Udon Noodle Soup (Kake Udon)
User Reviews
4.7
Udon Noodle Soup (Kake Udon)
Description
The Udon Noodle Soup (Kake Udon) starts with a carefully balanced broth combining dashi, mirin, soy sauce, sugar, and salt to create a delicate umami-rich base. The homemade broth is brought to a simmer and then set aside to keep the flavors intact. For convenience, an optional quick broth uses diluted mentsuyu concentrate, allowing for speedy preparation while maintaining authentic taste. The udon noodles, whether frozen, parboiled, dry, or homemade, are cooked until tender in boiling water, carefully timed to preserve their chewy texture. Served hot, the soup becomes a warm and satisfying dish that highlights the contrast between the thick, smooth noodles and the clear, fragrant broth. Common toppings such as thinly sliced green onions and Japanese seven spice add brightness and gentle heat, rounding out the simple yet refined flavor profile. Whether prepared with the homemade broth or the quick shortcut, this udon soup remains a classic comfort in Japanese home cooking.
Ingredients
For the Homemade Broth
- 2⅓ cups dashi use standard Awase Dashi, a dashi packet or powder, or Vegan Dashi, Japanese soup stock
- 1 Tbsp mirin
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1½ Tbsp soy sauce
- ⅛ tsp kosher salt plus more, to taste, Diamond Crystal brand
For the Quick Broth (optional)
- ⅓ cup mentsuyu or enough to make 2½ cups, 600 ml of soup; each brand is different, so follow your bottle‘s instructions for hot udon soup (うどん or めんのかけつゆ); I used Kikkoman Koidashi Hontsuyu; you can make my Homemade Mentsuyu, concentrated noodle soup base
- 2⅓ cups water (for my bottle‘s mentsuyu-to-water ratio of 1 to 7; please adjust the water based on your bottle‘s dilution ratio for hot udon soup)
- 1 Tbsp mirin
For the Udon Noodle Soup
- 2 ervings udon noodles (1.1 lb, 500 g frozen or parboiled udon noodles; 6.3 oz, 180 g dry udon noodles; or 10.6 oz, 300 g Homemade Udon Noodles)
- toppings of your choice (thinly sliced green onion/scallion, shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven spice), and more options in the blog post)
Instructions
To Prepare the Homemade Broth
- In a medium saucepan, add 2⅓ cups dashi (Japanese soup stock), 1 Tbsp mirin, 1 tsp sugar, 1½ Tbsp soy sauce, and ⅛ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt.
- Bring the broth to a gentle simmer. Once simmering, remove the pot from the heat. Cover with a lid and set aside.
To Prepare the Quick Broth (optional)
- Follow the instructions on your bottle of concentrated mentsuyu for the correct dilution ratio for noodle soup broth (shown here as めんのかけつゆ).
- Combine the water, mentsuyu, and mirin in a medium saucepan. For the brand of mentsuyu that I use, I add 2⅓ cups water, ⅓ cup mentsuyu (concentrated noodle soup base), and 1 Tbsp mirin. Bring it to a simmer over medium heat. Once simmering, remove the pot from the heat. Cover with a lid and set aside.
To Cook the Udon Noodles
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. When the water comes to a full rolling boil, add 2 servings udon noodles and cook according to the package instructions. The brand of frozen udon noodles I use requires reheating them for 1 minute. Using chopsticks, stir the noodles to loosen them up. For fresh noodles, see the cooking instructions in my Homemade Udon Noodles recipe.
- When the noodles are done, drain them in a colander or scoop them up with a fine-mesh strainer. Serve the hot udon noodles in individual bowls.
To Serve
- Pour the hot broth over the noodles and top with thinly sliced green onion and shichimi togarashi for a spicy kick (optional). For a more substantial lunch or dinner, you can top it with tempura, beef, fish cake and toasted mochi, tofu, Inari age, or vegetables. Watch the video above for 4 variations!
To Store
- You can keep the udon noodles and broth separately in airtight containers and store them in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 2Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 271 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 271kcal | 14% |
| Carbohydrates | 54g | 18% |
| Protein | 8g | 16% |
| Fat | 1g | 2% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 1g | 6% |
| Sodium | 554mg | 23% |
| Potassium | 41mg | 1% |
| Fiber | 4g | 16% |
| Sugar | 3g | 6% |
| Vitamin A | 60IU | 1% |
| Vitamin C | 1mg | 1% |
| Calcium | 25mg | 3% |
| Iron | 1mg | 6% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.7
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