Udon

Udon (うどん) is a type of thick, wheat-based noodle popular in Japanese cuisine.

Udon soup with local Japanese style

Udon is most often served hot as a noodle soup in a mild, salty broth. Its simplest form is called kake udon. This consists only of dashi stock, soy sauce (shōyu), mirin, and udon noodles. Different things can be put on top of the soup as toppings. Often thinly cut scallions are used, along with other common toppings such as kamaboko, prawn or vegetable tempura, some spices, and wakame.

The flavor of the broth and toppings, as well as even noodle texture and thickness, is different from region to region. Usually, dark brown broth made from dark soy sauce (koikuchi shōyu) is common in eastern Japan. Light brown broth made from light soy sauce (usukuchi shōyu) is common in western Japan. However, many other regional types exist outside of just broth color and mainly vary in toppings used.

Kagawa Prefecture is famous for using udon as a staple food.

Types

• Tempura Udon (topped with tempura such as prawn and squid)
• Tororo Udon (served with grated yam on top)
• Kitsune Udon (topped with deep-fried bean curd)
• Chikara Udon (topped with rice cake)
• Curry Udon (udon in a curry-based broth)
• Niku Udon (topped with beef that has been seasoned with mirin and sugar)
• Tanuki Udon (topped with tempura flakes)
• Kamatama Udon (topped with raw egg, soy sauce, and other ingredients)
• Bukkake Udon (cold udon noodles in a thick broth)
• Kamaage Udon (freshly boiled udon served with hot dipping sauce)
• Tamagotoji Udon (udon in a broth made with beaten egg)
• Tsukimi Udon (udon in a broth topped with raw egg)
• Nabeyaki Udon (udon simmered in a clay pot with broth and many toppings)
• Yaki Udon (seasoned stir-fried udon in a sauce)
• Zaru Udon (cold udon served on a bamboo strainer with dipping sauce)

Definition

According to JAS (Japanese Agricultural Standard), to be udon, a round noodle's diameter has to be over 1.7 mm and a flat noodle's width over 1.7 mm. Udon dough is made from wheat flour and salt.