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.
How to Make Beef Udon
Ingredients You’ll Need
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.
With basic Japanese condiments, you can easily make this delicious noodle soup at home.
Overview: Cooking Step
Prepare dashi broth and add the seasonings to make udon soup broth.Stir fry the negi (or green onion) and thinly sliced beef. Season them with soy sauce and sugar.Cook udon noodles according to the package instructions and drain well.Assemble udon noodles and broth in individual bowls. Top with cooked beef and other toppings of your choice.
All About Dashi – Japanese Soup Stock
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. I have a complete guide on how to make dashi and a video tutorial below. I often make a big batch of homemade dashi so I can reach for it anytime when I cook udon soup or all my other Japanese dishes.
How to Make Dashi
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! You have 3 methods to choose from:
Dashi powder – The easiest and quickest (1 minute!), but the flavor may not be the best.Dashi packet – It has good flavor and very convenient (5 minutes).Dashi making from scratch – The best broth. And even with this method, you only need 20 minutes!
Is there any dashi that’s vegan?
Yes! Among the five types of dashi broth, two of them are vegan-friendly.
Kombu dashiShiitake dashi
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 our feet to knead the udon noodles. Isn’t it fun? Check out the post to see how we make udon noodles in Japan.
Tableware from Musubi Kiln
I’ve partnered with a great ceramic online shop from Japan called Musubi Kiln. You will get 10% off with a coupon code JUSTONECOOKBOOK for your purchase. In this post, I’ve used:
Baizan Kiln Arabesque Tobe Donburi BowlIhoshiro Kiln Vegetable Series Mino Ware Chopstick Rest
Hungry for More Udon Noodle Recipes?
Don’t miss out on these delicious recipes with udon noodles:
Yaki Udon (Stir-Fried Udon Noodle)Curry UdonNabeyaki Udon (Hot Pot Style Udon Noodle Served in Donabe)Kitsune UdonMiso Nikomi Udon
Wish to learn more about Japanese cooking? Sign up for our free newsletter to receive cooking tips & recipe updates! And stay in touch with me on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram. Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on November 8, 2015. It’s been updated with new images and video.
