Recipe: Tantanmen - Spicy sesame ramen

Recipe: Tantanmen - Spicy sesame pork ramen (Serves 2)

Pork mince

• 250 g pork mince
• Sesame oil for frying
• Mirin to taste
• 2 tbspn soy sauce
• 2 tbspn Doubanjiang
• Optional: 1 tspn Shiro miso

Soup

• 3 tbspn Chimajyan sesame paste
• 1 tbspn Rayu Japanese chili oil
• 1 tbspn Black Zhenjiang Vinegar (Optional)
• 3 cups water
• 1 cup chicken or pork bone broth

Noodle and toppings

• 2 serves ramen noodle
• Wilted greens (bok choy / spinach / mustard greens) 
• 1 cup corn
• Soft boiled egg 
• Diced scallion
• 1 tspn Beni Shoga red pickled ginger
• Other toppings of choice: Menma bamboo shoots, cubed tofu, bean sprouts

Method : Pork

• Heat the sesame oil in a pan and add the minced pork, fry until brown
• Add the doubanjiang and soy and stir fry. 
• Doubanjiang is a Chinese spicy miso / black bean sauce with a killer spicy umami richness, I recommend Lao Gan Ma "Chili Oil with Fermented Soy Beans" which should be available at all Asian supermarkets. 
• Add Mirin 1 tbspn at a time until desired sweetness is reached
• If desired add white (shiro) miso at this point to add even more umami
• Turn the pork off the heat and set asside

Method : Soup

I cheat and start with a tonkatsu soup base because roasting bones is not my idea of a good time, however if you feel strongly about this please refer to this recipe for tonkotsu broth from Serious Eats and prepare 4 cups of liquid.

• I am aiming for 1.5 - 2 cups of broth per person you can adjust the liquid levels to your tastes
• Prepare your tonkotsu broth, if using a base then add 3 cups of water and 1 cup of bone broth per 2 people
• Heat the broth while you prepare the sesame paste
• In a small bowl combine the rayu hot sesame oil and roasted sesame paste, then add to the soup
• Stir until well integrated and the soup has reached serving temperature
• If desired more rayu or sesame paste can be added to taste or black (Zhenjiang) vinegar used to balance

Method: Noodle and toppings

• Pre-boil eggs while preparing soup or earlier in the day, if desired season with tea or soy. Eggs can be set aside and served at room temperature as they will warm with the soup
• Boil the noodles and greens until al dente then drain, spoon per person servings into ramen bowls
• Cook corn and set asside
• Cut or cube any other toppings into bite sized pieces that can be collected with a spoon and chopsticks
• Spoon soup over the noodles until the noodles are almost covered (~1.5 - 2 cups)
• Top the soup with pork, egg cut in half, vegetables and remaining toppings in a circle
• Top the pork with scallions and / or beni shoga 
• Remember ramen is designed to be customisable, add or remove toppings if my defaults are not to your taste
• Serve with your favourite noodle bowls and anime =^.^=

One variation is to top with fried pork belly or chashu in place of the seasoned minced pork.

Review: Nana Ramen, Brooklyn

Well it's been snowing up a serious storm in NYC this week so we were happy to hear the latest chapter in the Brooklyn gentrification odyssey is an authentic ramen restaurant in Bed Stuy.



Nana Ramen lovingly blends authentic fresh noodles and tonkotsu broth with Brooklyn filament bulbs and hipster beards with great results and I'm pretty sure we'll be regulars from here on out.

Chicken Karaage $7USD 

This is an excellent rendition of a ramen house staple. The chicken is juicy and the batter is light and lacks any trace of oil. The pieces are well sized to really maximise on the delicious sesame karaage batter as well. Served simply with a spicy mayo sauce and lemon slice. The serving size is actually a little larger than pictured, we couldn't help ourselves on arrival and ate two pieces before we remembered to take photos. 

