodium soy sauce.
- Tahini – Sesame paste. You’ll often find this sold near the peanut butter.
- Chili Oil – Or chili crunch.
- Broth – I prefer to use my homemade bone broth, but any store bought chicken broth, vegetable broth, or beef broth will work. Just be sure that it is low-sodium since the other ingredients in this recipe pack a salty punch.
- Ground Pork – You can substitute ground beef or ground turkey. For a vegetarian version, add some tofu or simply leave out the meat.
- Toppings – Spinach, green onions, eggs, cilantro, radish sprouts, sesame seeds.
How to make it
- Prepare the soup base. Start by sauteeing the green onions, bean paste, sesame and chili oil. Then add in the broth, peanut butter, tamari, tahini and chili paste. Simmer for 15-minutes.
- Cook the ground pork.
- Cook the ramen noodles.
- Portion the noodles into bowls, top with broth, ground pork, spinach and your favorite toppings.
I love adding one of my Instant Pot hard boiled eggs to the top!
Tip: If you’d like to add some baby bok choy in there, add it to the boiling water when you cook your noodles. It will cook in the same time as the noodles (3 minutes).
FAQs
I would say that these noodles are medium on the heat scale. It’s easy to dial down the heat by simply using less chili oil & chili paste. Alternatively, if you’d like to make spicier szechuan noodles, you can use more or add on some of my homemade chili crisp!
I’m keeping things simple with this tantanmen recipe by just using dry ramen noodles that you’ll probably remember from your college days. They come with a spice packet, but for this recipe, you won’t be using it. You can also look for fresh ramen noodles if your market carries them. Udon noodles will also work well in this recipe.
Tan tan noodles can be served dry (with no broth) or in a spicy, chili flavored broth that’s made creamy with the addition of peanut butter and/or sesame paste. Then the bowls are topped with a mixture of ground pork. The flavors are packed with umami and the broth is very rich and delicious.
Erin’s wine pairings
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Full Recipe
Tan Tan Ramen
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
- 3 Tablespoons fresh ginger (grated )
- 1 ½ Tablespoons garlic (grated, about 8 cloves)
- 6 green onions (sliced)
- ⅓ cup black bean sauce
- 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons hot chili oil (optional (omit for less heat))
- 1/3 cup peanut butter
- 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce (or tamari)
- ¼ cup tahini
- 2 Tablespoons chili paste (optional (omit for less heat))
- 7 cups bone broth (or low sodium chicken stock)
- 1 pound ground pork
- 4 3-ounce package ramen noodles (cooked (sauce packets discarded))
To garnish:
- 2 cups fresh spinach
- 3 green onions (sliced)
- 4 soft boiled eggs (halved)
- Cilantro (chopped)
- Daikon radish sprouts
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil (for the ramen).
- Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add ginger & garlic and cook until light golden, about 3 minutes.
- Add green onions, black bean sauce, sesame oil and chili oil, cook for 2 minutes.
- Add broth, peanut butter, tamari, tahini and chili paste. Stir to combine, reduce heat to low and simmer 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a skillet, cook the ground pork over medium-high heat until cooked through. Add ½ cup of the broth mixture to the ground pork to season.
- Cook the noodles according to package directions and drain. Place the noodles in a bowl and top with spinach, broth and ground pork. Garnish with green onions, eggs, cilantro and radish sprouts.
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published in 2020. It was updated in 2024 to add new information and photographs. The tantanmen ramen recipe remains the same. Enjoy!
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