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About the Recipe
Udon is a soup based noodle with various condiments that you can add on top. The one in the picture is kitsune udon (udon with beancurd skin, wakame seaweed and ground ginger.
This dish is fantastic for a cold and windy day. I normally have udon as a quick lunch if I'm feeling hungry and don't want to put in too much effort (but still want to have a good meal)!
Ingredients
Udon noodles
Dashi (fish/veg soup stock)
1.5 tbsp Soy sauce
1 tsp Mirin
Aburaage (fried tofu pouch) or inari tofu wraps
1/2 inch ginger (optional)
Wakame (optional)
Spring onions (optional)
Equipment
1 small pot
1 medium pot
Sieve (not necessary if you have an alternative method for draining water)
Preparation
Step 1
Boil water in a medium pot and a small pot. The medium pot is for the udon noodles and the small pot is for the broth. You will only need about 1.5 cups (300ml) maximum for your broth.
Note: please don't salt the water for the noodles! It is not pasta.
Step 2
Add about 1/3 a packet of dashi to the small broth pot and wait until it boils. Then turn the heat down to a simmer (medium low heat).
Note: the dashi I use is normally fish stock soup base. However, you can get kombu dashi, which is vegetarian/vegan, without sacrificing any of the taste.
Step 3
Add the udon noodles to the boiling water in the medium pot. Follow the udon packet for instructions on how long to boil them for. If your packet is in Japanese, look for the number before 分.
Portions: most udon packets will have separated the noodles into serving portions. However, if yours has not been separated, you can measure one [average] portion size by fitting the noodles into a circle made with your thumb and forefinger. The tip of your forefinger should just about touch the knuckle of your thumb.
Note: the udon has a tendency to stick to the bottom of the pot. Make sure you stir frequently to prevent this, especially at the beginning.
Step 4
Add soy sauce and mirin to the small broth pot. Then add your aburaage/inari tofu wraps (however much you'd like!) and wakame (optional) to the broth pot. Turn the heat down to the lowest heat setting.
Some inari tofu wrap packets come with a lot of excess sauce/juice. Please make sure not to add this to your broth pot. You don't need to squeeze your tofu wraps to remove the juice however. Just add them as they are to the pot.
Step 5
Once the udon noodles are done, drain the water and rinse the noodles with cold water. Drain again if necessary. Put the noodles into your serving bowl.
Step 6
Add the inari tofu wraps on top of the udon with the wakame and pour the broth on top.
Note: you may have more broth than you need so just pout it until the udon is covered
Optional: Step 7
Grate the ginger and thinly chop the spring onions. Clump together the grated ginger and add to the noodles. Sprinkle the spring onions.
Step 8
Serve!
Meal Prep Factor
Can I keep...
1) the broth overnight?
YES! But not for longer than 24 hours. Keep it in a container in the fridge and boil it in a pot before serving.
2) the udon overnight?
NO! It is not recommended you keep your finished dish overnight. The noodles will go hard and cold and it is altogether not a great experience.
How I Like It
My favourite types of udon dishes are:
1) Kitsune Udon
2) Kake udon
3) Curry udon
What are your favourites?
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