Agedashi Tofu $7USD 

I really liked the presentation of 4 squares each with traditional agedashi toppings on them (ginger and daikon, scallions, seaweed and katsuoboshi), you could easily combine on a single piece if that was more to your style. The coating was light and the frying didn't make the dish too heavy, the real star though is the broth which is a fantastic sweet soy broth. My only wish is that this had been silken tofu rather than cotton tofu but well ... you can't have everything for $7 in the back streets of Brooklyn!

Spicy Miso Ramen $13USD

Built on a tonkotsu base with thinner style noodles this dish comes with egg, scallion corn and chashu pork. The spicy mix is interesting and deviates slightly from a traditional Japanese mix but is nonetheless delicious particularly with the creamy tonkotsu. The chashu is particularly excellent tightly rolled and well seasoned. 

Black Tonkotsu $13USD

Black garlic oil tonkotsu is an unusual ramen to appear on menus particularly in the US so I was very intrigued and boy did they deliver. Thick fresh chewy noodles are in a super creamy tonkotsu broth topped with a healthy splash of roasted garlic oil. I ordered mine with extra egg and fresh bamboo shoots. This was the perfect dose of warm soup belly in the NY winter weather. My only complaint is that the bowl could have used more soup, but since this is an option for ordering then I will just get a larger serving in the future. 

I'm super excited by the arrival of this business in walking distance of my house and will be definitely eating my way through the menu. They have a tan-tan-men which is my all time favourite and a curry ramen as well as a Tokyo style shoyu with tsukune that has me intrigued. For appetizers there are home made gyoza and takoyaki amongst others to explore. 

Like any new food business in Brooklyn Nana Ramen is currently being loved to death by the local hipsters so expect to wait for a while or go at unusual times. Our plan of going for a walk in the snow when most people were hiding inside paid off and we immediately got a table. Service is friendly but basic, cash only so stock up on the way. 

Nana Ramen

https://www.facebook.com/nanaramen/

330 Malcolm X Blvd

Brooklyn, New York 11211

Authentic ramen in Brooklyn, simple but definitely worth a stop

Yamadaya Ramen, Japantown San Francisco

Regular readers of my blog know how much I love ramen and particularly tonkotsu ramen - a milky pork broth made with lots of collagen. So when I found out there was a tonkotsu specialty restaurant mere blocks from my house I got very excited. 

We were not disappointed on arrival, this is the best and most authentic ramen joint in San Francisco today. Most ramen places in the Bay Area have either great soup or great noodles but not both. Yamadaya is the restaurant that is the exception to prove the rule. A simple Japanese style menu with a handful of options and multiple additions focuses on high quality but simple comfort food fare. Yamadaya has become our "go to" ramen restaurant and we've eaten repeatedly since finding it. Given our Japantown location this is a real sign - with all the choice of noodle restaurants this is where we choose repeatedly.

The secret to the gooey thick soup is printed on the wall - masses of pork bones are boiled down for their collagen for 20 hours to produce delicious fatty goodness. 

The decor is simple with wooden booths and shared tables very reminiscent of Osaka hole in the wall eateries. 

Yona Yona Ale $9USD

Yamadaya features a range of imported and craft beers on tap and in bottles / cans. Standard fare like Sapporo and Kirin are available but also this Yona Yona Ale, Ebisu, Koshihikari Eichigo and more. The beers are rotated on a regular basis so look for something new each time. Be careful to watch the price tag of the beers since rarer options like this beer are hefty in price. Mass imports like Sapporo are much more affordable. 

Torii karaage $6.95USD

Appetizers like this fried chicken dish are cheap and good quality. Good quality meat is used, the oil is fresh and the dishes come out piping hot. Healthier fare like Miso Soup ($2USD) and Edamame ($2.95USD) are also available and all go great with a beer. 

Teishoku add on set - curry rice and salad $3.95USD

Order your ramen as a teishoku (meal set) and you can have a choice of small salad or rice and a small serving of a main dish like dumplings, curry, spicy tuna or karaage. 

