Udon - what is it? Japanese motifs in your kitchen

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Japanese cuisine is so diverse and rich in outlandish combinations of flavors that not every one of us can become its adherent. But still, it also contains dishes that are more familiar to us, which you can not only fearlessly order in any Japanese restaurant, but also try to cook at home. Udon is one of those. What is it?

In the best tradition

Many believe that the main food of the inhabitants of the Land of the Rising Sun is rice, seafood and, of course, a variety of sauces. But actually it is not. This cuisine is very, very diverse and boasts not only an abundance of different dishes that Japanese chefs come up with, but also a special approach to the products from which they will be prepared. And here we have something to learn from them.

Let's start with a simple comparison. How many types of pasta do you know that are on the shelves of our supermarkets? There are probably many, but they are all made according to a general principle and often differ only in appearance. Most of them are made from wheat flour with or without eggs. But in Japan, cooking noodles is a whole tradition. And one example is the famous udon. What is it, now let's figure it out together.

A little about Japanese noodles

Unlike us, the Japanese have contrived to cook noodles not only from wheat flour. Rice, buckwheat, and even beans come into play. Each type is prepared according to an individual recipe and served in combination with a certain set of products and sauces. So, somen, for example, is usually eaten chilled and with ice, but yakisoba is served fried with vegetables, meat and other products. But today we are talking about udon noodles. Few know what it is. Well, let's fill this gap.

What is udon

This is the kind of noodle made from wheat flour, water and s alt. It is somewhat similar to ours, but it turns out to be more elastic and softer. The noodles themselves are quite thick - up to 4 mm in diameter, and after cooking it looks voluminous. Its color can range from white to greyish. This kind of noodles can also be found in our supermarkets, so everyone can try to cook a Japanese-style dish at home. To serve udon to the table, you don’t need a specific recipe. The Japanese serve such noodles with a wide variety of vegetables, the main thing is that it is tasty and satisfying. We will certainly tell you several options.

How to cook and serve properly

Preparing such noodles is very simple: just put it in boiling water and boil for 4-5 minutes after the water boils. Now you need to drain the water and rinse the noodles in cool water. Udon is ready, now you can use it for further cooking. If youcook the noodles in advance, add a little vegetable oil, udon will not stick together and such a preparation can be stored longer. Noodles are served in a variety of variations: cold or hot, in broths in the manner of soups or with vegetables, seafood or meat. In general, if you cook udon, you can adapt the recipe to your taste, this is quite acceptable for such a dish. And now let's focus on a few simple recipes that will help you with this.

Udon with teriyaki sauce and vegetables

Udon noodles (a recipe with vegetables is perfect for fasting or for people who follow a vegetarian lifestyle) is a hearty and very tasty dish. You can change the recipe to your liking or add something new. Japanese-style sauces can be found in almost any supermarket in the spice section.

For one package of noodles, you will need 150 g of vegetables such as carrots, zucchini, leek stalk, Chinese cabbage and a few garlic cloves. Also get teriyaki and tonkatsu sauces, cooking oil, some toasted sesame seeds and fresh cherry tomatoes for garnish.

How to cook

Udon with vegetables can be prepared in 15 minutes.

• Pre-boil the noodles and rinse.
• Cut the onion into rings, zucchini - into sticks, carrots - into strips, cabbage - arbitrarily, but not large. Mince the garlic.
• Pour a little oil into a preheated pan, lightly fry the carrots on it, then add the onion and zucchini. Stir constantly.
• Send tovegetables garlic and cabbage, s alt.
• After another minute, add 5 tbsp. l. tonkatsu and teriyaki and boiled udon. Stew for another minute and the dish is ready.

Serve the treat in deep bowls, sprinkled with sesame seeds and garnished with cherry tomato quarters.

Chicken Udon

If you want to give a Japanese touch to your family dinner, cook udon with chicken. The recipe will not take much time and effort, but it will turn out very tasty and original.

For one package of udon you will need 600 g of chicken fillet. Also take 150 g of vegetables: onions, carrots, sweet bell peppers. Add a couple of stalks of celery, 3-4 cloves of garlic, grated ginger - 1 tsp, soy sauce and black pepper. Some cooking oil.

How to cook

• Udon noodles are pre-boiled and washed. The recipe is a bit like the first option. The base is easy to prepare.
• Cut the chicken fillet into large pieces and fry a little in oil until half cooked.
• Chop the celery stalks into slices, dice the peppers, cut the onion into half rings and cut the carrots into strips. Mince the garlic.
• Fry the onions and carrots in hot oil, and then add all the other vegetables to them. Stirring constantly, cook for 2-3 minutes.
• Pour 150 ml of water and 5 tbsp. l soy sauce. Stew vegetables for 1-2 minutes, and then add chicken fillet and boiled udon to them, s alt and pepper. Keep the dish on the fire for another 5 minutes so that the fillet has time to cook completely.

The dish is ready and ready to serve.

As you can see, Japanese cuisine is not as intricate as it might seem at first glance. It has many simple but delicious dishes. Now you know a little more about the traditional Asian dish called udon. What it is, how it is prepared and served, we examined in detail. Feel free to experiment at home.

Bon appetit!