Tsukemen: Make your own cold ramen noodles with hot dipping sauce

Tsukemen is one of the most popular ramen recipes in Japan, particularly during the hot summer months, but it’s also a real treat on warm days in late autumn! Cold ramen noodles are served alongside a bowl of hot, hearty broth and light toppings. The contrast between the cold noodles and the hot broth tastes absolutely stunning!

Tsukemen recipe image

Could there be anything better than a classic bowl of Ramen? The answer is quite clear: YES!

Because tsukemen is absolute soul food! The broth – or hearty dipping sauce – has a rich depth of flavour thanks to the red Miso paste and the slight heat of the Korean chilli paste. The pan-fried pork belly, together with the Shiitake and Shimeji mushrooms, complement each other wonderfully in flavour and are really filling!

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The origins of this dish can be traced back to the Japanese metropolis of Tokyo. In the late 1950s, on hot summer’s days, the staff at a famous Tokyo ramen restaurant reportedly ate the cold ramen noodles left over from preparing meals for guests, served with a simple hot soup made from a soya sauce . This kept the ramen noodles nice and cold and provided the staff with a quick, easy (and, of course, inexpensive) pick-me-up.

A few curious customers noticed this unconventional combination, and one thing led to another. By the 1970s, the dish was already well known throughout Japan – and today, tsukemen has become an indispensable part of restaurant menus.

The main difference between a standard bowl of ramen and tsukemen is that, in the latter, the noodles and the soup are served separately. The noodles, which are best served ice-cold, don’t soak up too much of the broth and retain their pleasant firmness. The broth, in turn, stays very hot, ensuring the flavour remains truly intense. This also means that with this Ramen dish, it’s not the broth that takes centre stage, but the noodles!

Fresh, homemade ramen noodles are my first choice for this – you can find my recipe here:Make your own ramen noodles – traditional recipe with kansui

Making your own ramen noodles – Step 13: Done

Alternatively, you can buy Japanese ramen noodles (im Shop ansehen) and prepare tsukemen in no time at all!

Once the noodles have been cooked, they are immediately rinsed in a bowl of plenty of ice-cold water and then thoroughly drained. This preserves their texture, prevents them from sticking together and ensures they absorb the soup very well when added.

Finish it off with a few toppings that delight both the eye and the palate, such as finely chopped spring onions, soft-boiled eggs, Katsuobushi (bonito flakes), a little narutomaki (from the frozen food aisle) and chopped nori sheets:

Tsukemen Step 11: Done

To enjoy this summery tsukemen, pick up a few strands of ramen noodles with your chopsticks, dip them into the soup and then slurp them up! So, have fun and good luck preparing this delicious tsukemen with its savoury dipping soup:

Tsukemen recipe image

Tsukemen

Serves 2 | 20 minutes | 775 kcal

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Tsukemen is one of the most popular ramen recipes in Japan, particularly during the hot summer months, but it’s also a real treat on warm days in late autumn! Cold ramen noodles are served alongside a bowl of hot, hearty soup and light toppings. The contrast between the cold noodles and the hot broth tastes absolutely stunning!


Ingredients (2 portions)

2 portions Ramen noodles (im Shop ansehen)* or make your own (to the recipe)
100 g pork belly
20 g ginger (fresh)
3 garlic cloves
4 Shiitake mushrooms (fresh or dried (im Shop ansehen)*)
1/2 packet Shimeji mushrooms
2 spring onions
1 tbsp sesame oil (im Shop ansehen)*

For the dipping soup:
120 ml mentsuyu (see recipe) or buy (im Shop ansehen)*
1 tbsp Miso paste (im Shop ansehen)*
1 tbsp gochujang *
1 tbsp soya sauce *
1 tsp rice vinegar *

For the topping:
2 eggs (soft-boiled)
5 g Katsuobushi (bonito flakes) (im Shop ansehen)*
a little narutomaki (from the frozen food section)
1 nori sheet (im Shop ansehen)*

Useful equipment:
Japanese Yukihiara saucepan
Santoku knife (im Shop ansehen)
Ramen bowl from Japan (im Shop ansehen)


Zubereitung (20 Minuten)

Tsukemen Zutaten

1. Schritt

Prepare the ingredients for the homemade tsukemen and soft-boil the eggs depending on their size, peel them and cut them in half.
Defrost a piece of about 5 cm from the narutomaki ; the rest can go back in the freezer. Cut into thin slices using a large knife.
If using dried Shiitake mushrooms, soak them in cold, fresh water for about 1 hour beforehand.