Tonkotsu ramen $9.25USD

The 'standard' tonkotsu ramen at Yamadaya comes with half an egg, a slice of chashu roast pork and vegetables. Tokyo style soy tonkotsu and kotteri style with garlic oil can also be ordered as variants. 

All the tonkotsu dishes come with thin style Japanese wheat noodles common in tonkotsu. If you're looking for thick noodles similar to what you would get in a miso ramen order "thick type noodles" for an extra 50c. The money is worth it the thick noodles are chewy and delicious, just the right level of al dente. 

Cheese ramen $12.95USD

Plain tonkotsu broth and noodles are served with a mountain of shaved fresh parmesan cheese that melts into a gooey mess with the pork fat. I recommend adding a fizzy drink and some vegetables to cut through all that fat. Great as a comforting but slightly bland meal for the sick.

Spicy Tonkotsu $9.75USD

This is my go to meal when eating noodles and really hard to get past how excellent it is. Spicy tonkotsu (level 3 hot hot hot!) is served with a fermented chili miso paste, eggs and pork. 

I always add the thick noodles and if you're extra hungry add the Yamadaya Special to any dish with both chashu and kakuni (belly) pork, extra egg, seaweed and bamboo shoots. My only wish is that they would do this dish as a tsukemen (dipping noodles) since their only tsukemen has fish based broth which I think negates the point of going to a tonkotsu specialist.

Unlike many Japanese restaurants there is also a vegan and vegetarian option made with salt or soy milk. Bento boxes and donburi rice dishes are also available and suitable for children but I always recommend eating the house specialty so go for the noodles. 

Service is as you might expect in a high turn over Japanese restaurant, fast efficient service but minimal on English and niceties. The restaurant is wildly popular on Friday / Saturday nights and during Japantown / Filmore Street festivals, I recommend eating early (~5pm) to avoid waiting. Highly recommended, definitely our choice of the Japantown eateries. 

Ramen Yamadaya

http://www.ramen-yamadaya.com/

1728 Buchanan St
San Francisco, CA 94115

Casual noodle eatery and tonkotsu ramen specialty restaurant

Recipe: Hiyashi Chuka (Cold sesame ramen salad)

It's mid Summer here in San Francisco and the heat is turning everyone to cool salad dishes. One of my Seasonal favourites is this cold salad ramen dish. You can top it with just about any leftovers or vegetables you have in the fridge!

Hiyashi Chuka (Cold sesame ramen salad)

Noodle salad:

1 pack of fresh ramen noodles 

1 boiled egg

1/4 cup diced ham or chicken

1/4 cup julienne carrot

1/4 cup julienne cucumber

1/4 cup sweet corn

2 tbspn benishoga pickled red ginger

Dressing:

3 tbspn Japanese rice vinegar 

2 tbspn soy sauce 

2 tbspn sugar 

2 tspn sesame oil

Method

• Buy good quality fresh wheat ramen noodles at your local Asian supermarket like Sun noodles "instant ramen" style noodles will not do this justice
• Follow the instructions on the noodle packet - generally boiling in water for 2 mins until al dente is enough
• Pour your noodles into a strainer and rinse with cold water, this cools the noodles as well as removing the starch.

• You can prepare the noodles early and cool in the fridge but if you do this you should sprinkle with a half tbspn of sesame oil and then shake the oil through the noodles so they do not stick together. 
• In a small jar mix the dressing ingredients - vinegar, soy sauce, sugar and sesame oil. If you cannot find rice vinegar white vinegar  will work as a substitute

• Dice your salad vegetables and cold meat and slice your egg
• You can use whatever you have in the fridge - cold meat, vegetables and pickles. This combination of egg, meat, cucumber, corn, carrot and Japanese pickled ginger (benishoga) & eggplant (shibazuke) are classic.
• For a vegetarian / vegan adaptation omit the meat and egg and replace with firm silken tofu and more veges. 
• Lay the noodles into a shallow bowl and then arrange the salad ingredients on top - using contrasting colours adds to the effect
• Serve the dressing on the side so that the diners can add at the last minute - this ensures the noodles stay chewy and the salad ingredients crisp and fresh
• Serve with your favourite sushi and a cold drink!

