Udon Noodle Soup Recipe

Recipe Courtesy of BBC Food & the Hairy Bikers

Udon noodle soup, a beloved staple of Japanese cuisine, offers a comforting blend of flavors and textures. The thick, chewy noodles, made from wheat flour, are served in a savory broth, often flavored with soy sauce, dashi, and mirin. Traditionally topped with ingredients like tempura, green onions, and a boiled egg, this dish exemplifies the balance of simplicity and umami in Japanese cooking. Udon’s versatility allows for regional variations, from the cold, refreshing version of Osaka to the warm, hearty style of Kagawa. In each bowl, udon offers a taste of Japan’s culinary tradition, steeped in history and flavor.

Ingredients

For the miso broth

• 5cm/2in piece kombu seaweed

• 1½ tsp dashi powder

• 2½cm/1in piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated

• 1 tbsp white miso paste

• pinch caster sugar

• 2 tbsp mirin

• 75g/2½oz tofu, cubed into 1cm/½in pieces

For the stir-fried greens

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil

• 1 garlic clove, finely sliced

• 4 shiitake mushrooms, sliced

• 2 heads bok choi, sliced in quarters

• 75g/2½oz kale, shredded

• 1 small courgette, sliced

• 50g/2¾oz sugar snap peas

• 2 tbsp Japanese soy sauce

• 40g/2½oz enoki mushrooms, broken into pieces

• 4 spring onions, finely sliced

• 1 tsp shichimi pepper

• 1 tsp sesame seeds

• 1 x 150g/5oz packet udon rice noodles

Method

1. For the miso broth, place a saucepan of water over a medium heat and add the kombu seaweed.

2. Add the dashi powder, stir and leave to simmer for a few minutes. Add the grated ginger, white miso paste, sugar and mirin. Taste and adjust the amount of sugar or mirin if necessary. Keep warm. To finish the miso broth, add the tofu cubes to the broth.

3. For the stir-fried greens, heat a wok with a little vegetable oil until shimmering, add the sliced garlic and fry gently for 10 seconds. Tip in the sliced mushrooms, bok choi, kale, courgette and sugar snap peas.

4. Keep stirring the contents of the wok and cook for two minutes or so, then add the soy sauce, enoki mushrooms and all but a teaspoon of the spring onions. Fry the vegetables until slightly softened, then add all but a pinch of the schicimi pepper and sesame seeds.

5. Meanwhile, bring a second pan, filled with water, to the boil. Drop the udon noodles into the boiling water and cook for a few minutes, or until heated through, and then drain.

6. To serve, lay the udon noodles in the bottom of a bowl, place the stir-fried greens on top and then ladle over the miso broth. Finish with the reserved finely sliced spring onion and a pinch of both the shichimi and sesame seeds.