Tantanmen
House Noodles, Tonkotsu, Soboro, Peanut Butter, Soft Boiled Egg, Sesame Tantanmen Tare, Red Cabbage, Fresh Herbs
Chef Basil Yu of Yagi Noodles | Newport, RI
Adapted by StarChefs | September 2023
INGREDIENTS
Sesame Tantanmen Tare:
Yield: 1 quart
20 grams sesame oil
20 grams peeled ginger
20 grams garlic
350 grams sesame paste
350 grams gluten-free soy sauce
30 grams rice vinegar
56 grams sweet chile paste
20 grams honey
42 grams sambal
16 grams sriracha
16 grams salt
33 grams brown sugar
Tonkotsu:
Yield: 10 liters
5 kilograms pork bones
1 kilogram pork trotters
1 kilogram pork backfat
600 grams garlic
10 grams white peppercorns
Soboro:
Yield: 3 cups
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
½ onion, diced
1 pound ground pork
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced ginger
2 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons sweet bean paste
1 tablespoon mirin
1 tablespoon sake
Salt
Ramen Noodles:
2.85 kilograms whole wheat flour
60 grams tapioca starch
30 grams egg white powder
45 grams kansui
Cornstarch
To Assemble and Serve:
Yield: 1 serving
Kosher salt
1 ounce peanut butter
Soft-boiled egg
1 ounce chile crisp oil
1 ounce shaved red cabbage
5 cilantro leaves
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
1 tablespoon sliced scallions
METHOD
For the Sesame Tantanmen Tare:
In a sauté pan over medium flame, heat sesame oil. Add ginger and garlic and cook until golden brown. Stir in remaining ingredients. Using an immersion blender, blend until mixture is smooth. Transfer to an airtight container and reserve.
For the Tonkotsu:
Add bones and pork trotters to a large stockpot. Cover with enough water to submerge. Bring water to a boil, stirring frequently and skimming off any scum that rises to the surface. When no more scum accumulates, stir in pork fat. Cover and reduce heat to medium. Add garlic and peppercorns, then continue to cook 7 hours. Remove lid and bring mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and cook an additional hour, or until broth reaches 6 percent brix. Keep warm.
For the Soboro:
In a sauté pan over medium flame, heat oil. Add onion and sweat until soft and translucent. Increase heat to high and add pork. Cook until pork has browned. Add garlic and ginger and cook 1 minute, or until fragrant.Stir in all remaining ingredients. Continue cooking until mixture reduces and a glaze-like consistency is achieved. Keep warm.
For the Ramen Noodles:
In the bowl of stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add flour, starch, and egg white powder. Mix 5 minutes. Mix an additional 5 minutes while slowly incorporating kansui and 795 grams water. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix an additional 5 minutes, or until dough begins to form small clumps. Set aside and cover. Set pasta machine to the widest setting and feed dough through the machine. Fold the sheet in half and run through again with the roller set 75 percent to the widest setting. Fold dough in half again and feed through once more with the roller at the widest setting. Wrap dough in plastic and let rest. Gradually thin out the dough until it is 1.5 millimeters thick, dusting lightly with cornstarch towards the last few thinnings. Using a ramen machine with a #22 cutter, portion dough into 125 gram portions. The final noodles should be 1.2 millimeters thick and 1.2 millimeters wide.
To Assemble and Serve:
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook 4 ounces Ramen Noodles. Drain and set aside. Place peanut butter and 2 ounces Sesame Tantanmen Tare into the bottom of a serving bowl. Pour in 12 ounces Tonkotsu, then mix thoroughly. Drop in cooked ramen noodles. Top with 2 ounces Soboro followed by egg and chile crisp. Garnish with cabbage, cilantro, sesame seeds, and scallions.
