Udon are Japanese wheat noodles. They are made from all purpose flour, water and salt. Very simple affair, so it seems. Japanese Udon artisans make Udon that look like the ones made by machines. You can see those artisans making Udon noodles through the window at the front of good Udon restaurants. It is actually pretty amazing to watch. Udon is sometimes eaten hot in seasoned broth, but other times, it is eaten cold and dipped in sauce. It is an extremely popular lunch food in Japan and also in the US. A lot of Japanese restaurants in the US serve Udon and stores sell the noodles for home cooking, but you can make it at home. And not just the dish, I mean you can really make the Udon noodles themselves.
Because you can buy Udon noodles in many forms such as frozen or dried at many supermarkets, you might think it’s not necessary to make home-made Udon noodles. However, there are 3 reasons to make Udon at home:
1. You may like making fresh noodles at home. That’s me. I like making things from scratch. It is safe, preservative and other unwanted chemicals free. That’s can be a big deal for some people with a health conscious mind.
2. It tastes better made at home. This is just so true for any food. Home-made Udon has a different texture from store-bought, especially the dried kind. It is thicker, firmer, and heartier. Home-made Udon doesn’t get soft and soggy while you are eating it.
3. It is fun to make Udon. You knead the dough with your feet! Stepping on the dough may sound strange, but that’s the traditional way of making Udon in Japan. Get your family and friends involved in this process, and they’ll like doing it.
It’s not hard to make, but it will take some time letting the dough rest, and to roll it out, etc. The cost of ingredients is close to nothing, but you can put some labor in it. No one is an Udon artisan here, so it may not look perfect. Some noodles might be thicker than the others … but that’s OK. They still taste great. Hope you enjoy both making and eating home-made Udon!
Mix warm water and salt well until the salt is dissolved.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, add salt water and flour. Mix with a dough hook at medium speed about 5 minutes. Wrap the dough in plastic and let it rest at least 3 hours in the refrigerator (preferably overnight).
Take the cold dough from the refrigerator and let it return to room temperature. ((Remove from plastic and knead by hand for a couple of minutes until the dough becomes smooth and elastic. Cover and let it rest for 20 minutes.)) Put the dough in a strong 1 gallon plastic bag (such as a zip freezer bag), leaving it at least partly open to allow air to escape. Then put the bag of dough on the floor. Step on the bag of dough and knead with your feet until the dough spreads out, taking up the whole bag. Take the dough out and fold in half twice, into a smaller square. Repeat this kneading and folding 2 more times. Shape the dough into a ball and let it rest 20 minutes.
Roll out the dough to 3 mm (1/8″) thick about the size of 50cm x 35cm (20″ x14″) sheet, dusting well with a lot of flour so that it doesn’t stick, and fold the dough into 3 layers. Cut the dough to 3 mm width noodles.
Boil water in a big pot, and boil the noodles for 10-15 minutes. Strain and wash. Use as directed in recipes.
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AboutJapaneseCooking101
Noriko and Yuko, the authors of this site, are both from Japan but now live in California. They love cooking and eating great food, and share a similar passion for home cooking using fresh ingredients.Noriko and Yuko plan and develop recipes together for Japanese Cooking 101. They cook and shoot photos/videos at their home kitchen(s.)
Udon are chewy Japanese noodles made from wheat flour, water, and salt, typically served in a simple dashi-based broth. They're thicker than buckwheat soba noodles—typically two to four millimeters—and can be either flat or rounded.
The udon noodles are cooked directly in the nabe together with the broth and vegetables. Tempura is a common addition before serving, but the more typical ingredients include mushrooms, egg, kamaboko (a pink and white steamed fish cake) and various vegetables.
Udon noodles are made from milled flour, water, and salt.They are paler in color than ramen noodles and tend to be subtle in taste. One of the most important things to note about udon noodles is that (unlike ramen) they aren't made with egg, meaning that udon is an awesome noodle choice for vegans.
Commonly, hakurikiko (soft flour) is used for sweets and tempura batter, churikiko (medium flour) is for udon noodles, jun-kyorikiko (semi-hard flour) is for ramen noodles, and kyorikiko (hard flour) is used for bread.
Udon noodles are white flour-based noodles that are thick, chewy and silky. What gives udon noodles their characteristic chew is a low water-to-flour ratio. This means the dough is tough to knead by hand—but not impossible—and is often traditionally kneaded with the feet!
Sold in small semi-circular loaves, kamaboko is a convenient way of getting all the goodness of fish, without having to go to the trouble of preparing it. Pink and white slices of kamaboko are served chilled with soy sauce and wasabi or are placed in bowls of udon or ramen soup.
Additional vitamins and minerals contained in udon noodles include thiamine and niacin, both vital for reducing stress and improving circulation, respectively. So the next time you see udon noodles on the menu or for sale in the marketplace, consider getting yourself a dish and enjoying a great, healthy meal!
Udon is considered the healthier of the two because it is typically served with simpler toppings. Ramen has more sodium due to kansui and is often served with butter and other rich toppings.
Mizusawa Udon, a speciality of Gunma prefecture, is considered to be one of the three most delicious varieties of udon in all of Japan. Made from Gunma wheat flour, pure water, and specially selected salt, mizusawa udon noodles are firm, thick, and turn out slightly transparent when cooked.
Nutrition notes: Usually found in brothy soups, these Asian noodles are made from refined white flour (not durum wheat), though there are whole-wheat versions. They have less fiber and protein than plain pasta and, unless they're enriched, fewer nutrients.
Once the water is boiling, add the udon noodles to the pot. If you're using fresh udon noodles, they will only need to cook for 2-3 minutes. Dried udon noodles will take around 8-10 minutes. Stir the noodles occasionally to prevent them from sticking together.
Udon is traditionally served as a hot noodle soup topped with scallions, tempura or fried tofu. We also love adding udon to stir-fries, particularly this amazing recipe from Chicago chef Takashi Yagihashi, who combines udon with shrimp, chicken, cabbage and mushrooms for a simple yet flavorful dish.
The most common kinds of Udon found in stores in the US are dried and frozen. Dried Udon is much thinner and when cooked is usually pretty soft. It is a convenient choice because it has a long shelf life in the pantry. You need to be careful not to overcook dried Udon especially when you prepare in hot soup.
Udon is considered the healthier of the two because it is typically served with simpler toppings. Ramen has more sodium due to kansui and is often served with butter and other rich toppings.
Japanese udon noodles are thick and chewy, yet tender with a subtly sweet undertone. The dough for udon is made by mixing wheat flour, salt, sometimes a small pinch of sugar, and water before kneading it until it becomes smooth.The dough is then rolled out and cut into thick, delicate noodles.
“Kamatama” is a popular way of serving Sanuki udon noodles. The udon noodles are removed piping hot from a boiling cauldron (kama) and placed in a bowl and then have a raw egg (tamago) and a special kind of stock-infused soy sauce poured on top.
Introduction: My name is The Hon. Margery Christiansen, I am a bright, adorable, precious, inexpensive, gorgeous, comfortable, happy person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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