Easy Pork Tsukemen Ramen (Dipping Ramen)

What is tsukemen ramen?

Tsukemen (or Japanese dipping noodles) is a dish where cold noodles are dipped in an intensely flavored dipping broth (kind of like a dipping sauce made with dried bonito and kombu) then eaten. The broth is then typically mixed with a dashi broth and sipped. It has a slightly different flavor than ramen.

It's different than a traditional ramen dish, which is typically thick noodles served in a hot ramen broth - like this tan tan ramen and instant pot ramen. Traditional styles of ramen include tonkotsu, spicy miso ramen, shio ramen and shoyu ramens.

Why this dipping ramen noodles recipe works

• The rich broth is packed with umami (savory) flavor from the bonito flakes (katsuobushi flakes), miso paste and soy sauce, making it so delicious and perfect for dipping tsukemen noodles with your chopsticks.
• The broth in this tsukemen recipe is very simple to make, only taking a few minutes. The whole meal is ready in 30 minutes!
• The crispy pork belly tastes absolutely amazing and chewy dipped in the tsukemen broth.
• A gooey soft boiled ramen egg just puts this over the top, as a gooey egg usually does 🙂
• The recipe uses thick ramen noodles, which have a springy, chewier texture than the thinner noodles.

Ingredients to make tsukemen

The full list of ingredients and amounts is included in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. Many of the ingredients below can be found in Asian grocery stores or Japanese grocery stores.

Any dried Japanese ramen noodles will work for this recipe. You can also use fresh ramen noodles if you can find them near you. You want to find a noodles with good quality and texture of the noodles.

**in a pinch, you can use soba noodles or somen as well. I find they actually work well for this recipe!

Use thinly sliced pork belly for this recipe. I like to look for pork belly that has a good ration of meat to fat. If it is too fatty is won't be as good served with the tsukemen. You can use pork shoulder instead of pork belly if needed as well.

Bonito flakes are thinly shaved slices of fish and add a wonderful umami flavor to the broth. Don't worry, it does not make it taste fishy at all.

I use a small amount of red miso (fermented soy bean paste) in this recipe. While not traditional, I think it adds an amazing amount of flavor. You can substitute white miso if you don't have red.

Mirin is a Japanese sweet fermented rice wine. It can be found at most grocery store in the Asian food section.

Chinese black vinegar is a strongly flavored vinegar that I really like in this dish. Many recipes use rice vinegar, but I like the flavor of this black vinegar.

Lastly, while these standard ramen eggs are not mandatory, they are so delicious and I recommend making them for your bowl of tsukemen. You can also try these sous vide soft boiled eggs.

Serving options and variations for tsukemen at home

In addition to the pork belly and ramen eggs, you can serve an array of different items with tsukemen:

• Menma, nori (seaweed), sliced hot chilies, steamed or roasted vegetables
• Pork chashu or kakuni, Japanese fish cake
• Top it with toasted sesame seeds and/or fried garlic
• Drizzle with a touch of chili oil, chili bean paste or even mix in some chili crisp to make spicy tsukemen
• Add a couple teaspoons of curry paste or curry powder to make curry tsukemen

Step by step instructions

Step 1: Cook the noodles and drain according to the package instructions. Drain the water, rinse with cold water then place in the fridge to chill while you prepare the rest of the items.

Step 2: Pour boiling water over the dried mushrooms and let them soak for 30-45 minutes, until softened.

Step 3: Season the pork belly with the salt and cook it in a skillet over medium heat until brown on broth sides (it will be crisped when done).

Step 4: Squeeze the liquid from the mushrooms and slice thinly for serving (discard the stems). Reserve ¼ cup of the mushroom liquid.

Step 5: To make the soup base, combine the stock, bonito flakes, ginger, miso, mirin, ¼ cup mushroom liquid and soy sauce in a pot and bring it to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Step 6: Remove from heat and strain. Mix in the sesame oil and vinegar.

Step 7: Let the hot soup cool to room temperature for serving (can place in the fridge to cool it faster).

How to eat tsukemen dipping noodles

For a a good "bowl" of tsukemen, serve the dipping broth in a bowl on the side of a plate of noodles, eggs, green onions and/or scallions and crisped pork belly.

Use chopsticks to dip the noodles into the soup then slurp them up like you would at a ramen restaurant or ramen shops.

Expert tips

1. Place the broth in the fridge to cool to room temperature faster.
2. Place the noodles in the fridge to chill while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
3. You can actually use whatever type of noodles you like - we sometimes use udon noodles too!
4. It's ok if the broth tastes very salty - because it's just being used for dipping it is supposed to be super intense.

Frequently Asked Questions

More Favorite Japanese Dishes

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