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Udon

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This article is about the Asian noodle dish. For the comic book studio, see [[:UDON]].
Kake Udon

Udon (Japanese: うどん or 饂飩, rarely 餛飩; Chinese: 烏冬, or often 烏冬麵) is a type of thick wheat-based noodle popular in Korean and Japanese cuisine. Udon is said to have been imported to Japan through Korea from China in the 6th century. This original udon was 2 to 3 cm in diameter, a flat pancake shaped "noodle" added to the miso-based soup, and in modern Chinese the characters 餛飩 refer to wonton dumplings, not noodles.

It is usually served in a mildly flavored broth, in its simplest form as kake udon, served in kakejiru made of dashi, Japanese soy sauce (shōyu) and mirin). It is usually topped with thinly chopped green onions. Other common toppings include tempura, often shrimp or kakiage (a type of mixed tempura fritter), or abura age, a type of deep-fried tofu pockets seasoned with sugar, mirin, and soy sauce. A thin slice of kamaboko, a halfmoon-shaped fish cake, is often added. Shichimi and beni shoga can be added to taste.

The flavor of broth and topping vary from region to region. Usually, dark brown broth, made from dark soy sauce (koikuchi shōyu) is used in eastern Japan, and light brown broth, made from light soy sauce (usukuchi shōyu) is used in western Japan. This is even noticeable in packaged instant noodles, which are often sold in two different versions for east and west.

There are wide variations in both thickness and shape.

  • Inaniwa (稲庭) udon is a thin type from Akita Prefecture.
  • Ise (伊勢) udon from Mie Prefecture [1]
  • Kansai (関西) udon is a soft type of medium thickness from the Kansai region.
  • Kishimen (きし麺) is a flat type from the Nagoya area.
  • Sanuki (讃岐) udon is a thick and rather stiff type from Kagawa Prefecture.
  • Hohtoh (ほうとう) - is a flat and wide type, usually cooked with vegetables and chicken, from Yamanashi Prefecture.
  • Dangojiru (団子汁) - is similar to the above Hohtoh, from Oita Prefecture. Nominally a "dumpling soup", it resembles very thick, flat udon.
  • Okinawa soba (沖縄そば) - also called suba, is a regional Okinawan dish made by adding some vegetal ash, similar to how ramen is made. However, it is very similar to udon.

Common Udon Dishes

Like many Japanese noodles, udon noodles are often served chilled in the summer and hot in the winter. Toppings are chosen to reflect the seasons and to balance with other ingredients. Most toppings are added without much cooking, although some are deep-fried. Many of these dishes may also be prepared with soba.

Hot

  • Kake udon – Hot udon in broth topped with thinly sliced green onions, and perhaps a slice of kamaboko (fish cake).
  • Kitsune udon – Topped with abura age (sweetened deep-fried tofu pockets).
  • Tempura udon – Topped with tempura, especially shrimp, or kakiage, a type of mixed tempura fritter.
  • Tanuki udon (in Kanto) or Haikara udon (in Kansai) – Topped with tenkasu (deep-fried tempura batter).
  • Tsukimi udon – Topped with raw egg, which poaches in the hot soup.
  • Wakame udon – Topped with wakame, a dark green sea vegetable.
  • Niku udon – "beef udon." Topped with sliced beef flavored with sugar and soy sauce.
  • Karee udon – "Curry udon." Udon in a soup made of Japanese curry. May also include meat or vegetables.
  • Chikara udon – "Power udon." Topped with toasted mochi rice cakes. A hearty dish.
  • Sutamina udon – "Stamina udon." Udon with various hearty ingredients, usually including meat, a raw egg, and vegetables.
  • Nabeyaki udon – A sort of udon hot-pot, with seafood and vegetables cooked in a nabe, or metal pot.
  • Kamaage udon – Served in a communal hot-pot with hot water, and accompanied by a hot dipping sauce of dashi and soy sauce.
  • Udonsuki – Udon cooked in the manner of sukiyaki.
  • Yakiudon – Stir-fried udon in soy-based sauce, prepared in a similar manner to yakisoba. This originated in Kitakyushu of Fukuoka Prefecture. (Note that while yakiudon is made with udon, yakisoba is not made from buckwheat soba, but with steamed Chinese-style ramen.)
  • Misonikomi udon – Hard udon noodles simmered in red miso soup. The soup generally contains chicken, a floating cracked raw egg that is stirred in by the eater, kamaboko, leeks, and other vegetables and tubers. The noodles are extremely firm in order to stand up to the prolonged simmering in the soup; additionally, the noodles do not contain salt, so as to avoid over-salting from the salt in the miso.

Cold

  • Zaru udon – Chilled udon noodles topped with shredded nori and served on a zaru, a sieve-like bamboo tray. Accompanied by a chilled dipping sauce, usually a strong mixture of dashi, mirin, and shoyu. Eaten with wasabi or grated ginger.
  • Bukkake udon – Cold udon served with various toppings liberally sprinkled on top. It may include:
  • kijoyu udon – served in a cold soup of raw (unpasteurized) soy sauce and sudachi (a type of citrus) juice, sometimes with a bit of grated daikon

References

  • Tsuji, Shizuo. (1980). Japanese cooking: A simple Art. Kodansha International/USA, New York.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Udon.
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