When I pulled this bowl out of one of the boxes Nissin Japan sent, I was immediately curious. I mean, this looks really thick. This is a shrimp tantanmen. What is tantanmen you ask? Wikipedia, if you please…

Dandan noodles or dandanmian (traditional Chinese: 擔擔麵, simplified Chinese: 担担面) is a noodle dish originating from Chinese Sichuan cuisine. It consists of a spicy sauce containing preserved vegetables (often including zha cai (榨菜), lower enlarged mustard stems, or ya cai (芽菜), upper mustard stems), chili oil, Sichuan pepper, minced pork, and scallions served over noodles. Sesame paste and/or peanut butter is sometimes added, and occasionally replaces the spicy sauce, usually in the Taiwanese and American Chinese style of the dish.[1] In this case, dandanmian is considered as a variation of ma jiang mian (麻醬麵), sesame sauce noodles. In American Chinese cuisine, dandanmian is often sweeter, less spicy, and less soupy than its Sichuan counterpart. The name refers to a type of carrying pole (dan dan) that was used by walking street vendors who sold the dish to passers-by. The pole was carried over the shoulder, with two baskets containing noodles and sauce attached at either end. The noodles cost almost nothing, and gradually local people came to call them dandan noodles. Literally, the name translates as “noodles carried on a pole”, but may be better translated as “peddler’s noodles”. The corresponding Japanese dish is tantan-men, a form of ramen (formally 担担麺, as in Chinese, but often written with 々, or with 坦 instead of 担).

Alright – let’s have a look!

Detail of the side panels (click to enlarge). To prepare, Add in contents of large blue sachet and boiling water to fill line. Let steep covered for 4 minutes. Add in contents of liquid sachets and stir well. Add garnish on top and enjoy!

Detail of the lid (click to enlarge).

The noodle block.

The large soup base sachet.

Has a nice shrimp scent to it.

A large dry sachet.

Bits of pork and spring onion and cabbage.

Another liquid sachet.

A sesame sauce.

Finally, the garnish sachet.

Fried crunchy tofu to sprinkle on top.

Finished (click to enlarge). The noodles have a very nice thickness and chew – a little lighter than their other premium variants and fittingly so. The broth is more akin to a sauce in it’s thickness. The shrimp and sesame notes coalesce in a colorful symphony. The pork and vegetables hydrated very well and were tasty. The crunchy tofu on top was very good. This was absolutely splendid stuff; beautiful and delicious. 5.0 out of 5.0 stars. JAN bar code 4902105233115.

Nissin noodles craftsman Tantanmen 102g ~ 12 pieces

A great Nissin Cup Noodle TV commercial featuring what looks to be ‘Space Ram,’ the instant ramen that can be enjoyed in outer space!