Recipe Highlights
Black sesame tantanmen (dan dan noodles) first gained me over at Double Happiness (ダブルハピネス), a Chinese language-style restaurant in my hometown of Yokohama. Whereas we look ahead to consuming their black sesame noodles each time we’re in Japan, that is my tackle recreating their signature dish at house.
Right here’s why I hold coming again to this recipe:
- Fast to make, no hours-long simmer required
- Savory, crunchy, contemporary toppings in each chunk
- Serve sizzling or chilled—as much as your choice easy methods to serve this creamy soup
- So good you’ll need seconds (or thirds!)
In case you love Japanese ramen recipes, attempt my Miso Ramen Recipe, Hiyashi Chuka (Chilly Ramen), and Straightforward Tonkotsu Ramen subsequent!
What’s Black Sesame Tantanmen?
Tantanmen (dan dan noodles) traces again to China’s Sichuan province, the place dandan mian (担担面) is served with a meat sauce seasoned with numbing Sichuan peppercorn.
When the dish made its method to Japan, it was tailored into Tantanmen (担々麺), now a staple fashion of ramen. The Japanese model tones down the warmth with extra broth, sesame paste, and delicate chili oil.
This model makes use of black sesame paste, as an alternative of white, for a singular coloration and taste.
Substances for Black Sesame Tantanmen
Soup
- Black sesame paste – purchase on-line or make my Black Sesame Paste recipe
- Unsweetened soy milk
- Hen inventory
- Seasonings – rice vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, kosher salt
Meat sauce
Noodles & toppings
- Ramen noodles – search for medium-thick, wavy noodles
- Shanghai bok choy
- Bean sprouts
- Inexperienced onions
Garnishes
Discover the printable recipe with measurements under.
Find out how to Make Black Sesame Dan Dan Noodles
- Make the soup. Whisk black sesame paste into soy milk till clean. Heat in a pot with the hen inventory over medium warmth. Season with rice vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, and salt. For chilly noodles, chill the soup in iced water.
- Cook dinner the meat sauce. In a pan or wok, sauté grated garlic and ginger in toasted sesame oil till aromatic. Add the pork, sake, and black pepper. As soon as the pork is brown, stir in two bean pastes (tianmianjiang and doubanjiang), soy sauce, and sugar.
- Prep the toppings. Crush the peanuts and grind the sesame seeds. Julienne the white elements of the inexperienced onions and soak them in iced water. Slice the inexperienced elements into skinny rounds.
- Blanch and boil in a single pot. Deliver a pot of water to a boil. Blanch the bok choy for two to three minutes. Add the bean sprouts within the final 10 seconds. Take away the greens, then prepare dinner the noodles in the identical pot.
- Assemble sizzling or chilled. For the recent model, pour the soup over the noodles. For the chilly model, chill the noodles in iced water first, then add the chilly soup. Prime with meat sauce, greens, and garnishes.
Make Forward Suggestions
- Chill the soup first – For the chilly model, refrigerate it the day earlier than. I chill half and hold the remaining sizzling—I like mine chilly, however Mr. JOC prefers his sizzling.
Storage and Reheating Suggestions
To retailer and freeze: Retailer the soup and toppings in separate hermetic containers.
- The soup retains for as much as 4 days within the fridge or as much as a month within the freezer—whisk effectively after thawing for the reason that soy milk could separate.
- Garlic chips are finest saved at room temperature in an hermetic container and used inside a month. Refrigerating or freezing them will soften the crunch. I like to recommend including a Desiccant Packet for additional freshness and crispness.
- Recent toppings like inexperienced onions and crushed peanuts hold for 3 to 4 days within the fridge and are finest added simply earlier than serving.
To reheat: Heat the soup in a pot over medium warmth. Cook dinner contemporary noodles proper earlier than serving.
Variations
This recipe is versatile—listed here are just a few methods to make this bowl your individual.
- Swap the protein. Floor hen, turkey, or beef is a versatile stand-in for the pork.
- Regulate the warmth. I combine spicy and non-spicy doubanjiang to match my youngsters’ tolerance, then prime with chili oil to style. Up the warmth by including Sichuan peppercorn.