Review: Mifune, Japantown San Francisco

Of all the restaurants in Japantown in San Francisco Mifune is the one that feels most like a real family restaurant from Japan. Specialising in family comfort food and good quality noodle dishes this is a great option for a casual date or a small group of friends looking for a drink and some down home Japanese cooking. Mifune is a semi regular restaurant option for us - whenever I'm eating carbs it's one of the first places I want to eat. Mifune was listed in the 2007 Michelin Guide for San Francisco, long since knocked off the list by high end eateries brought by tech dollars but it is in my mind still worth a stop for visitors checking out Japantown.

The decor is like something straight of a Japanese department store food hall bistro. Housed in the bottom of one of the Japantown mall buildings the restaurant is all dark wood, red paint and Japanese woodprints. Small fences provide privacy from other diners making dinner conversation relatively easy despite the restaurant generally being packed.

Imported Asahi $6USD

Import Japanese alcohol is available for sale like Asahi, Saporo and Sake. Importantly this is not the Asahi brewed in Canada which is usually sold in stores in the US and tastes completely different. 

Croquette $4.20USD

Served exactly as you might get them in Japan these crispy potato croquettes are filled with mash potato and covered in panko breadcrumbs. Served on a bed of cabbage with tonkatsu sauce - a sweet sticky BBQ sauce that goes well with meat and deep fried dishes. These croquettes are suspiciously uniform and look like they're made in a factory and possibly imported from Japan like most of the croquettes you can find in stores in Japantown. Don't let that put you off they're delicious and they go great with a cold beer or soda.

Kappamaki $4.20USD

Diced cucumber sushi appetiser is okay but not the best - mostly due to inferior sushi rice. My advice is stick to the noodle and fried comfort dishes.

Sukiyaki Nabe $9.80USD

Nabe is a Japanese take on noodle hot pot, this dish comes with Udon, sukiyaki beef and lots of vegetables. A cold salad comes as a set. The beef is good and the Udon is excellent but I find the nabe soup very thin, there are better dishes on the menu. I have a similar complaint with the ramen at Mifune, despite their excellent trade in noodles the broths are too thin to bother with.

Curry soba $7.80USD

Chewy delicious hand made soba noodles are served topped with a beef and vegetable Japanese style curry with pickled vegetables and egg. This is a very hearty dish and more than a bit messy, definitely one to eat on your own or with friends rather than a date you're trying to impress. That being said good quality noodles and thick moorish Japanese curry is a hard combination to beat. Don't expect anything ground breaking in the curry - this is very similar to boxed House curry but it has that delicious comfort food appeal. This dish can also be served with Udon noodles for the same price.

Zaru cha soba $6.50USD

This is not an easy dish to find in the US and definitely one of my favourites to order from Mifune. Buckwheat noodles are made with green tea, oiled and served cold with toppings like scallion, shaved daikon and seaweed. The noodles are chewy and pungent with tea, the dish is very simple but very filling and makes a great option for those looking for plain food. For the gluten free diners it's worth noting that buckwheat is not actually wheat and therefore this is a gluten free option.

Tenzaru Udon  $6.50USD

Thick chewy wheat udon noodles are oiled and served cold in a boat covered in tempura vegetables and prawn with a soy dipping sauce and toppings. The Udon is good if you like that texture but pales in comparison to the soba. 

Mifune special $8.50USD

This dish is very similar to the tenzaru udon - a half serve of Udon / Soba noodles is topped with vegetable and prawn tempura. A soy dipping sauce is provided for the noodles, mix the wasabi and vegetables into the dipping sauce to your taste. I recommend all the wasabi. This is a great one plate option of all the best of Mifune and at a very reasonable price making it a great option for a mid week meal or pre movie munch.

