Recipe Highlights
Tan Tan Udon is my fast and comfortable bowl of noodles that feels wealthy and satisfying for such a quick recipe. With pantry staples and some easy methods, you’ll be able to construct a creamy sesame broth and savory meat topping with out sacrificing taste. It’s daring, comforting, and prepared in simply quarter-hour.
- Builds deep taste with pantry elements
- Wealthy, creamy broth and savory topping with out lengthy simmering
- Prepared in simply quarter-hour with frozen udon noodles
For those who love udon noodle dishes, attempt my Udon Noodle Soup, Beef Udon, and Curry Udon recipes subsequent!
What’s Tan Tan Udon?
Tan tan udon (坦々うどん) is impressed by Japanese-style tantanmen (Tan Tan Ramen), which developed from Chinese language dan dan noodles. In Japan, it turned a comforting soup with a creamy sesame broth and seasoned floor meat. This model makes use of thick udon as an alternative of ramen, giving the dish a chewier texture and heartier really feel.
Substances for Tan Tan Udon
- udon noodles (frozen really useful, or attempt my Home made Udon Noodles)
- Shanghai bok choy
- floor pork
- garlic, ginger, and inexperienced onions/scallions
- doubanjiang (spicy chili bean paste) – you should use the non-spicy or gluten-free sort
- toasted sesame oil
- soup broth – rooster inventory, unsweetened soy milk, soy sauce, and toasted white sesame seeds
- la-yu (Japanese chili oil) – non-compulsory; you can also make Home made La-yu
Discover the printable recipe with measurements beneath.
Learn how to Make Tan Tan Udon
- Make the soup. Simmer the rooster inventory and soy milk in a saucepan and add soy sauce. Grind the sesame seeds and stir half into the broth. Cowl and maintain heat.
- Prepare dinner the aromatics. Warmth sesame oil in a frying pan and sauté the minced garlic, grated ginger, and doubanjiang till aromatic. Add sliced inexperienced onion whites and stir.
- Prepare dinner the pork. Add the bottom pork and break it up because it cooks. When not pink, stir in many of the scallion greens.
- Prepare dinner the bok choy and noodles. Blanch the bok choy quarters in boiling water till tender and take away. Boil the frozen udon till loosened, then drain and divide into bowls.
- Serve. Pour the new soup and spoon on the pork combination. Prime with bok choy, floor sesame seeds, and inexperienced onions. Drizzle with la-yu on the desk if you happen to like additional warmth.
Nami’s Recipe Ideas
These easy suggestions will assist you make Tan Tan Udon completely each time.
- Use Asian-style soy milk for the proper taste – Western soy milk, even unsweetened, usually contains vanilla or pure flavors, whereas Asian soy milk is often simply soybeans and water for a cleaner, extra savory style. Right here’s a 2-ingredient soy milk.
- Preserve the broth at a mild simmer, not a boil – When you add soy milk, keep a mild simmer to forestall scorching. Soy milk can foam up and boil over rapidly if heated too aggressively.
- Grind the sesame seeds contemporary – Freshly floor sesame provides a deeper aroma and richer taste to the broth. For much more perfume, briefly toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan, shaking regularly, till fragrant earlier than grinding. Since this shortcut recipe doesn’t use sesame paste, be at liberty to extend the sesame seeds for a fuller sesame taste.
- Management the spice degree – Regulate the quantity of doubanjiang to your style, or use a non-spicy model for a milder bowl. When my youngsters didn’t eat spicy meals, I used to purchase a Taiwanese non-spicy doubanjiang from our native Asian grocery store.
- Use frozen udon noodles – They’ve the very best chewy texture and cook dinner in a short time. Boil simply till loosened.
Variations and Customizations
Seeking to change issues up? Attempt these simple and attractive concepts!
- Swap the pork. Floor rooster or floor turkey are nice lighter alternate options to pork.
- Vegan/vegetarian. Use vegetable inventory and substitute the pork with agency tofu crumbles or finely chopped mushrooms.
- Change the creaminess. To make the creamy soup lighter or heavier, regulate the rooster inventory, soy milk, and floor sesame (or use sesame paste).
- Use your alternative of veggies. Prime it with spinach, inexperienced cabbage, or different greens as an alternative of child bok choy.
- Serve it chilly. In the summertime, use chilly soup broth.
What to Serve with Tan Tan Udon
I wish to pair this wealthy noodle soup with lighter sides for steadiness.