- Use black tahini. In case you can’t get black sesame paste, black tahini, bought on Amazon, is an effective substitute, though the flavour isn’t as deep.
- Make it vegan. Use crumbled agency tofu as an alternative of pork and vegetable inventory as an alternative of hen inventory. Examine that your doubanjiang has no animal elements.
What to Serve with Black Sesame Tantanmen
These noodles are satisfying on their very own, however basic sides flip them into a whole ramen store meal.
- Gyoza – A basic ramen pairing. Dip the dumplings in candy chili sauce like they do at Double Happiness.
- Karaage – Japanese fried hen provides a crunch that pairs effectively with the creamy broth.
- Spicy Edamame – Refreshing, with a little bit of a kick, these edamame are an important facet for spice lovers.
- Japanese Cucumber Salad – Cool, crisp cucumbers seasoned in tangy rice vinegar cleanse your palate between bites.
FAQ
The place can I purchase black sesame paste?
Most Japanese and Asian grocery shops carry black sesame paste in a jar. It’s also possible to discover it on Amazon.
Can I take advantage of one other type of milk?
I like to recommend unsweetened soy milk right here. Cow’s milk, almond milk, and oat milk overpower the black sesame. In a pinch, use evenly sweetened soy milk, although the style will shift.
Is that this black sesame tantanmen recipe a black sesame ramen recipe?
Sure —In Japan, kurogoma tantanmen (黒胡麻担々麺) or black sesame dan dan noodles are thought of a sort of ramen. Generally the dish is bought underneath “black sesame ramen” or “black sesame paste noodles” as effectively.
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Black Sesame Tantanmen (Dan Dan Noodles)
To Make the Soup
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In a measuring cup or bowl, add ½ cup unsweetened soy milk and 1½ Tbsp black sesame paste and blend till clean. Nami’s Tip: Press the paste in opposition to the facet of the cup to assist it dissolve.
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Switch the sesame combination to a pot and add 2 cups hen inventory/broth. Heat it over medium warmth. Nami’s Tip: Add extra hen inventory for a thinner soup—my household likes it creamier.
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Add 1 Tbsp rice vinegar (unseasoned), 1 Tbsp soy sauce, and 1 tsp sugar.Nami’s Tip: Enhance the seasoning in case you added extra hen inventory.
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Stir to dissolve the sugar, then style the soup. Add as much as ½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt if wanted. Warmth till steaming, then take away from the warmth.Nami’s Tip: Inventory saltiness varies by model, so style earlier than including all of the salt.
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For warm noodles: Cowl the pot to maintain heat.For chilly noodles: Pour the soup right into a glass measuring cup. Cool in a bowl of iced water, then refrigerate till able to serve (retains as much as 24 hours). I chilled half for myself and saved the remaining sizzling for Mr. JOC.
To Make the Meat Sauce
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Grate 1 clove garlic. Peel 1 inch ginger and grate it, measuring 1 tsp ginger with juice.
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Warmth 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil in a big frying pan over medium warmth. Add garlic and ginger and prepare dinner, stirring incessantly, till aromatic. Watch intently so they do not burn. Add 6 oz floor pork, breaking it into small items because it cooks.
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Add 1 tsp sake and ¼ tsp freshly floor black pepper and blend till included.
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Cook dinner till the meat is now not pink. Add 2 tsp tianmianjiang (candy bean sauce), 1 tsp doubanjiang (spicy chili bean paste), 1 tsp soy sauce and 1 tsp sugar. Mix till the meat is evenly coated with the sauce.
To Prep the Toppings
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Grind 1 Tbsp peanuts with a mortar and pestle, or crush them in a plastic bag with a rolling pin. Grind 1 Tbsp toasted black sesame seeds, leaving some unground for texture.
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Reduce 1 head Shanghai bok choy lengthwise into quarters.
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Reduce 4 inexperienced onions/scallions crosswise in half to separate the inexperienced and white elements. Reduce the white elements in half lengthwise, then slice into julienned strips.
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Soak in iced water for quarter-hour. Drain and put aside. Reduce the inexperienced elements into skinny rounds.Nami’s Tip: Soaking removes the bitterness and makes them crisp.
