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Tsukemen: 30 Days of Japanese Food

December 2, 2018 | Michael Turtle | 2 Comments

JAPANESE FOOD

Day 5: Tsukemen

In every country around the world, food is constantly evolving. But the Japanese are a naturally inventive race and it seems they apply their ingenuity not just to technology but to their cuisine as well. It’s the best way to explain the creation of this dish – tsukemen.

It takes the basic idea of ramen and then throws a whole new twist on it – separating the noodles from the broth.

In a similar style to the traditional soba, the noodles are cold and are dipped into a warm broth which is in its own little bowl.

tsukemen, japanese food, japanese cuisine, japanese dishes, noodle meals

At the trendy restaurant in Tokyo’s Shimokitazawa area where I try the dish, the menu boldly declares “tsukemen is the new style ramen in Japan”. Actually, it’s been around for about 50 years since a man called Yamagishi Kazuo invented for himself as a simple meal to eat at work. He was then encouraged to start a restaurant serving it (which became extremely popular) and it took off from there.

tsukemen, japanese food, japanese cuisine, japanese dishes, noodle meals

But this restaurant’s boast is correct in the sense that it’s become a very hip dish to eat recently. It’s normally considered to be a summer dish and, with a warm spring upon us in Tokyo, tsukemen joints are doing a roaring trade.

The basic broth is made from soy sauce and tonkotsu and is infused with a citrus fruit called yuzu. But the best thing about tsukemen is that all the little extra bits come separately and you can choose what you want and how you want to mix it with the noodles and the liquid.

I went for a set that came with a seasoned soft boiled egg, boiled vegetables, extra pork chasu and seaweed.

tsukemen, japanese food, japanese cuisine, japanese dishes, noodle meals

It’s a really fun way to eat noodles – especially if you’re bored of the traditional steaming bowls at ramen and udon bars across Japan.

The food tastes fresher because it hasn’t all been cooked as much and the cold noodles are perfect for a lighter lunch. (You can actually choose what temperature you want but they recommend the cool option.)

There’s a little bonus in it for you too because when you’ve finished you can top up your broth bowl with some hot water and turn it into a big soup to finish the meal with!

tsukemen, japanese food, japanese cuisine, japanese dishes, noodle meals

This meal at Shimokitazawa cost 980 yen (US$10.20) with the extra bits and pieces. The standard is 780 yen (US$8.10). It’s usually a bit harder to find a tsukemen restaurant on the street but if you see one (or want to look one up), I highly recommend trying it.

>> You can check out the whole list of Japanese food dishes here <<

Reader Interactions

    Comments Cancel reply

  1. Ali |

    April 8, 2013 at 9:58 pm

    Reply

    Looks delicious! I know we’ll make it to Japan one of these days, and I worry about the food because I’m not a big fan of fish. But I love that there are lots of noodle options like this to try out.

    • Michael Turtle |

      April 16, 2013 at 10:38 pm

      Reply

      There are actually a lot of non-fish options. Now, if you didn’t like rice or noodles, then you’d be in trouble! 🙂

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This is the website of travel writer, Michael Turtle. After working in broadcast journalism for a decade in Australia, Michael left Sydney to travel the world indefinitely and write about the places, people and experiences he discovers. This isn't a diary - these are real stories from the world.

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