On my ramen tour of Tokyo, I was taken to La Show Han for tantanmen. The name translates to '‘red hot chili noodle,” and the dish is a Japanese adaptation of a Szechwan-style spicy noodle dish known as Dan Dan noodles. I ordered a spectacular mazemen (brothless) style premium tantanmen with the perfect amount of heat - not too overpowering but with just enough kick to remind you of what it is. Without a heavy soup, the flavors of the individual spices stood out. The owner Kenichi Okada, even took a selfie with our group. It’s one of my favorite souvenirs from the trip. His tantanmen is the inspiration for this recipe. so I’ve tried my best Kenichisan, but if you want the real deal, you’ll have to visit his shop in Tokyo.
Optional to make or purchase: Ramen Noodles (3 hours)
Spicy Pork Tantanmen
Ingredients
- 1 red bell pepper
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 lb ground pork
- 2 tsp chili oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp shoyu (soy sauce)
- 2 tbsp chili paste
- ¼ cup sesame paste or tahini
- 1/8 tsp Szechwan peppercorns, ground (you can substitute Tasmanian pepper)
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 3 green onions, chopped (1 tbsp per serving)
- 6 tbsp unsalted peanuts, crushed (1 tbsp per serving)
- 1 bunch daikon radish sprouts (you can substitute alfalfa sprouts; small pile per serving)
- Sesame oil
- 3 tsp of chili paste (1/2 tsp per serving)
Instructions
- Heat the whole pepper over an open flame on a gas stove or grill until all sides are completely black and charred.
- Remove the skin from the pepper and slice open, removing the stem and seeds.
- Puree the pepper in a food processor or a blender. Set aside.
- Heat the sesame oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the ground pork and cook until no longer pink, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Remove the pork and pulse in a food processor until it becomes a fine mince.
- Warm chili oil in the wok at medium-high heat and add the minced pork.
- Stir in the red pepper puree, salt, sugar, shoyu, chili paste, sesame paste and ground peppercorns and fry until all of the aromatics combine.
- Boil a pot of water for your noodles. Add in the chicken stock, bring to a boil and turn down to simmer for 10 minutes to absorb all of the spices. Stock should evaporate a little and sauce will be thick.
- Boil the noodles—if fresh, boil for about 1 minute; if packaged, boil for about 2 minutes. As soon as they’re done, drain well and separate into serving bowls.
- Pour 3/4 cup of the sauce into a bowl, top with noodles and garnish with, green onions, peanuts, daikon radish sprouts, a drizzle of sesame oil, and chili paste.
