Super Easy Udon
This dish is the perfect introduction to Japanese cuisine - it's delicious and tastes like authentic Japanese udon, but isn't intimidating or complicated at all!
Ingredients
- 1 package fresh udon you can use dried instead if you prefer
- 2 cups broth see note below *
- 1 green onion
- 1 large egg
- a handful or so of Ika Tenkasu see second note below **
- 2 slices kamaboko steamed fish cake, optional
- a few slices of takuan pickled radish
Instructions
- Set a pot filled with unsalted water on the stove to boil.
- While you are waiting for it to boil, thinly slice the green onion, and cut the kamaboko and takuan about a third to half a centimeter thick.
- Add the udon to the boiling water, and do not try to separate the noodles from their block shape. This may break the noodles, and they unfurl naturally when they are cooking. Cook the noodles according to the directions on the package. If you are cooking fresh noodles like I was and if there aren’t any directions, or if they aren’t in English, try for about 3 minutes and see. Dried noodles will take a couple minutes longer.
- If you are adding an egg, put it in the pot with the noodles about 1 — 3 minutes before the noodles are done. 3 minutes gives you a hard yolk with a slightly tender inside, and 1 minute will give you a much runnier yolk. Also remember not to just plunk the egg in the pot, but be gentle, so that the egg whites stay intact.
- While the noodles are boiling, prepare your broth according to the directions on the package. If using a liquid broth, boil the water that you add to it so that your broth is hot when you are ready to use it.
- Scoop the egg out and drain the noodles once your cooking time is up, and place the noodles in a serving bowl.
- Decorate your udon with the egg, green onion, ika tenkasu and kamaboko. Place the takuan in a small dish on the side.
- Carefully pour the hot broth over the noodles and enjoy!
Video
Notes
* If you cannot read Japanese, I suggest going to the Asian food section in your grocery store and looking around the soup/stock items. Sometimes it has “udon broth” written in English on the package, other times it may only say it in Japanese, which is うどん. You want to look for something called “hon dashi” or “konbu tsuyu”, which I used in this video. If you are still having problems, don’t be shy to ask someone! Be wary though, that if you buy the liquid version, it is probably a concentrated broth which you’ll have to water down. If the instructions for watering it down aren’t in English, then maybe try ¼ cup broth to 1 ¾ cup hot water like I did, and add more broth if you feel it is too weak. You want a mild flavour with udon, nothing too salty.
** ika tenkasu or plain tenkasu are bits of deep fried tempura batter. The one I found had squid somehow mixed in. This is a pretty specific ingredient and I had to go around to a bunch of different stores to find it. Also, if you’re not a fan of sogginess I would suggest not to add these, because they become soggy almost as soon as you add the broth.