Nissin Raoh Ramen Noodle Soup Tantanmen: This Ramen Will Become Your Next Favorite

September 2, 2022

Shoyu. Miso. Tonkotsu. Shio.

These are popular ramen flavors with a long history in Japanese culture.

Can I be totally honest with you?

Although I love ramen, I am sometimes bored of choosing from these four options and want some different types of ramen.

Does this sound like you?

Well, let me introduce you to a different type of ramen: tantan noodles

So, what is it?

Original dandan (in Japanese, we call it "tantan") is soupless spicy noodles. In the Sichuan-region of China, people sold noodles flavored with spicy oil and Sichuan peppers in the streets.

They were sold in small bowls and was considered a snack. "Dandan" in their local language meant "carrying pole".

Since liquid is heavy and difficult to carry, there is no soup with the noodles.

The Japanese version of dandan noodles were introduced by Chen Kenmin, a chef from Sichuan. He adjusted dandan noodles to the taste preferences of the Japanese market.

He started to use a bigger bowl for the noodles, and served it with soup to dilute the spiciness. Japanese people did not have a lot of spicy food in their cuisine and was not used to the spiciness of the original Chinese dandan noodles.

Dandan noodles is called tantanmen in Japanese.

Today, I want to introduce to you:

Nissin Raoh Ramen Noodle Soup Tantanmen Edition

This noodle is sold by Nissin Food Products Co., Ltd. which was found in 1948 in Osaka. This Raoh Tantan flavor was released in 2014.

Nissin is a longstanding and reputable brand that make delicious instant noodles. I find the Raoh brand to be a very “high-end” instant noodle brand! Let's give this one a try!

About US$15 for a pack of 5 individual packets.
US$3/pack makes this instant noodle a little on the pricey-end.
Let's see if this is worth the money!

The package depicts a beautiful bowl of tantanmen. I can't wait to give it a try!

What kind of noodles do we have here? Thin noodles

Noodles are quite thin, but a little thicker than the noodles in their tonkotsu flavour.

The round noodle pack keeps the noodle compact.

Whole wheat flour is used for these noodles

Each individual pack comes with two packs of flavouring:
Powdered soup (in brown packet)
Seasoning paste (in red packet)

Cooking Directions (from the package):

1. Prepare 450 mL (15.2 oz, about 2 cups) of water.

2. In a small pot, bring water to a boil.

3. Put noodles into the pot and boil it for 4 minutes.

4. Put soup powder into a ramen bowl

5. Pour only the hot water into the ramen bowl from the pot and mix them.

6. Put the noodles into the bowl.

7. Put the flavored oil on the noodles and mix them a little bit.

ENJOY!

Broth ★★★★☆

There is legit tantan flavor from the soup packet. The soup is thick, savory, velvety, and creamy.

As if that's not enough, the broth is juicy, creamy, and thick. It is not too spicy, the heat is manageable. You will have just a little after-burn. It has the authentic taste of Japanese tantan noodles.

I have tried some tantan noodles from other brands, but this is the best tantanmen for instant noodles. The good thing of this Raoh tantan noodles is having legit sesame and Sichuan pepper flavor.

Noodles ★★★★★

They are very high quality noodles.

These noodles are a bit thicker than normal instant noodles. They have a great texture with enough bounce and chewiness.

But how?

They are non-fried noodles and whole wheat flour is used for these noodles, so these noodles are healthier than other instant noodles, in comparison.

They are awesome noodles, and very similar to raw noodles from a ramen restaurant.

Toppings ★☆☆☆☆

Sadly, it doesn't come with any toppings.

But just keep reading, and I'll share some topping ideas which will go so well with Raoh's Tantan flavor.

Protein Options
Chicken breast
Pork tenderloin
Minced pork
Minced beef
Nikumiso
Tofu
Ajitama

Vegetable Options
Celery
Bok choy
Broccoli
Peas
Jalapeno pepper
Sweet pepper
Bell pepper
Squash
Mustard green

Smell ★★★★☆

The soup smells good, the smell is very appetizing. If you want to have something different from regular ramen noodles, you should try Raoh's tantan flavor.

My Thoughts Overall ★★★★★

The combination of soup and noodles is great. A decent portion is provided in each pack. When you want to eat tantan noodles for a fine quick lunch or dinner, this is a great option.

The soup and the noodles have a really good flavor. It is not too spicy, but very savory.

The difference between the American version (and other imported ramen) is that it has has a fatter, denser (size-wise) noodle pack. I like the texture and am a fan of both thick and thin ramen noodles.

These noodles have more flavor and are detail oriented.
Probably the price is a big step up from regular ramen noodle packets, but, trust me, it is worth every penny. This is a surprisingly good product.

Imagine eating noodles covered with tasty, heavily-creamy soup in the comfort of your home without having to spend hours in the kitchen... Pure bliss!

Nutrition Facts (from the packaging)

Calorie 368kcal
Protein 9.2g
Fat 8.7g
Carbs 63.4g
Sodium 2200mg
Salt 5.6g
Calcium 201mg
Vitamin B1 0.23mg
Vitamin B2 0.28mg