The Art of Udon Soup

Udon is one of the most comforting foods in the Japanese kitchen — thick, chewy wheat noodles swimming in a fragrant broth, topped with everything from tempura to soft-boiled eggs. Making great udon at home is simpler than you might think, and the difference between handmade and store-bought noodles is dramatic. Udon Soup teaches you to make the noodles, build the broth, and assemble bowls that rival your favorite Japanese restaurant.

Handmade Udon Noodles

Basic Udon Dough

The foundation of great udon is remarkably simple — just flour, water, and salt.

Ingredients:

• 300g all-purpose flour (or a mix of all-purpose and bread flour for extra chew)
• 135ml water
• 15g salt

Method:

1. Dissolve salt in water
2. Add salt water to flour gradually, mixing until a shaggy dough forms
3. Knead the dough for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic
4. Wrap in plastic and rest for at least 2 hours (overnight in the fridge is even better)
5. Roll out to 3mm thickness and cut into strips
6. Boil in a large pot of unsalted water for 10–12 minutes

The resting time is critical — it allows the gluten to relax and develop the characteristic chewy texture that defines good udon.

Broths

Kake Dashi (Basic Udon Broth)

The standard hot broth for most udon preparations. Light, clear, and deeply savory.

• 4 cups dashi (kombu and katsuobushi)
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons mirin
• 1 teaspoon sugar

Bring dashi to a simmer, add soy sauce, mirin, and sugar. Taste and adjust. The broth should be savory but not overpoweringly salty — the noodles are unseasoned and absorb flavor from the broth.

Curry Udon Broth

A warming variation that combines Japanese curry roux with dashi for a rich, spiced broth that clings to the noodles.

Miso Udon Broth

White (shiro) miso stirred into dashi creates a creamy, umami-rich broth particularly suited to winter eating.

Classic Preparations

• Kake udon — Simple hot broth with noodles, garnished with green onion and a slice of kamaboko
• Kitsune udon — Topped with sweet simmered fried tofu (aburaage) — the "fox" of the name
• Tempura udon — Crowned with a crispy shrimp or vegetable tempura that slowly softens in the hot broth
• Tanuki udon — Scattered with crunchy tempura batter bits (tenkasu) for texture
• Nabeyaki udon — A hot-pot style preparation cooked and served in an earthenware pot with vegetables, shrimp tempura, and egg
• Zaru udon — Cold noodles served on a bamboo mat with a chilled dipping sauce, perfect for summer

Essential Ingredients

• Kombu — Dried kelp, the foundation of dashi
• Katsuobushi — Dried bonito flakes, providing the smoky depth in dashi
• Soy sauce — Use Japanese soy sauce (shoyu) for the correct flavor profile
• Mirin — Sweet rice wine that balances soy sauce's saltiness
• Toppings — Green onion, wakame seaweed, kamaboko fish cake, soft-boiled egg, tempura

Build a bowl of udon and taste the simple perfection of Japanese comfort food.