A variation of Vegan Tantanmen with a garlicky and gingery red miso broth served with fried tofu and riced cauliflower. 30-minute vegan dinner. Utterly decadent and addicting!
About once a week, Hunter and I get takeout from our favorite local ramen shop in Nashville. We always order the Tantanmen and it never gets old! It's our version of comfort food and has saved me many nights when I've run out of time to cook or am just needing a break from the kitchen.
I've wanted to recreate my own version for a long time, but have always struggled to capture just the right flavor. This recipe has done just that! Many tantanmen recipes start with a sesame paste for the broth, which is the traditional way to make it. Our local ramen joint uses a miso broth instead, so I took after this variation and used red miso for a little extra flavor umph!
What is Tantanmen?
Tantanmen is a Japanese noodle dish that actually originated in the Sichuan province of China in 1841. Tantanmen actually means "noodles being carried." It got its name because tantanmen used to be carried and sold by a shouldering pole. This now popular Japanese ramen is commonly served with rayu (chili oil). Chinese Tantanmen is made with Sichuan chili peppers.
Using Red Miso
Tantanmen recipes are typically made with a base of sesame paste—not to be confused with tahini! I use red miso instead for a richer, more savory broth. Red miso is a fermented soybean paste with a strong and robust flavor. It gets its darker color due to the length of time it ferments, resulting in a very complex flavor.
The Ramen Broth Ingredients
This Vegan Tantanmen recipe is made with a red miso ramen broth.
Garlic cloves are sautéed in oil for aromatic flavor, red miso paste is combined with tamari for additional umami, rice wine vinegar for acidity, toasted sesame oil for depth, and sriracha for accessible heat.
Vegetable broth and coconut milk are whisked in to create a creamy, savory broth that is rich in layered flavor.
A little lime juice at the end balances the flavors together and helps smooth out the rich and bold flavor. It lightens up the dish and adds a lovely bit of citrus.
Ramen Noodles
For simplicity, I like to use packaged ramen noodles without the seasoning packet. Homemade or fresh ramen noodles would really take this dish up a notch!
If you can't find ramen noodles, you can always use rice noodles or soba noodles as a substitute.
How to Make Vegan Tantanmen
Fried Tofu and Cauliflower
Remove the leaves from the cauliflower and chop roughly into florets. Add to a food processor and pulse until it forms a rice-like shape. Drain the tofu and wrap in a paper towel. Press firmly, but gently.
In a large skillet, heat 4 tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Once warm, add the garlic and ginger and cook for 2 minutes. Turn the heat to low.
Add the tamari, sriracha, miso paste, and mirin. Whisk to create a sauce.
Once smooth, add the tofu by crumbling it into the pan. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to chop up the tofu in the pan. This may take a minute or so. Then add the cauliflower. Stir to combine everything well, coating the tofu and cauliflower with the sauce. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and stir. Cook on medium low heat while you make the broth. Stir occasionally and turn the heat down further if it starts to dry or burn.
Red Miso Broth
Add a tablespoon of oil to a medium pot and warm over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and cook for 2 minutes.
Bring heat to low and stir in the miso, tamari, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, and sriracha. Whisk to create a sauce.
Add the vegetable broth and coconut milk. Bring the heat to high while whisking until the coconut milk is stirred in. Then turn the heat to medium or medium high just to keep the broth warm. Once ready to serve, turn off the heat and stir in the tablespoon of lime juice.
To Serve
Prepare the ramen noodles according to package directions, making sure to cook in enough water for 4 packages of ramen. If the noodles came with a seasoning packet, simply discard it.
Use tongs to place noodles in each bowl. Ladle in broth, then top with the tofu cauliflower mixture and freshly sliced green onions. Add chili oil and chili crisps if desired for heat.
Tantanmen Toppings
- Fried Tofu and Cauliflower: Riced cauliflower and crumbled tofu are fried in a warm and fragrant sauce made with olive oil, garlic, ginger, tamari, sriracha, red miso paste, and mirin.
- Sliced scallions bring in some crunchy texture and onion-like flavor
- Chili oil or chili crisps are great for adding heat!
More Asian-Inspired Recipes!
- Thai Green Beans
- Thai Butternut Squash Soup
- Pumpkin Cauliflower Curry
- 5-Ingredient Peanut Sauce
- Coconut Curry Noodles
- Grilled Bok Choy and Tofu Stir Fried Rice
- Tofu Lettuce Wraps
- Tempeh Buddha Bowl
📖 Recipe
Vegan Tantanmen with Red Miso
Equipment
- Food processor
Ingredients
Fried Tofu and Cauliflower
- 1 cauliflower head
- 15 ounces extra firm block tofu
- 6 tablespoons olive oil extra virgin
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 inch knob ginger minced
- 1 tablespoon tamari
- 1 tablespoon sriracha
- ½ tablespoon red miso paste
- 1 teaspoon mirin
Red Miso Broth
- 1 tablespoon olive oil extra virgin
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 3 tablespoons red miso paste
- 2 tablespoons tamari
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon sriracha
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup coconut milk unsweetened
- 1 tablespoon lime juice freshly squeezed
Ramen
- 4 portions ramen noodles
- Sliced scallions
- Chili oil
- Chili crisps
Instructions
Fried Tofu and Cauliflower
- Remove the leaves from the cauliflower and chop roughly into florets. Add to a food processor and pulse until it forms a rice-like shape. Drain the tofu and wrap in a paper towel. Press firmly, but gently.
- In a large skillet, heat 4 tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Once warm, add the garlic and ginger and cook for 2 minutes. Turn the heat to low.
- Add the tamari, sriracha, miso paste, and mirin. Whisk to create a sauce. Once smooth, add the tofu by crumbling it into the pan. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to chop up the tofu in the pan. This may take a minute or so. Then add the cauliflower. Stir to combine everything well, coating the tofu and cauliflower with the sauce. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and stir. Cook on medium low heat while you make the broth. Stir occasionally and turn the heat down further if it starts to dry or burn.
Red Miso Broth
- Add a tablespoon of oil to a medium pot and warm over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and cook for 2 minutes.
- Bring heat to low and stir in the miso, tamari, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, and sriracha. Whisk to create a sauce.
- Add the vegetable broth and coconut milk. Bring the heat to high while whisking until the coconut milk is stirred in. Then turn the heat to medium or medium high just to keep the broth warm. Once ready to serve, turn off the heat and stir in the tablespoon of lime juice.
To Serve
- Prepare the ramen noodles according to package directions, making sure to cook in enough water for 4 packages of ramen. If the noodles came with a seasoning packet, simply discard it.
- Use tongs to place noodles in each bowl. Ladle in broth, then top with the tofu cauliflower mixture and freshly sliced green onions. Add chili oil and chili crisps if desired for heat.
