Tan Tan Noodles (Tantanmen Ramen or Dan Dan Noodles) (2024)

March 18, 2024March 15, 2024 by Erin

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.

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.

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.
• Chili Paste – Sriracha, gochujang, or sambal oelek work. You can omit for a less spicy soup.
• Broth – I prefer to use my homemadebone 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

1. 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.
2. Cook the ground pork.
3. Cook the ramen noodles.
4. 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).

Recipe FAQs

Wine pairings

• Riesling,Gewürztraminer:Look for a white wine with just a hint of sweetness to it – It’s a great way to tame down the heat in this tantanmen.
• Roséis another great match – It’s acidity, and light body will pair nicely with the creamy broth.

More Asian-inspired soup recipes

• Tantanmen Ramen (Dan Dan Noodles)
• Instant Pot Chicken Pho
• Slow Cooker Thai Noodle Soup
• Lamb Dumplings in Spicy Ginger Broth

More yummy noodle recipes

• Sesame Noodles with Chicken
• Pad Kee Mao (Drunken Noodles)
• Kung Pao Noodles
• Vietnamese Noodle Salad (Bun Bo Xao)
• Instant Pot Pho Recipe
• Cumin Lamb Noodles
• PLUS → 25+ Ways to Use Ramen Noodles

Plus, be sure to check out these 30+ BEST Asian Side Dishes.

Did you try this dandan ramen?

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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!