Tsukemen Step 2: Prepare the mentsuyu sauce

2. Schritt

Außerdem sollte nun die Mentsuyu (hier zum Rezept) bereitstehen. Wenn eine eingekaufte Mentsuyu verwendet wird, bitte daran denken, diese im Verhältnis 1:4 zu verdünnen, da es sich dabei um ein Konzentrat handelt (für 120ml Mentsuyu kommen auf 30ml Konzentrat 90ml frisches Wasser)!


Tsukemen Schritt 3 Nudelwasser kochen

3. Schritt

In einem großen Topf Wasser für die Ramen Nudeln (pro Portion Nudeln einen Liter Wasser) zum Kochen bringen.


Tsukemen Schritt 4 Zutaten vorbereiten

4. Schritt

Parallel wird die heiße Dipping Sauce zubereitet: Dazu den Schweinebauch in etwa 1cm breite Steifen schneiden.
Den Knoblauch mit dem Messerrücken leicht andrücken, anschließend die Haut entfernen. Den Ingwer schälen. Anschließend beides ganz fein hacken.


Tsukemen Schritt 5 Zutaten vorbereiten

5. Schritt

Die Stängel der Shiitake Pilze entfernen und die Pilzköpfe in 1cm breite Scheiben schneiden. Den Wurzelballen der Shimeji Pilze entfernen und die Pilze locker vereinzeln.
Frühlingszwiebeln waschen, trockentupfen und in feine Ringe schneiden. Weiße und grüne Teile separat voneinander legen.


Tsukemen Schritt 6 Sauce vorbereiten

6. Schritt

In einer Schüssel rote Miso Paste, Gochujang, Sojasauce und Reisessig vermischen. Dann etwas (etwa 5 EL) von der Mentsuyu hinzufügen und wiederum verrühren (so lässt sich die Paste im nächsten Schritt besser unterrühren).


Tsukemen Schritt 7 Sauce vorbereiten

7. Schritt

Nun die restliche Mentsuyu und die vermischte Miso-Gochujang-Paste in einen Topf geben, verrühren und bereitstellen.


Tsukemen Schritt 8 Nudeln garen

8. Schritt

Add the ramen noodles to the boiling water and cook for 2 minutes (or according to the cooking instructions on the packet). Then drain in a colander and rinse thoroughly with ice-cold water. The noodles must be completely cooled.
Divide the well-drained Ramen between two plates or shallow bowls and arrange with the halved eggs, finely chopped nori sheets, a few slices of narutomaki and the white parts of the spring onion.


Tsukemen Schritt 9 Sauce kochen

9. Schritt

Dann in einem weiteren mittelgroßen Topf das Sesamöl bei starker Hitze erwärmen und den gehackten Ingwer sowie Knoblauch kurz anbraten. Den Schweinebauch hinzugeben und alles vermischen. Sobald der Schweinebauch nicht mehr rosa ist, die Pilze hinzufügen und ebenfalls anbraten.


Tsukemen Schritt 10 Sauce kochen

10. Schritt

Now stir in the mentsuyu-Miso sauce and let everything simmer gently over a medium heat for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the green parts of the spring onion , then stir them in.


Tsukemen Step 11: Done

Step 11

Pour the finished dipping soup into two bowls and garnish with Katsuobushi. Serve hot alongside the cold ramen noodles.
Using chopsticks, pick up some ramen or toppings, dip them into the hot broth and enjoy. Done – Itadakimasu!


Tsukemen cover photo

Are you looking for even more wonderful Ramen creations from Japan? Here you’ll find my most popular Ramen recipes:

Has anyone tried this recipe yet? Let me know in the comments – I’m really looking forward to hearing from you.

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