Storage and Reheating Ideas
To retailer: Cool and retailer the soup broth and pork combination in separate hermetic containers. Refrigerate for as much as 3 days. It’s also possible to freeze the pork combination as much as 3–4 weeks. Prepare dinner the noodles proper earlier than serving.
To reheat: Defrost the pork combination if frozen, then heat the broth and pork combination gently on the stovetop till scorching.
FAQs
Is tan tan udon spicy?
Tan tan udon has mild warmth from doubanjiang, a fermented chili bean paste. You may regulate the spice degree by selecting non-spicy doubanjiang or including additional la-yu.
What’s the distinction between tan tan udon and tan tan ramen?
The principle distinction is the kind of noodles. Tan tan udon makes use of thick udon noodles, whereas tan tan ramen makes use of thinner ramen noodles.
What can I exploit as an alternative of floor pork in tan tan udon?
Floor rooster or turkey work nicely as lighter substitutes. For a vegetarian model, use crumbled agency tofu or chopped mushrooms. These choices pair properly with the creamy sesame broth.
Can I make tan tan udon forward of time?
Sure. Put together the broth and pork combination as much as 2–3 days prematurely and retailer them individually within the fridge. Prepare dinner the udon noodles proper earlier than serving for the very best texture.
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To Make the Soup
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Mix 2 cups rooster inventory/broth and 1 cup unsweetened soy milk in a saucepan and produce it to a simmer.
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Add 1 Tbsp soy sauce and stir.
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Grind 4 Tbsp toasted white sesame seeds with a mortar and pestle (I exploit a Japanese suribachi and surikogi). Preserve some seeds unground for texture. Nami’s Tip: Freshly floor sesame provides a deeper aroma and richer taste to the broth. Earlier than grinding, you’ll be able to develop extra perfume by briefly toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan, shaking regularly, till fragrant.
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Add half the floor sesame seeds (put aside the remaining for garnish). Stir to mix with the soup. Cut back to the bottom setting and canopy to maintain heat whilst you put together the opposite elements.Nami’s Tip: Preserve a mild simmer to forestall scorching. Soy milk can foam up and boil over rapidly if heated too aggressively.
To Prepare dinner the Bok Choy and Udon
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Deliver a medium pot of water to a boil. Whilst you’re ready, lower 1 head Shanghai bok choy lengthwise into quarters. Rinse nicely underneath chilly working water to take away the grime between the leaves. Drain. Add the bok choy to the boiling water and blanch till tender, about 1½–2 minutes relying on the thickness. Take away with tongs or a strainer (maintain the water boiling for the subsequent step) and dunk the bok choy in a bowl of chilly water to cease the cooking. Squeeze out the water when cool sufficient to deal with and put aside.
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To the identical pot of boiling water, add 2 servings udon noodles (frozen; no must defrost). Warmth till loosened; it might take lower than the 1-minute cooking time on the bundle. Then, take away from the pot with tongs or a sieve and serve into particular person bowls.
- Udon noodles: I extremely suggest frozen udon noodles for this recipe. My favourite is thick and chewy Sanuki udon from the freezer part of the Japanese market. For those who can’t discover it, cook dinner 6.3 oz, 180 g dry udon noodles for two servings or 10.6 oz, 300 g Home made Udon Noodles.
- Floor pork: You need to use gspherical rooster or floor turkey as a lighter different.
- Doubanjiang: Use both the spicy or non-spicy sort, or use gluten-free doubanjiang.
- Unsweetened soy milk: Use Asian-style soy milk for the proper taste. Western soy milk, even unsweetened, usually contains vanilla or pure flavors, whereas Asian soy milk is often simply soybeans and water for a cleaner, extra savory style.
- Toasted sesame seeds: Since this shortcut recipe doesn’t use sesame paste, be at liberty to extend the sesame seeds for a fuller sesame taste.
Variations and Customizations
Seeking to change issues up? Attempt these simple and attractive concepts!
- Vegan/vegetarian. Use vegetable inventory and substitute the pork with agency tofu crumbles or finely chopped mushrooms.
- Change the creaminess. To make the creamy soup lighter or heavier, regulate the rooster inventory, soy milk, and floor sesame (or use sesame paste).
- Use your alternative of veggies. Prime it with spinach, inexperienced cabbage, or different greens as an alternative of child bok choy.
- Serve it chilly. In the summertime, use chilly soup broth.
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