Tempura moriawase $6.00USD

If you order Tempura on it's own without noodles you will receive a large mixed plate that is more than enough as a meal on its own. A range of vegetables like broccoli, pumpkin, onion, sweet potato, capsicum are provided. Two huge Japanese sweet shrimp (ebi) , a piece of fish and a crispy fried seaweed cracker are also usually included. Actual inclusions vary week to week and seem to be seasonal. For six dollars this is a steal, the batter is always light and the oil fresh. 

Daimyo Set Meal (Teishoku) $14.00USD

This set meal really shows the Japanese chefs having adapted to the US market and providing more food than any one person can possibly eat. There are several other set meal options but this one includes a California roll, salad, full plate of tempura and a hot soy soba noodle dish with fish cakes and tea. All of the food is good quality but there really is too much of it and I eat half of most items and then look sadly at the rest. Because of the nature of the noodles and fried batter this is not a dish worth taking home for leftovers. If you are going to order a set meal at Mifune I suggest splitting it with a friend. 

Mifune is usually packed to the gills on the weekend, particularly if there is an event on in Japantown. No reservations are taken and a polite but firm queue is formed of hungry diners waiting for a table. If you're starving or have impatient family this might not be a great choice unless you come early or late. The key to their success is good quality simple food churned quickly. This means that you get efficient but possibly icy service. If you dawdle after finishing your meal the bill will be brought and your table cleared before you can say "should we stay for another beer?" My advice is after eating retire to another venue for drinks and conversation.

Mifune have two other restaurants in Japantown - Mifune Don is a casual diner serving rice bowls and Mifune Bistro is an upstairs option with lunch style dishes. Skip these and head to the main restaurant next to Isobune.

Mifune

http://www.mifune.com/

Japan Center Kintetsu Building: 

1737 Post Street

San Francisco, CA 94115

Review: Ramen Underground, San Francisco

Continuing on our mission to eat all the ramen in Japantown in San Francisco is Ramen Underground which has actually become a staple for us. The cute little izakaya style restaurant is tucked at the top of the Japantown shopping centre away from the maddening crowd during Summer festival season. 

The decor is decidedly traditional Japanese izakaya style with dark wooden fences and paper screens throughout. 

Gzyoza $4.95USD

Not amazing quality but definitely hand made fresh regularly. You can get them steamed or fried or even on top of your ramen. 

Tofu tomato salad $7.95USD

As someone who has trouble with dairy this Asian take on Caprese salad is perfect as a side for hot soup or during the warmer months. 

Spicy wings 3 for $4.95USD

Not quite buffalo not quite karaage these wings are slightly spicy with no heavy bread coating and a hint of sesame oil. 

Spicy sesame cold ramen salad $10.95USD

This cold ramen salad is a little deceptive as the sesame mayo dressing is far spicier than first appearance would allow. Served with cold corn, mushrooms, greens and a slice of roasted pork this is a great Summer alternative to hot soup.

Miso Ramen with Tofu $9.95USD

I find their miso soup a little thin, lacking the collagen that I like in a ramen but the miso is good and the tofu is fantastic. I do wish they would put more toppings in their ramen though since I feel I have to add multiple things before I get a full meal. 

Spicy miso chashu ramen $9.95USD

Sadly they lack a real tantanmen with that thick thick soup I love but since I don't eat much wheat anymore I usually order the noodles on the side so that I can enjoy the soup without all that carby bloat and related post lunch nap

Habanero ramen with Egg and Scallions $12.95USD

Phew this is all for my man and not for me; I like spice but not the sharp green flavour and afterburn of the Habanero. He however thinks this is the best ramen known to man. Add in an egg and a lot of scallions and he is a happy happy diner.

Spicy tonkotsu ramen with egg and tofu $13.95USD

Again the tonkotsu needs a little more depth and thickness for my taste but it is a very good broth and not too heavy on the stomach. Good quality soft boiled eggs and excellent tofu round out the dish. 

