From Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories · 2016-2019 · Reconstructed
Tan-Men
Serve when
Serve when Master tells Mr. Shimada that tan-men only works with fresh noodles, never the instant dried kind he uses for ramen.
In the series
Season 1
- S1E1 · 00:02:43 Master explains to radio DJ Mr. Shimada that tan-men, unlike his instant ramen, is made with fresh noodles — the detail that opens the whole episode
In the series
The episode opens the whole Netflix run on a small, specific point of pride: Master's insistence that tan-men needs fresh noodles, not the instant dried noodles he uses for regular ramen. It's a fitting first scene — the show spends the next nineteen episodes making the same argument about food in general, one bowl at a time.
Ingredients
- For the broth:
- For the toppings:
- For serving:
Method
- Bring the stock to a simmer with soy sauce, sake, salt, and sesame oil. Keep it hot but not boiling hard.
- Heat the oil in a wok over high heat and stir-fry the pork until just cooked through, then add cabbage, carrot, bean sprouts, and wood ear mushrooms. Stir-fry until the cabbage is bright and just wilted, not soft.
- Boil the fresh ramen noodles according to the package, usually under two minutes, and drain well.
- Divide the noodles between two bowls, ladle over the hot broth, and pile the stir-fried vegetables and pork on top.
- Finish with scallions and a dusting of white pepper.
Substitutions
- Fresh ramen noodles: If you can't find fresh noodles at an Asian grocer, dried ramen noodles work — just don't call it a cheat in front of Master. The dish still needs the vegetable stir-fry to read as tan-men rather than plain ramen.
- Wood ear mushrooms: Sliced shiitake give a similar chew if wood ear isn't available.