Visitors coming to Japan often look forward to eating ramen at least a few times during their stay in the country. But suppose you find yourself more interested in eating the noodles than drinking the hot soup? Fortunately, there’s a dish for that – it’s called tsuke-men, or ‘dipping noodles’.
With tsukemen, the noodles are served separately from the soup. Compared to ramen, the quantity of noodles is often much greater and the amount of soup much less.
To start eating tsukemen, it is polite to sample the noodles on their own. Similarly, one should also sample the thick broth before fully diving in. This shows appreciation for the two main elements that make up tsukemen, each of which is carefully prepared to produce the restaurant’s signature taste.
As mentioned, the soup is actually a dipping sauce for the noodles and is quite thick and heavy. One eats tsukemen by grabbing a small bundle of noodles, lifting them high from the bowl until they separate from the bunch, before dipping them into the warm broth and slurping them down.
When ordering tsukemen, most restaurants offer the noodles in various quantities (sometimes weighed in grams). In addition, one selects the type of broth they wish to have. Similar to ramen, the stock is often flavored by miso, soy sauce or various types of meat and seafood.
Tsukemen is frequently served with slices of pork (chashu) and cooked bamboo shoots. Additional garnishes and accompaniments may also be available depending on the restaurant and your ability to decipher the menu. Just remember, hand pointing and head nodding will often get you what you want if English menus are not available.
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