Kake Udon (Hot Udon Noodle Soup)
かけうどん
https://japanese-kitchen-brothers.com/pages/recipe-kake-udon-hot-udon-noodle-soup
Thick, springy udon in a hot dashi broth. Frozen noodles make it a 10 minute meal.
👨🍳"Frozen udon saved my student days. I still keep five blocks ready."
Ingredients
Serves 2Broth (Local)
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Umami Mentsuyu concentrate120 ml (½ cup)homemade or bottled
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Water600 ml (2½ cups)
Broth (Authentic)
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Umami Awase dashi600 ml (2½ cups)kombu and bonito stock
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Sweet Hon-mirin2 tbsp (30 ml)
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Salty Light soy sauce (usukuchi)2 tbsp (30 ml)paler but saltier than regular soy
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Salty Salt¼ tsp (~1.5 g)
Noodles
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2 portions (~500 g frozen)frozen for Local, dried or fresh for Authentic
Toppings
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1 stalkthinly sliced
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Tempura bits (tenkasu) optional2 tbsp
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Spicy Shichimi pepper optional1 pinch
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Kamaboko fish cake optional4 slicesnice in the Authentic bowl
Taste & Texture Profile
The Local bowl tastes darker and sweeter, like Tokyo udon. The Authentic bowl is lighter, with dashi in front.
Taste Profile
Texture Profile
Sensory Notes
Sweet soy and bonito, like a noodle stand at a train station.
A loud slurp as the thick noodles pull the broth up.
Dark brown broth around pale, thick noodles.
Piping hot. The noodles are soft outside and firm inside.
Clean bonito and kombu steam, with only a hint of soy.
Chopsticks tap the bowl as the slippery noodles slide.
Pale gold broth. You can see the noodles at the bottom.
Hot enough to steam, gentle enough to drink to the last drop.
Instructions
Mix the mentsuyu and water in a pot. Use 1 part tsuyu to 5 parts water. Heat until it steams.
Heat the dashi in a pot. Add the mirin, light soy sauce, and salt. Do not let it boil.
💡 Light soy sauce is pale, not mild
Light soy sauce holds about 16 percent salt. Regular dark soy holds about 14 percent. So you need less of it for the same salt. The broth stays golden, and the dashi smell comes first.
Light soy sauce sounds like less salt.
Wrong. It is lighter in color, not in salt.
So I use less of it, not more.
Drop the frozen udon straight into boiling water. Cook for 1 minute. Loosen it gently with chopsticks.
💡 Why frozen udon stays so chewy
Frozen udon is boiled first, then frozen within minutes. At that moment, the outside is soft and the core is firm. Freezing locks that gap in place. One minute in boiling water brings it back.
Frozen noodles sound like a shortcut.
They are. They often beat dried udon too.
So the freezer keeps the bite for me.
Boil the udon in plenty of water. Follow the package time. Stir now and then so it does not stick.
Drain the udon and rinse it under cold water. Rub gently to wash off the slime. Then dip it in hot water for 30 seconds.
💡 Why you rinse cold, then warm again
Boiled udon wears a thin coat of loose starch. Cold water washes it off and firms the surface. A 30 second hot dip warms the noodle again. The broth stays clear, and the bite stays firm.
Rinse it cold. Then warm it fast.
Is that not double the work?
One more minute. The broth stays clear.
Warm the bowls with hot water, then pour it out. Drain the noodles well and put them in.
Pour the hot broth over the noodles. Top with green onion. Add tempura bits and shichimi if you like.
FAQ
What is the difference between kake udon and kitsune udon?
Kake udon is only noodles and hot broth. Kitsune udon adds sweet fried tofu on top.
Why do my udon noodles go soft and mushy?
They cooked too long, or they sat in the broth. Serve the bowl right away. Frozen udon needs only 1 minute.
Can I make kake udon vegan?
Not as written, since dashi uses bonito flakes. Use kombu dashi instead. Check the mentsuyu label too.
How much broth do I need per bowl?
About 350 ml per bowl. The noodles should sit just under the surface.
Can I use regular soy sauce instead of light soy sauce?
Yes. Use the same amount. The broth turns darker and a little less salty.
