Udon
Ingredients
IDashi
- 4 cups water
- 2 4x5 inch sheets of kombu cut into strips dried kelp
- 3 cups dried bonito flakes katsuobushi
Udon
- 2.5 to 3 cups Dashi Broth
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons mirin
- 2 tablespoon sake
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 packages frozen udon (I used Shirakiku Brand Sanukiya Udon, which comes with 5 single serving packages of udon)
Imari Age (seasoned fried tofu pouches) Topping-Optional
- 4 squares Agé (I used House Foods Oagesan Agé)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sake
- 1 tablespoon mirin
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/2 cup water
Other Toppings
- sliced green onions
- bean sprouts
- shichimi togarashi common Japanese spice mixture containing seven ingredients
- soft boiled eggs halved
- narutomaki or naruto (a type of cured fish)
- fried onions
Instructions
Dashi
- Before you go to bed, place the sheet of kombu in 4 cups of cold water. Cover and put in the refrigerator. Or you can heat the water to almost boiling, add the kombu, and let it steep for 1 hour. Or you can soak the kombu in water for at least 30 minutes and then heat it on medium heat until just before boiling (you will see little bubbles on the edge of the pot). All methods produce a good broth, so just use the one that fits with your schedule.
- Whenever you're ready to make the dashi, remove the kombu by straining it out.
- Heat the kombu broth to just before boiling. Turn off the heat and add 3 cups of dried bonito flakes. Let steep for 5 minutes. Strain out the soggy dried bonito flakes in a fine mesh strainer lined with a paper towel. Squeeze the soggy bonito flakes, trying to get all the excess broth. Set aside the finished dashi. You should have around 2.5 to 3 cups.
Imari Age (seasoned fried tofu pouches)-You can make this before hand
- Put the tofu pouches in a strainer and pour boiling water over them.
- Combine all the ingredients in a frying pan on medium heat. Add the prepared tofu pouches and cook until all the liquid is gone, flipping occasionally. Set aside or store in an airtight container in the fridge.
Udon
- Add the dashi, soy sauce, mirin, and sake to a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Taste and add salt.
- Add the udon and cook 3 to 5 minutes. Turn the heat off, divide the noodles and soup into bowls, and top with your desired toppings.
Notes
If you are cooking with dry udon noodles, add them to salted boiling water and as soon as the water comes back to a boil, and 1 cup of cold water to the pot. Bring back to a boil again, add another cup of cold water. Continue doing this until the noodles are cooked. They should be tender with no hard core and have a slippery surface. Drain and immediately rinse the noodles in cold water to stop them from cooking more. Set aside and right before serving, rinse with boiling water. Place them in the serving bowls and then add the hot broth to them.