To Blanch and Boil
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Deliver a pot of water to a boil. Add the bok choy and blanch it for 2–3 minutes (relying on its dimension). Add 2 oz bean sprouts to the identical pot and prepare dinner for an additional 10 seconds. Take away each the bok choy and bean sprouts and drain utterly.
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Cook dinner 12 oz contemporary ramen noodles in the identical pot in keeping with the bundle directions. Nami’s Tip: Cook dinner the noodles 15–20 seconds much less than the bundle instructs. The residual warmth retains cooking them.
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For warm noodles: Serve instantly in a ramen bowl.
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For chilly noodles: Soak the noodles in iced water till chilled and drain effectively. Switch them to a big bowl.
To Assemble the Tantanmen
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For warm soup: Pour within the sizzling black sesame soup. Place the bok choy, bean sprouts, and meat sauce on prime. Garnish with peanuts, sesame seeds, the inexperienced onions (each inexperienced and white elements), and garlic chips. Drizzle with as much as 2 tsp la-yu (Japanese chili oil) per bowl and serve.
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For chilly soup: Pour within the chilled black sesame soup. Place the bok choy, bean sprouts, and meat sauce on prime of the noodles. Garnish with peanuts, sesame seeds, inexperienced onions (each inexperienced and white elements), and garlic chips. Drizzle with as much as 2 tsp la-yu (Japanese chili oil) per bowl and serve.
To Retailer
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Retailer the soup and toppings in separate hermetic containers. The soup retains for as much as 24 hours within the fridge or as much as a month within the freezer.Garlic chips are finest saved at room temperature in an hermetic container and used inside every week; refrigerating or freezing them will soften the crunch. Recent toppings like inexperienced onions and crushed peanuts hold for 3 to 4 days within the fridge and are finest added simply earlier than serving.
To Reheat
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Heat the soup in a pot over medium warmth, whisking sometimes, till steaming—the soy milk could separate, so whisk effectively. Cook dinner contemporary noodles in keeping with the bundle directions and assemble as directed. For the chilly model, no reheating wanted—simply prepare dinner contemporary noodles, chill them in iced water, and serve with the chilly soup.
- Noodles: Recent tantanmen noodles in bundle is bought at Japanese grocery shops. For gluten free, you will get GF noodles on Amazon.
- Black sesame paste: Discover 100% pure black sesame paste bought at Japanese grocery shops and on Amazon. It’s also possible to make my Black Sesame Paste recipe at house with a 3-cup meals processor. Another choice is black tahini bought on Amazon, though it’s much less flavorful.
- Doubanjiang: Use the spicy or non-spicy sort or the gluten-free variety. Yow will discover the non-spicy sort on-line.
- Garlic chips: You can also make these at house with my Garlic Chips recipe.
- La-yu: Discover it at a Japanese grocery retailer or make it your self with my Do-it-yourself La-yu recipe.
Variations
- Regulate the warmth. I combine spicy and non-spicy doubanjiang to match my youngsters’ tolerance, then prime with chili oil to style. Up the warmth by including Sichuan peppercorn.
- Swap the protein. Floor hen, turkey, or beef is a versatile stand-in for the pork.
- Use black tahini. Swap in black tahini, bought on Amazon, although the flavour gained’t be as deep.
- Make it vegan. Use crumbled agency tofu as an alternative of pork and vegetable inventory as an alternative of hen inventory. Examine that your doubanjiang has no animal elements.
- Make it gluten-free. Use rice noodles, gluten-free soy sauce, and gluten-free doubanjiang. Skip the tianmianjiang and add a pinch of sugar to compensate.
Energy: 788kcal, Carbohydrates: 77g, Protein: 30g, Fats: 39g, Saturated Fats: 9g, Polyunsaturated Fats: 8g, Monounsaturated Fats: 17g, Ldl cholesterol: 64mg, Sodium: 1132mg, Potassium: 659mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 2631IU, Vitamin C: 36mg, Calcium: 196mg, Iron: 3mg
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Editor’s Observe: This submit was initially printed on August 8, 2018, and republished with clearer directions and additional useful tips about August 2, 2026.
