When my family visited Takayama in Japan in 2015, we had the opportunity to enjoy this warm udon noodle soup with Hida beef. Made of freshly cooked udon noodles in a fragrant hot soup, topped with sweet juicy sliced beef, the beef udon was delicious and perfect. Today, we are going to recreate this Beef Udon (肉うどん) back in our own kitchen. Despite its simplicity, this noodle soup is packed with flavor! The savory broth, seasoned tender beef, caramelized scallion, and chewy smooth noodles — that’s all you really need for a well-composed bowl of noodle soup.
Ingredients for Niku Udon
With basic Japanese condiments, you can easily make this delicious noodle soup at home.
Udon noodles – Can be frozen, fresh, or dried. Wish to learn more about this noodle? Click here. Thinly sliced beef – It works great with “shabu shabu beef” from a Japanese market, but you can always slice your own. Negi (Japanese long onion) – You can use green onion as a substitute. Dashi (Japanese soup stock) – More about it below. Condiments: soy sauce, sake, mirin, and sugar. Optional toppings: narutomaki (fish cake), green onion, mitsuba (Japanese herb), etc.
How to Make the Best Beef Udon
3 Ways to Make Dashi
The key to the most flavorful broth for beef udon is dashi — the quintessential Japanese soup stock. Dashi is clear, delicate, mildly sweet, and full of umami. It is the base flavor for a superb bowl of beef udon. For those who had never made dashi, it might sound intimidating. But trust me, it’s easier to make dashi than any other broth out there; all you do is drop the ingredients in water and let them steep. That’s it! Just in case you’re new to making dashi, here are 3 ways to make dashi: If you want to learn more about dashi, check out The Ultimate Dashi Guide, where I talk about 6 different types of dashi and the above 3 methods in detail.
Make Homemade Udon Noodles
If you have extra time, I recommend making Homemade Udon Noodles from scratch! All you need is flour, water, and salt. The texture of the dough is much firmer than bread dough, so traditionally, the Japanese used their feet to knead the udon noodles. Isn’t it fun? Check out the post to see how we make udon noodles in Japan.
Other Delicious Udon Noodles
Don’t miss out on these delicious recipes with udon noodles:
Yaki Udon (Stir-Fried Udon Noodle) Curry Udon Nabeyaki Udon (Hot Pot Style Udon Noodle Served in Donabe) Kitsune Udon Miso Nikomi Udon
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