Udon

Kake Udon with Tempura Topping

A classic hot udon bowl in a light dashi-soy broth, the everyday comfort bowl eaten at home and at standing counters across Japan. The Sanuki-style noodles are the star, so buy the best fresh or frozen udon you can find.

Prep

15 min

Cook

20 min

Total

35 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Easy

Recipe ingredients

• •600 g (21 oz) fresh or frozen udon noodles, Sanuki-style if possible; dried udon works in a pinch but is less springy
• •1200 ml (5 cups) dashi, made from kombu and katsuobushi (see step 1); instant dashi granules are a home-kitchen shortcut
• •80 ml (⅓ cup) usukuchi (light) soy sauce, or 60 ml / ¼ cup regular Japanese soy sauce
• •40 ml (3 tbsp) mirin
• •5 g (1 tsp) fine sea salt
• •4 whole scallions, thinly sliced on the bias, white and green parts
• •1 tsp grated fresh ginger, optional, for warmth
• •1 sheet nori, cut into thin strips, optional garnish
• •8 pieces shrimp or vegetable tempura, store-bought is fine; reheat in a 180°C / 350°F oven for 5 minutes
• •20 g (¾ oz) katsuobushi (bonito flakes), for the dashi; skip if using granules

Steps

1. 1 Make the dashi: soak one 10 g piece of kombu in 1200 ml cold water for 30 minutes, then heat slowly to just below a simmer (about 60°C / 140°F). Remove the kombu just before the water boils, bring to a full boil, then turn off the heat and stir in 20 g katsuobushi. Let the flakes settle for 2 minutes, then strain through a fine sieve — do not squeeze, or the broth turns cloudy and bitter.
2. 2 Return the strained dashi to the pot and bring it back to a gentle simmer. Stir in the soy sauce, mirin, and salt. Taste — the broth should be lightly seasoned, not salty, since the noodles are unseasoned. Keep it just below a simmer so the bonito aroma does not cook off.
3. 3 Prepare the noodles: bring a large pot of unsalted water to a full rolling boil. Add the udon straight from the package (no need to thaw frozen udon first). For fresh udon, cook 2 to 3 minutes; for frozen, 4 to 5 minutes, until the noodles are heated through and springy with no hard core. Drain in a colander and rinse briefly under cool water to remove surface starch, then shake well.
4. 4 If you are using store-bought tempura, reheat it now in a 180°C / 350°F oven or toaster oven for about 5 minutes so it crisps up — soggy tempura on hot noodles is the most common home mistake. Skip this if you are serving the noodles cold (zaru udon style).
5. 5 Warm four deep bowls by filling them with hot water for a minute, then emptying. Divide the hot noodles among the bowls.
6. 6 Ladle the hot dashi broth over the noodles until they are just covered, about 300 ml per bowl. Do not overfill — the noodles should be easy to lift and slurp.
7. 7 Top each bowl with a generous handful of sliced scallions, a pinch of nori strips if using, and 2 pieces of tempura laid across the rim so they stay crisp above the broth.
8. 8 Serve immediately. The broth should be clear and lightly golden, the noodles springy when bitten, and the tempura still crisp. Eat with chopsticks for the noodles and a flat-bottomed spoon (renge) for the broth.