Dan Dan for Dummies!

Dan Dan or Tantan (in Japanese) is one of my favourite ramen dishes. The broth is extremely simple and surprisingly complex. Tahini and miso provide flavour and body to the broth and a dollop of coconut butter adds creaminess. I love to use Lotus brand black rice noodles but any rice noodle will suffice. You can easily hide an entire head of chopped kale in this broth and then add whatever you have on hand or whatever is seasonal. My favourite is chopped butternut squash!

Ingredients:

Serves 4

• 3 shallots, peeled and minced
• 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 tbsp. of finely grated fresh ginger
• 2 cups of cubed butternut squash
• 1 head of kale, ribs removed, chopped
• 4 cups of water
• 1 Tbsp. Veggie Better Than Bouillon paste
• 2 Tbsp. of chickpea miso
• 2 Tbsp. tahini paste
• 1 Tbsp. maple syrup
• 1 Tbsp. coconut butter (This is ground dried coconut, not coconut oil. You can substitute 1/2 cup of coconut milk if you can’t find it)
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 1 tsp. sambal
• 1 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil mixed with 1 Tbsp. of sambal to drizzle on top
• black sesame seeds for garnish
• chopped cilantro to garnish
• 1 pkg. of Lotus brand black rice noodles, cooked according to instructions on the package.

Chop the shallots and garlic. In a medium sized saucepan heat 2 tbsp. coconut oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and shallots. Saute for about 5 min. Add the grated ginger. Saute a few minutes more.

Add the Better Than Bouillon paste and the 4 cups of water.

Add chopped squash to the pot.

Bring to a boil and then simmer until the squash is tender. As the squash cooks combine the miso, tahini, maple syrup, sambal and coconut butter in a small bowl. Stir to combine.

Mix the miso tahini paste with 1/2 cup of water and set aside.

Once the squash is tender, add the chopped kale to the pot. Simmer for 6-8 min. or until the kale is tender.

Stir in the miso tahini mixture along with a tsp. of sea salt until combined and then turn off the heat while you cook your noodles.

Ladle the broth into 4 large bowls. Arrange the cooked noodles in the centre. Top with a drizzle of sesame oil sambal, a sprinkling of black sesame seeds and chopped cilantro.