Udon

Udon (うどん or 饂飩) is a thick wheat-flour noodle central to Japanese cuisine. Its simplest preparation, kake udon, features the noodles in a mild broth called kakejiru, made from dashi, soy sauce, and mirin, typically topped with thinly sliced scallions. Common additions include prawn tempura, kakiage (a mixed tempura fritter), abura-age (sweet, deep-fried tofu pouches), kamaboko (sliced fish cake), and shichimi spice to taste.

Broth recipes vary by region: eastern Japan uses dark (koikuchi) soy sauce, while western Japan prefers light (usukuchi) soy sauce. Instant noodle versions often reflect this split. More unusual variants include stir-fried yaki udon and curry udon made with Japanese curry. Udon also appears as the final course in shabu shabu or Japanese hot pot.

Udon noodles are boiled in hot water, with serving style depending on the type. They are typically served chilled in summer and hot in winter. During the Edo period, the thicker wheat noodle was called udon and served with a hot broth known as nurumugi, while the thinner, chilled variety was called hiyamugi. Cold udon, or udon salad, is often mixed with egg omelette slices, shredded chicken, and fresh vegetables like cucumber and radish. Toppings for udon soup reflect the seasons and are usually added without much cooking, though deep-fried tempura is sometimes included. Many of these dishes can also be made with soba.

**Hot Udon Dishes** - **Chikara udon** ("power udon"): topped with toasted mochi rice cakes. - **Goboten udon**: topped with deep-fried shredded burdock root. - **Haikara udon** ("modern udon"): see tanuki udon. - **Kake udon** (Kantō) or **su udon** (Kansai): hot udon in broth with thinly sliced green onions and sometimes a slice of kamaboko. - **Kamaage udon**: served in a communal hot-pot with hot water, accompanied by a hot dipping sauce of dashi sukiyaki. - **Karē nanban** or **karē udon** ("curry udon"): udon in a spicy curry-flavoured broth, possibly with meat or vegetables. The term nanban references the Nanban trade, which influenced Japanese culture before being banned in 1639 by the Edo Shogunate. Biei, Hokkaido, is known for a unique curry udon. - **Kitsune udon** ("fox udon"): topped with abura-age (sweet, deep-fried tofu pouches); fox spirits are said to enjoy abura-age. Originated in Osaka. - **Maruten udon**: topped with maruten, a deep-fried large fish cake. - **Nabeyaki udon**: a hot-pot udon with seafood and vegetables cooked in a metal pot, often including tempura shrimp, mushrooms, and an egg cracked on top. - **Oboro udon**: dashi broth with kombu flakes. - **Oyako udon**: chicken and egg with sliced onion in a sweetened dashi soup, offering a sweet-savory flavor. - **Sansai udon**: udon with wild edible mountain vegetables. - **Su udon**: see kake udon. - **Sutamina udon** ("stamina udon"): udon with hearty ingredients, usually meat, a raw egg, and vegetables. - **Tanuki udon** (Kantō) or **Haikara udon** (Kansai): topped with tempura batter pieces. - **Tempura udon**: topped with tempura, especially prawn, or kakiage. - **Tsukimi udon** ("moon-viewing udon"): topped with a raw egg that poaches in the hot soup. - **Wakame udon**: topped with wakame, a dark green seaweed. - **Yaki udon**: stir-fried udon in a soy-based sauce, similar to yakisoba, with meat (usually pork) and vegetables. Simple to make, it is a popular late-night snack in Japanese izakaya. Originated in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture, just after World War II when food was scarce; the owner of the noodle restaurant Darumado used udon noodles in place of unavailable yakisoba noodles.

**Cold Udon Dishes** - **Bukkake udon** ("poured broth udon"): cold udon served with hot dashi broth poured over it. - **Hadaka udon** ("naked udon"): cold udon served on its own. - **Kijōyu udon**: served in a cold soup of raw (unpasteurized) soy sauce and sudachi juice, sometimes with grated daikon radish. - **Zaru udon**: chilled udon topped with shredded nori, served on a bamboo tray (zaru), with a chilled dipping sauce of dashi, mirin, and soy sauce, eaten with wasabi or grated ginger.

**Regional Varieties** Thickness and shape vary widely across Japan. - **Dango-jiru**: from Ōita Prefecture, a "dumpling soup" resembling very thick, flat udon. - **Gotō udon**: a thin, firm variant from the Goto Islands, coated in camellia oil as a natural preservative. - **Gōsetsu udon** ("heavy snow udon"): from Kutchan, Hokkaido, slightly translucent and chewy, made from potato starch and wheat flour. Originated as a home food for farmers at the foot of Mount Yōtei, a heavy snowfall area; the name reflects both the region and the noodle's translucent appearance. - **Hakata udon**: a thick, soft type from Fukuoka. - **Himokawa**: an extremely flat, wide type from Kiryū, Gunma. - **Hōtō**: a miso soup from Yamanashi Prefecture with flat, wide udon and vegetables, particularly kabocha.