Tantanmen Recipe
Spicy pork and chicken broth made with ground sesame & almond milk, shredded pork belly, takana, bok choy, soy egg, sweet onion
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Ingredients
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Broth & Base
Meat Topping (Spicy Shredded Pork Belly)
Noodles & Vegetables
Soy Eggs (Ajitsuke Tamago)
Finishing & Oil
Method
Soy Eggs (Ajitsuke Tamago)
- 1
Soft-boil eggs
Bring a pot of water to a gentle boil. Carefully lower 4 large eggs and simmer for 6 minutes for soft set yolks. Immediately transfer eggs to an ice bath for 5 minutes to stop cooking.
- 2
Meat Topping (Spicy Shredded Pork Belly)
- 3
Roast pork belly
Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Score fat side lightly. Rub pork belly with 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Place on rack in a roasting pan and roast 45–60 minutes until internal temp reaches 165–185°F and fat renders. Remove and let cool slightly, then shred or thinly slice into bite-sized strips.
- 4
Cook ground pork
While pork belly roasts, heat 2 tbs vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add minced ginger and garlic, cook 30 seconds until fragrant. Add 8 oz ground pork and brown, breaking into small pieces. Stir in 1 tsp doubanjiang, 1 tbs soy sauce, 1 tbs sake, and 1 tsp brown sugar. Cook 3–4 minutes until sauce reduces and pork is coated. Taste and season with remaining salt if needed. If you prefer a more chili-forward flavor, add extra doubanjiang or chili oil now.
- 5
Combine shredded pork belly
Fold the shredded pork belly into the seasoned ground pork mixture just before serving so you have a textural contrast of shredded and ground meat. Keep warm on low heat.
Broth & Base
- 6
- 7
Make sesame-almond base
In a small bowl whisk together 3 tbs sesame paste, 1 tbs ground toasted sesame, 2 tbs chili oil (or tobanjan), 1 cup almond milk, 1 tbs soy sauce, 1 tbs mirin and 1 tps sesame oil until smooth. If mixture is very thick, warm gently to loosen and stir in 1–2 tbs hot broth to emulsify.
- 8
Combine and season
Strain the infused stock to remove ginger and garlic, return to pot and bring to a gentle simmer. Whisk in the sesame-almond mixture and 1 tbs miso paste. Taste and adjust with 1–2 tsp rice vinegar for brightness, more soy for saltiness, or extra chili oil for heat. Keep warm on very low heat; do not boil hard once almond milk and sesame are added to avoid separation.
- 9
Add ground almonds for texture
Stir in 2 tbs crushed roasted almonds to add body and a subtle nutty texture to the broth. Let sit off heat for a minute so flavors meld.
Noodles & Vegetables
- 10
- 11
Blanch bok choy and warm takana & onion
In the noodle cooking water, briefly blanch bok choy halves 30–45 seconds until bright green and tender-crisp. Remove and set aside. In a small skillet, warm the drained takana and sliced sweet onion with a teaspoon of sesame oil over medium heat 1–2 minutes just to take edge off the raw onion and warm the takana; this removes excess brine and melds flavors.
Assembly & Garnish
- 12
Ladle broth
Give the broth a final gentle stir. Ladle about 1 1/2 cups of hot sesame-almond broth over the noodles in each bowl, dividing evenly.
- 13
Top bowls
Arrange a portion of the spicy shredded pork belly and ground pork mixture in the center of each bowl. Add 2 bok choy halves per bowl (or divide evenly), a spoonful (about 2 Tbs) of warmed takana and a few slices of sweet onion. Halve the soy eggs and place one half (or a whole halved egg) on each bowl.
- 14
Finish with oils and garnishes
Drizzle a little chili crisp (about 1/2 tsp) and remaining chili oil around the bowl for heat. Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds, sliced scallions, and a pinch of crushed roasted almonds. Add white pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