This is how you know you're eating in San Francisco.

The food is very good but the service can lack a little, they tend to hire Japanese students who don't always have restaurant experience. That said it's a great little lunch date place and conveniently placed near the Daiso and Kinokuniya making it a great place to sit down and review your purchases in or rest your weary feet. This is also one of the few places in Japantown that will do a vegetarian broth making it a good option to take vegetarian and vegan friends.

Ramen Underground

1675 Post St
San Francisco, CA 94115

http://www.ramenunderground.com/

Casual ramen restaurant in izakaya setting

Great for lunch

Review: Waraku, San Francisco

Our attempt to eat at all the ramen restaurants in Japantown, San Francisco continues and Waraku is an excellent staple with a slightly more upscale feel than the other offerings in the neighbourhood.

Waraku is definitely the kind of place you want to go to for a mid week meal or in the afternoon. The decor is wonderful and the staff attentive but the place can get very busy and I feel like they've added too many tables. This is definitely not a place for a first date, I feel like sometimes I am sitting at a table with strangers and I find their conversation invasive. Being only about a block from the Peacetown mall this is a surprisingly easy oasis during events in Japantown.

The food at Waraku has a limited menu but absolutely everything we've had there has been wonderful; so long as you're not after Vegetarian food.

Hanetsuki Gyoza $4.50USD

Thin skinned pork and vegetable dumplings are cooked in a way that causes a skin to form allowing you to play pull apart games with your friends. Good fun with good dumplings. 

Hiyayakko $4.50USD

Cold tofu is topped with generous amounts of ginger, scallion, dried nori and bonito. The tofu is obviously made fresh and has the telltale cottage look of air throughout. I would have preferred a slightly smoother tofu but one cannot knock fresh tofu in the US and this is a very good dish. 

Karaage $5.00USD

The ubiquitous fried chicken snack in a sesame and soy batter. This version is crisp and crunchy and not too oily. Thankfully the serves are also on the small side so you don't find yourself eating a day's worth of calories in one dish. 

Tofu salad $7.00USD

When I ordered the Tofu salad I was expecting a side dsish but instead a huge platter of tofu and greens came out. Served in a toasted sesame (goma) vinaigrette and simply covered in cubes of the freshly made tofu. Good for those avoiding the fried food. 

Kakuni-don $4.50USD

Small rice bowls can be bought on the lunch menu that are not much larger than a soup bowl and perfect for tasting a few things on the menue. This one is kakuni which is a braised fatty pork belly seasoned and topped with scallions.

Shoyu chashu ramen $10USD

A plain soy ramen served with wilted spinach, bamboo shoots, pork and egg. The noodles are a good quality chewy egg noodle. Tonkotsu (pork bone) soup is available for those who like a meatier soup and I find that this is the best broth of any of the ramen offerings in Japantown. If one could combine this soup with the noodles from Sapporo-ya you might almost have the perfect local ramen. 

They also offer a tsukemen tonkotsu version with the noodles on the side with a thicker soup for dipping for $9USD. Additional toppings like pork, mushrooms, sprouts and tofu can be added for $1-3USD. Their spicy miso ball (50c) can be added to any soup and is highly recommended for those who like a stronger ramen.

Tantanmen $9.00USD

Tantanmen is my all time favourite noodle dish and unfortunately Waraku only serves it during the colder months. Minced pork is fried in a sweet and savoury seasoning and served in a spicy sesame tonkotsu broth with coriander smoked egg.

The noodles are decent, the broths are good but the real star of this restaurant is the smoked soft boiled egg, order two it's worth it. Boiled to  soft gelatinous perfection you get one in the ramens but an extra can be ordered for $1USD or as a canape on their own for $4.50USD.

Waraku

http://www.warakuus.com/

1638 Post St

San Francisco, CA 94115

Upscale ramen eatery in Japantown, San Francisco