Ace Cook states this cup has the most sesame paste so far in any of their noodle cups. Sesame is an important ingredient in making spicy tan tan sauce. Tan Tan noodles a Japanese variant of the popular Sichuan Dan Dan Mien (noodles) dish from China. It is savoury, spicy, and full of nutty flavour. Ingredients like mirin, ginger, Sichuan spicy bean sauce (doubanjiang), Sichuan pepper, garlic, soy sauce, sesame paste, chili oil, and more are used to make the Tan Tan soup base and toppings.
I don't think I've run across a Tan Tan ramen that I haven't liked. The Ace Cook Luxury Tan Tan noodle in their Cup To Drink line doesn't disappoint, and it is the larger size of noodle cup so you get more to enjoy.
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3/4 view of the cup. The package colouring is mainly a golden yellow with deep green highlights to give it a luxurious appearance. The soup shown is thick and creamy with an attractive orangish hue and hints of red to show the chili oil.
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Front view of the cup. Shows the Cup to Drink logo up top and the Tan Tan Noodle name across the middle.
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Nice dull gold coloring on the lid with an interesting pattern on it that is ornate and reminiscent of classic high-end ornamentation for wallpaper.
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Shows the extra sesame paste in the soup.
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Closeup of the thick soup.
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Ingredients and manufacturing information.
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Nutritional information, warnings.
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The contents of the cup. The green onions, ground pork, soup base powder, and noodles are in the cup. You then get two packets of soup base add-ons.
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The green packet contains chili oil. The black contains sesame paste.
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Closeup of the dried noodles and ingredients.
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I added boiling water and let it sit for 3 minutes to rehydrate.
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I then added the sesame paste.
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The chili oil was then added.
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When I first popped the lid open I smelled sesame / peanuts, but there are no peanuts in these noodles. There were lots of sesame seeds, green onion, ground pork, and soup base powder. The soup stock smelled mildly like a pork shoyu with a nutty presence, but it was already enticing your appetite.. I couldn't wait to add the sauce packets!
The noodles were slightly thicker than normal and round unlike some noodles that are rectangular or square in cross-section. Ace Cook says the soup base is made with pork and miso, with Sichuan pepper and chili pepper. A special paste using the largest amount of sesame paste, and a seasoning oil with chili oil completes it.
The soup had a really rich, nutty/sesame flavour with a spicy kick to it as expected. It wasn't too spicy with a medium heat that was complex and not just hot with the different spices. The sesame flavour did come through the heat in the slightly creamy broth and it was a very nice soup. With the Cup to Drink, you are supposed to drink the broth so the soups tend to be more "drinkable" on their own when you are finished the noodles. This is a very tasty noodle cup that would be great on a cool day. The noodles were quite good too, with a clean bite that wasn't too chewy. The bits of sesame, green onion, and ground meat just added to the overall enjoyment. This noodle cup is a winner to buy and consume.
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Closeup of the noodles and soup.
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