Recipe: Easy Tantanmen Ramen inspired by Marion’s Kitchen

One of the sweetest quarantine moments was when I successfully pulled off a homemade Tantanmen ramen bowl at home, with all the elements made fresh at home.

Tantanmen（担々麺）is the Japanese take on Dan Dan noodles. In this dish, ramen noodles are swimming in a deliciously balanced soup with hot spiciness from chili oil and a melow nutty sweetness from soy milk and sesame paste. The best part about Tantanmen is that the broth does not need to be cooked for hours!

Recently, I came across an interesting Tantanmen recipe by Youtuber Marion’s Kitchen. Her version uses pork and far more exotic ingredients than I had in my kitchen, so I decided to tweak it a little and gave it my own little twists.

Before you begin, have a look at the original recipe:

Although my recipe isn’t 100% the same, it still turned out flavorful and delicious.

I replaced a few of the ingredients with more accessible and practical ingredients that I purchased from Chef ME at home. They have a wide selection of Asian ingredients that go very well with this recipe. I purchased the ramen noodles and the chili sambal paste from this website.

There are 5 essential elements to prepare for this ramen recipe:

soy broth
meat mince (chicken for me)
soup flavoring paste
chili oil (you can make this at home)
ramen noodles
egg, bakchoy, nori leaves for topping (optional)

Easy Tantanmen Ramen Recipe

Modified from MarionsKitchen.com

3 cups chicken stock
1 cup unsweetened soy milk
200 grams ramen noodles (My ramen is from Chef ME At Home)
2 softboiled eggs (optional, for topping)
2 baby bok choy (optional, for topping)
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
150 grams meat mince (the original recipe calls for pork but i used chicken)
1 tsp ginger (finely grated)
1 tbsp chilli bean paste (I used sambal from Chef ME At Home)
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp sake (optional. for halal version, skip sake)
2 tbsp white sesame paste (i used a mix of tahini and peanut butter)
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp white vinegar
2 tbsp spring onion (finely sliced, white part only)
2 tbsp chilli oil (make your own by frying vegetable oil, chilli flakes, chopped garlic, and sea salt)

To make the spicy chicken topping, heat the oil in a wok or frying pan over high heat. Add the garlic, minced chicken, and ginger and stir-fry until almost cooked. Add the chilli bean paste (I used sambal) and stir-fry for another minute. Add the soy sauce and sake (optional). Turn the heat to low and gently simmer for 3-4 minutes or until most of the sauce has been absorbed. Remove from heat and set aside until ready to serve.
For the soup flavoring paste, in a small bowl combine the sesame paste (or tahini/peanut butter), soy sauce, vinegar, spring onion, and 1 tbsp chili oil. Set aside until ready to serve.
To make the soup, add the chicken stock and soy milk into a large pot over high heat. Bring it to a simmer.
Cook the ramen noodles and bok choy in boiling water.
Divide the soup flavoring paste among serving bowls. Ladle over the hot soup, mixing to combine. Divide the ramen noodles among the serving bowls. Top with spicy chicken and bok choy. Add an egg and serve.