How do you pronounce tsukemen?

The "T" is quite soft and we don't really pronounce the "u" so it sounds like "tskeh-men" or even "skeh-men".

What is the difference between ramen and tsukemen?

Simply put, ramen is a noodle dish with soupy broth, whereas noodles and dipping broth are served separately for tsukemen. For more technicalities, I have explained in detail in the post.

What is the point of tsukemen?

You might think it's pointless to make tsukemen if noodles are mixed with broth anyway, but the broth of ramen and tsukemen are very different. Tsukemen dipping broth is thicker, saltier and richer and optimised for dipping use. Also, dipping broth of tsukemen is not meant to be drunk unless it's diluted with dashi (soup-wari).

Do you drink the broth in tsukemen?

Generally speaking, no. But depending on the restaurant, they might offer "soup-wari" service where they add dashi broth to dilute the broth so that it's not too rich and salty to drink as it is.

Is tsukemen hot or cold?

It's actually both. The noodles are served cold but the dipping broth is hot. The temperature difference is one of the attractions of tsukemen.

Does tsukemen have meat?

Yes, it usually have some kind of meat, often chashu pork.

What noodles are used in tsukemen?

Usually the thick type of ramen noodles are preferred over the thin ones.

15 Minute Spicy Tsukemen (Dipping Ramen)

Name: 15 Minute Spicy Tsukemen (Dipping Ramen)
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 1/2 tbsp sesame oil; 30g spring onion (white part) finely sliced; 1 chilli (dry or fresh) finely sliced; 1 clove garlic finely diced; 1 tbsp ginger finely diced; 50g pork mince; 1 tbsp tobanjan; 1 tbsp miso paste; 1 tbsp ground sesame seeds; 1 pinch black pepper; 300ml water; 1 tsp chicken bouillon powder; 1 tsp sugar; 1 tsp soy sauce; slurry (1 tbsp water and 1 tsp potato starch); 1 tsp sesame seeds to garnish; A dash of chili oil to garnish; 1 chilli finely sliced to garnish; 30g Chinese chives roughly chopped to garnish; 2 portions thick ramen noodles; Water for boiling; 1 tsp sesame oil; 1 tbsp spring onion (green part) finely chopped; Kizami nori (finely chopped seaweed); Narutomaki (Japanese fish cake); Menma (fermented bamboo shoots); 2 ramen eggs

Description

How to make spicy, aromatic Tsukemen dipping noodles with homemade soup! (Serves 2)

Ingredients

For the mince

1/2 tbsp sesame oil
30g spring onion (white part) finely sliced
1 chilli (dry or fresh) finely sliced
1 clove garlic finely diced
1 tbsp ginger finely diced
50g pork mince
1 tbsp tobanjan
1 tbsp miso paste
1 tbsp ground sesame seeds
1 pinch black pepper

For the soup

300ml water
1 tsp chicken bouillon powder
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp soy sauce
slurry (1 tbsp water and 1 tsp potato starch)
1 tsp sesame seeds to garnish
A dash of chili oil to garnish
1 chilli finely sliced to garnish
30g Chinese chives roughly chopped to garnish

Ramen noodles and toppings

2 portions thick ramen noodles
Water for boiling
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp spring onion (green part) finely chopped
Kizami nori (finely chopped seaweed)
Narutomaki (Japanese fish cake)
Menma (fermented bamboo shoots)
2 ramen eggs

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Instructions

Heat a large frying pan (it will need to fit the soup later) on medium low and add the sesame oil. Once hot, add the spring onion, chilli, ginger and garlic and fry until fragrant.
Once fragrant, turn up the heat to medium and add the pork mince. Fry until browned.
Next, add tobanjan, miso paste, black pepper and ground sesame. Mix well and stir fry for 1 minute.
Add the water and chicken stock powder, then bring it to a boil.
Once the liquid is boiling, turn down heat to simmer and add the soy sauce and sugar.
In a small separate bowl, mix the potato starch and cold water to make a slurry. Add the slurry to the soup and cook until slightly thickened, stirring continuously.
Once thickened, remove from the heat and place a lid on top of the pan to keep it hot until serving.
Cook the noodles according to the instructions on the packaging.
Once the noodles are cooked, pour them into a colander to drain the water and rinse with warm running water to remove excess starch.
Transfer the noodles to mixing bowl and drizzle with a dash of sesame oil. Mix until evenly coated and then divide onto serving plates. Top each portion with chopped spring onion, kizami nori and your choice of toppings.
Pour the soup into individual dipping bowls and top with Chinese chives, fresh chilli, sesame seeds and drizzle of chilli oil.
Enjoy!

Notes

Adjust the amount of chili and chili oil depending on your personal tolerance.

This recipe is moderately spicy, the spiciness can be lowered by reducing the chili, chili oil and tobanjan. (If you reduce tobanjan, I recommend increasing the amount of miso paste.)

NOTE: The nutritional value is based on when you drink up the dipping sauce, which we don't.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Category: Noodles
Method: Fry / Boil
Cuisine: Japanese

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