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Udon Noodle Soup (Kake Udon)
4.7 from 158 votes

Udon Noodle Soup (Kake Udon)

Udon Noodle Soup (Kake Udon) features thick udon noodles served in a light broth made from dashi, mirin, soy sauce, and a touch of sugar and salt. The recipe offers two broth options: a homemade version simmered gently to meld flavors, and a quick version using concentrated mentsuyu diluted with water. The noodles are boiled until tender and then served with preferred toppings such as scallions and shichimi togarashi. This classic preparation results in a soothing soup with subtly savory flavors and a comforting texture.

Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
15 mins
Servings: 2
Calories: 271 kcal
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Japanese

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
    Cup of Yum
  1. 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.
  2. 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)
  1. 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).
  2. 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
  1. 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.
  2. 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
  1. 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
  1. 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

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%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 2 Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 271

% 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.