Curry udon – 2 recipes
About curry udon
Curry udon is thick udon noodles in Japanese curry flavoured soup. This hearty curry udon is popular with Japanese people, so it is a standard menu at Japanese Udon restaurants. It seems to have first appeared in Japan around 1904. And its taste has evolved a century after its birth. There are many variations these days, such as using a very spicy authentic curry or using coconut milk or milk to make it milder.
In this post I would like to write 2 curry udon recipes. One is close to the standard one and the other is with a twist (= mild creamy). I think both are equally tasty.
Recipe tips for curry udon
Soup stock
I used to use dashi stock for curry udon, but I don’t use it in the recipes of this post. Of course, you can use it if you have. But if you live outside Japan, it may be difficult to get the ingredients for the dashi stock. Besides, it is not necessary to use it because the meat and vegetables produce delicious soup stock.
To make the soup stock from the meat, put water and meat in a pan and heat it over high heat. When it is boiled, a lot of foamy scum will appear on the surface. Then reduce to medium heat and scoop the scum up cleanly. Once the scum is removed, add Japanese sake (or Chinese rice wine or sherry). Then put a lid on and simmer over low heat for about half an hour or until the meat is tender.
Regarding meat
I often use chicken or pork for curry udon. I don’t know what kind of pork you will use, but the cooking time will vary depending on the part and the size of the cut. The important thing is that the meat should be tender before adding the seasonings, since the meat doesn’t tend to soften after seasoning.
I mention chicken in the first recipe and pork in the second recipe, but it’s perfectly okay to reverse it. In short you can choose the meat which you like.
About Japanese curry roux
Japanese curry roux is handy ingredients. It makes the soup stock thicken and has a mild and slightly sweet taste. I think you can purchase it at the large supermarkets or Asian supermarkets. If you can’t find it, you can substitute it with curry powder / cornstarch and water mixture, although it is not exact the same taste.
Udon Noodles for curry udon
Nowadays you can buy frozen, vacuum packed and dried udon noodles. But if you can purchase frozen ones, this will be the best choice. After trying all of them, I think the frozen ones are the most delicious. For more general information about udon, click the link below.
Seasoning amount
The recipes use curry powder, Japanese curry roux, soy sauce, mirin, and sugar for seasoning. At first, add less than the amount stated in the recipe, and check the taste. Then if necessary, add more. In particular, curry powder, curry roux, and soy sauce have a considerable difference in taste depending on the product, so add less amount and then adjust. In case the taste is too strong, add hot water to dilute it.
Curry udon no.1 – close to standard curry udon
Equipment
- 2 x pot with a lid
Ingredients
- 200 gram Chicken thigh / breast (cut into small bite size)
- 50 gram Carrot (peel and slice)
- 50 gram Shiitake mushroom (cut into small bite size)
- 80 gram Green onion (cut diagonally with a width of 5 mm)
- 2 Frozen noodles (or vacuum pack / dried noodles)
- 600 ml Water
- 2 tablespoon Japanese sake (or Chinise rice wine or sherry)
- 50 ml Mirin
- 50 ml Soy sauce
- 2 teaspoon Sugar
- 1 tablespoon Curry powder
- 1-2 tablespoon Corn starch
- 1-2 tablespoon Water (to mix with corn starch)
- 2 Soft boiled eggs
Instructions
- Put water and chicken in a pot and heat it over high heat until it boils.
- When it is boiled, reduce to medium heat and scoop the foamy scum with a ladle cleanly. Once the scum is removed, add Japanese sake and put a lid on and simmer over low heat for about 30 minutes or until chicken is tender.
- Add carrot and shiitake mushroom and cook for 15 minutes or until the vegetables are soft.
- Add mirin, soy sauce, sugar and curry power. (add less than recipe amount and check the taste. If necessary, add more seasonings). If taste is O.K. add cornstarch and water mixture to thicken the soup.
- Boil the water in a separate pot and cook the noodles according to the instructions of each product. Once cooked, drain the water and put the noodles in a bowl.
- Add green onions and cook for a minute or until green onions turn bright green. Pour the soup into the bowl of noodles. Cut the boiled egg in half and place it on the noodles.
Notes
Curry udon no.2 – creamy mild curry udon
Equipment
- 2 x pot with a lid
Ingredients
- 200 gram Pork (cut into small bite size)
- 50 gram Carrot (peel and slice)
- 50 gram Shiitake mushroom (cut into small bite size)
- 80 gram Green onion (cut diagonally with a width of 5mm)
- 2 Frozen udon (or vacuumed pack / dried noodles)
- 450 ml Water
- 2 tablespoon Japanese sake (or Chinise rice wine or sherry)
- 40 ml Mirin
- 40 ml Soy sauce
- 2 teaspoon Sugar
- 30 gram Japanese curry roux
- 150 ml Milk
- 2 tablespoon Fresh cream
- 2 Soft boiled eggs
Instructions
- Put water and pork in a pot and heat it over high heat until it boils.
- When it is boiled, reduce to medium heat and scoop the foamy scum with a ladle cleanly. Once the scum is removed, add Japanese sake and put a lid on and simmer over low heat for about 30 minutes or until pork is tender.
- Add carrot and shiitake mushroom and cook for 15 minutes or until the vegetables are soft.
- Add mirin, soy sauce, sugar, Japanese curry roux. (add less than recipe amount and check the taste. If necessary, add more, however the taste should be a little stronger, as the milk will be added later.) Simmer for about 5 minutes over low heat and stir gently to dissolve the curry roux. Add milk and cook until just before boiling.
- Boil the water in a separate pot and cook the noodles according to the instructions of each product. Once cooked, drain the water and put the noodles in a bowl.
- Add green onions to the curry soup and cook for a minute or until green onions turn bright green. Pour the soup into the bowl of noodles. If you have fresh cream, sprinkle fresh cream and place half cut boiled eggs on the noodles.
Notes
Hope you will make curry udon and enjoy it. If you like more Japanese soup, click the link below.
Thanks for reading. Bon Appetit!
