Cooking Makes You Happy Because It Makes Everyone Happy! (Spicy Soy Sesame Tsuke men)

What do you do when you don’t know what to make but want to eat something made at home?

A night a couple of weeks ago, I didn’t have any plans to make anything until almost our dinner time as I was a bit tired, but I wasn’t really in a mood to go get something to go from any restaurants either as I wanted to have something made at home ironically. Since I’m the one who makes meals in this house, that meant there was no other choice but I had to make something. So I looked in my fridge to see what I’ve got which I can use to make them into something I’d like to eat and also my husband and the kids would enjoy. And when I saw some soymilk in the fridge, it reminded me that I’ve wanted to make this Spicy Soy Sesame Tsuke-men.

What is Tsuke men?

Tsuke men (つけ麺) is one of the styles of Japanese Ramen, and it’s served in a bit different way than in the regular Ramen, and the noodles and the soup (dipping soup) are served separately like this:

“Tsuke (つけ)” in “Tsuke men (つけ麺)” means “dip”, and “men (麺)” means “noodles”, so “Tsuke men” means “dipping noodles” as apparently the way to eat Tsuke men is by dipping the noodles in the soup.

If you haven’t tried Tsuke men but you like Ramen, I recommend you to try it! It could be your favorite style of Ramen!

There’s one Ramen shop in LA which is called Kai Ramen (specifically the branch in Sherman Oaks), and their Tsuke men is one of my favorite Tsuke mens including the ones in Japan actually. Learn more about this shop on here.

Spicy Soy Sesame Tsuke men

The main ingredients of the dipping soup of Spicy Soy Tsuke men I made are soy milk and grounded sesame seeds and Miso. The key ingredient for this dish is some Layu (Spicy Sesame Oil) which puts the mild and gentle texture of soy milk and the rich scent of sesame seeds in the soup well together and it gives some kick to the mild soup.

As I made it both for the adults (my husband and I, we both love spicy food.) and the kids, I just skipped the last step which is adding some spicy Rayu to the soup for the kids, so we all could enjoy it together.

So, after all, the night was happily and peacefully finished fortunately with the meal which could make every family member content, and everyone said “it was yummy”. Although It was my last-minute dish, I felt really happy deep inside me that it could make my family happy. And it made me realized again that the feeling which you feel when the dish you made with the effort and your love makes someone smile or happy is definitely one of the biggest reasons that drives me to continue learning and exploring cooking.

If you like to check out other noodle dishes, I recommend you these posts:

• Kimchi & Pork Jjigae Udon Recipe – A Korean Spicy Udon Soup with Pork
• My Attempt to Make Shoyu Ramen from Scratch at Home – Soooo Good!
• The Combination of Pasta, Meat, and Tomato Sauce Can’t Go Wrong: Homemade Spaghetti Meatballs
• A Hot Summer Day Calls For This Refreshing Chinese Cold Noodle Dish: Hiyashi Chuka

-Eat Well, Be Happy-

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