Japanese
Udon
Hand-kneaded wheat noodles served in clear dashi broth for a chewy, clean, deeply savory bowl.
4 servings · 55 minutes prep · 35 minutes cook
Ingredients
Udon Noodles
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 1 cup potato starch, for rolling and dusting
Dashi Broth
- 9 cups cold water
- 1 piece kombu, 6 inches square
- 1 oz katsuobushi
- 1/3 cup usukuchi soy sauce
- 1/4 cup mirin
- 1 tbsp sake
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
Finish
- 4 scallions, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp shichimi togarashi, for serving
Directions
Mix, Rest, and Cut the Noodles
- Dissolve the kosher salt in the warm water. Mix with the all-purpose flour until shaggy, then knead briefly into a stiff dough.
- Seal the dough in a thick plastic bag and rest for 30 minutes. Step on the bagged dough with clean socks until flattened, fold it, and repeat 5 times. Rest for 2 hours.
- Dust generously with the potato starch, roll the dough to 1/8 inch thick, fold loosely, and cut into 1/8-inch noodles. Shake off excess starch.
Make and Season the Dashi
- Steep the kombu in the cold water for 30 minutes. Heat to 160°F, remove the kombu, bring the water just to a simmer, add the katsuobushi, turn off the heat, steep for 5 minutes, and strain.
- Season 8 cups dashi with the usukuchi soy sauce, mirin, sake, granulated sugar, and kosher salt. Bring to a gentle simmer and keep hot.
Cook, Assemble, and Serve
- Boil the udon in abundant unsalted water until chewy and cooked through, 10-12 minutes. Drain and rinse firmly under cold water to remove surface starch.
- Rewarm the noodles briefly in boiling water, divide among bowls, and ladle the hot broth over them.
- Top with the scallions and serve with the shichimi togarashi.
