Tsukemen is the Japanese noodle dish in which ramen noodles are served separately from the dipping broth.
In tsukemen, the noodles are generally boiled, cooled, and placed on their own plate or bowl. The diner dips each portion into a concentrated hot or warm soup before eating it. This arrangement lets the noodles retain a firmer texture and keeps the broth from being diluted as quickly.
The dish is associated with Kazuo Yamagishi, a Tokyo ramen chef who is widely credited with popularizing tsukemen in the 1960s. Its dipping soup may contain pork, fish, chicken, soy sauce, or other ramen-style ingredients, and toppings vary by restaurant.
Tsukemen is not the same as mazesoba, in which noodles are mixed with sauce rather than dipped. It also differs from ordinary ramen, where noodles and broth arrive together in one bowl.