Tantanmen (Spicy Sesame Ramen)

When I used to work in a Japanese restaurant, this noodle soup was one of the more popular ones. Apparently, a lot of Japanese love spicy ramen.  I don't have a high tolerance for spicy food so I never really prepared it. But since my husband loves spicy food, I try to fix something to make him happy. He does go on a diet with me anyway, so it's just right to let him have something he likes.

TanTanMen is a Japanese version of the Sichuan DanDan Mian. DanDan Mian is served with preserved vegetable but the Japanese version that I have seen is just ground meat.

This dish is one of the simple ones I have fixed.  I have cooked some that are very labor intensive and has a lot of ingredients ( I have built my Japanese pantry so the ingredients are a kitchen staple for me).  Since I am cooking for just two people, sometimes it's not worth the trouble.

What makes this dish delicious is browning the meat and the addition of ground sesame seeds.

Just a warning though, since this dish is spicy, you might need an extra glass of beverage and tissue.  It will make your nose run (sorry for giving too much information).

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 tsp chili oil

1 large clove of garlic, grated

1 tbsp ginger, grated

1 tbsp chili paste (Korean GoChuJang)

1/2 lb lean ground pork

5 cups unsalted stock

1 tbsp ground sesame seeds

1 tbsp sweet miso (substitute with regular miso plus mirin or sugar)

1 tbsp rice vinegar

1 tbsp sesame oil

chopped green onions for garnish

2 packs fresh egg noodles

Directions

In a pot on medium high, heat the chili oil. Add ginger and cook until slightly brown.  Add garlic and chili paste. Cook until fragrant.

Add pork and cook until brown.  Set aside 2 spoonfuls of cooked meat for topping later.

Add the chicken stock, ground sesame seeds and sweet miso paste. Bring to a boil then turn down the heat to medium low.

In a separate pot, cook ramen noodles according to the packet instructions. Remember to undercook the noodles since it will continue cooking after it is mixed with the broth.

Transfer noodles to separate bowls.  Pour the broth over the noodles and top it with the reserved browned meat and garnish with chopped green onions. 

Galbi (Korean BBQ)

Ingredients

4-6  pounds of Korean short-ribs

1 1/2 cups  soy sauce

3/4 cup white sugar

1/4 cup sesame oil

5 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 of a medium yellow onion, chopped

3 large green onions, cut into small pieces

2 tbl toasted sesame seeds

1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes

DIRECTIONS:

Place ribs in a large ziplock bag or a dish that can hold them all  (I used a large pot with lid).  Combine all the ingredients together and stir for 1 minute.  Pour the marinade into the pot, dish, or ziplock  over the meat making sure ll the ribs have been coated.  Cover and refrigerate over night.  The next morning make sure to place the ribs that were on the bottom on top, and vice versa.  Continue to refrigerate until its time to grill.

Heat grill to medium-high heat and when the grill is nice and hot add meat.  Grill each side for 3-4 minutes.  Garnish with addional slices of green onion and toasted sesame seeds.

Braised Ginger Beef

During your trips to the supermarket, do you even give any attention to the recipe cards that the store gives out for free?  When I run out of fresh ideas, I check out those recipes and buy all the ingredients from the store.  They usually put these recipes together to promote their items (doesn't really mean you have to buy the exact brand).

Here's one of those supermarket recipes I found.

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs beef (chuck roast or ribs cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes)

1 onion, chopped

3 tbsp. light soy sauce

2 tbsp. hoisin sauce (can be found in the asian section of your grocery)

1 tbsp. grated ginger

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 organic beef broth

8 oz shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced (you can also use dried shiitake mushrooms and soak them in warm water for 30 minutes)

2 tbsp. cornstrach

2 green onions, chopped (for garnish)

Directions

In a large bowl, combine beef, onion, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, ginger and garlic.  Rub marinade on the beef.  Cover and marinate for 8 hours.

Transfer marinated beef mixture to a slow cooker.  Add broth and stir.

Cook on low for 10 hours or until beef is tender.  (Temperature could be increased if you want a shorter cook time)

Increase heat to high and add mushrooms.

In a small bowl, make a slurry by combining cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water.  Add slurry to the tenderized beef. Cook until the sauce thickens.

Top with green onions and serve with steamed rice.