Tan Tan Udon

• Gather all the ingredients.

  

To Make the Soup

• Combine 2 cups chicken stock/broth and 1 cup unsweetened soy milk in a saucepan and bring it to a simmer.

  

• Add 1 Tbsp soy sauce and stir.

  

• Grind 4 Tbsp toasted white sesame seeds with a mortar and pestle (I use a Japanese suribachi and surikogi). Keep some seeds unground for texture.

  Nami's Tip: Freshly ground sesame adds a deeper aroma and richer flavor to the broth. Before grinding, you can develop more fragrance by briefly toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan, shaking frequently, until aromatic.

  

• Add half the ground sesame seeds (set aside the rest for garnish). Stir to combine with the soup. Reduce to the lowest setting and cover to keep warm while you prepare the other ingredients.

  Nami's Tip: Maintain a gentle simmer to prevent scorching. Soy milk can foam up and boil over quickly if heated too aggressively.

  

To Cook the Pork Mixture

• Thinly slice 2 green onions/scallions diagonally. Separate the white and green parts.

  

• Peel and grate 1 inch ginger (I use a ceramic grater). I use about 1 tsp. Preheat a frying pan over medium heat. Add 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil.

  

• Mince 2 cloves garlic (I use a garlic press) and add to the pan. Add the grated ginger with juice.

  

• Add 2 tsp doubanjiang (spicy chili bean paste). Sauté until fragrant with a spatula.

  

• Add the white part of green onion and sauté until wilted.

  

• Add 6 oz ground pork and cook, breaking up the chunks with a spatula. Cook until it's no longer pink.

  

• Add most of the green part of the green onion, reserving some for garnish. Stir to combine. Turn off the heat.

  

To Cook the Bok Choy and Udon

• Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. While you're waiting, cut 1 head Shanghai bok choy lengthwise into quarters. Rinse well under cold running water to remove the dirt between the leaves. Drain.

  Add the bok choy to the boiling water and blanch until tender, about 1½–2 minutes depending on the thickness. Remove with tongs or a strainer (keep the water boiling for the next step) and dunk the bok choy in a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking. Squeeze out the water when cool enough to handle and set aside.

  

• To the same pot of boiling water, add 2 servings udon noodles (frozen; no need to defrost). Heat until loosened; it may take less than the 1-minute cooking time on the package. Then, remove from the pot with tongs or a sieve and serve into individual bowls.

  

To Serve

• Pour the soup broth into the bowls. Spoon the pork mixture on top. Top with the bok choy and sprinkle with ground sesame seeds and green onions. Serve immediately and drizzle with optional la-yu (Japanese chili oil) at the table. Enjoy!

  

To Store

• Keep the soup broth and pork mixture in separate airtight containers and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can also freeze the pork mixture up to 3–4 weeks. Cook the frozen noodles right before serving.

Ingredient Notes

1. Udon noodles: I highly recommend frozen udon noodles for this recipe. My favorite is thick and chewy Sanuki udon from the freezer section of the Japanese market. If you can’t find it, cook 6.3 oz, 180 g dry udon noodles for 2 servings or 10.6 oz, 300 g Homemade Udon Noodles.
2. Ground pork: You can use ground chicken or ground turkey as a lighter alternative.
3. Doubanjiang: Use either the spicy or non-spicy type, or use gluten-free doubanjiang.
4. Unsweetened soy milk: Use Asian-style soy milk for the right flavor. Western soy milk, even unsweetened, often includes vanilla or natural flavors, while Asian soy milk is typically just soybeans and water for a cleaner, more savory taste. 
5. Toasted sesame seeds: Since this shortcut recipe doesn’t use sesame paste, feel free to increase the sesame seeds for a fuller sesame flavor.

Variations and Customizations

Looking to change things up? Try these easy and tasty ideas!

• Vegan/vegetarian. Use vegetable stock and replace the pork with firm tofu crumbles or finely chopped mushrooms.
• Change the creaminess. To make the creamy soup lighter or heavier, adjust the chicken stock, soy milk, and ground sesame (or use sesame paste).
• Use your choice of veggies. Top it with spinach, green cabbage, or other vegetables instead of baby bok choy.
• Serve it cold. In the summer, use cold soup broth.