Tantanmen ramen is a Japanese take on a traditional Sichuan noodle dish known as dan dan noodles. The ramen is made with a combination of ramen noodles, broth, and ground pork. The spicy and creamy broth is flavored with chili oil (rayu), soy milk, and toasted sesame seed paste (chimajan).

Typical ingredients in this ramen include garlic, scallions, ginger, black bean sauce, crushed peanuts or peanut butter, and spinach. In order to assemble the dish, cooked ramen noodles are placed into a bowl, then topped with the broth, ground pork, and selected ingredients.

It's recommended to pair tantanmen ramen with Riesling or Gewürztraminer due to their hints of sweetness that will subdue the heat of the ramen.