Bukkake Udon (ぶっかけうどん, udon with poured sauce)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Fine-mesh strainer lined with a clean cloth
• •Small saucepan
• •Bamboo draining basket (zaru), or a colander
• •Oroshigane grater, or the fine holes of a box grater
• •Chilled serving bowls

Instructions

1. 1

   Steep the konbu

   Wipe the konbu with a damp cloth, but don't wash it. The pale bloom on the surface is flavor, not dirt. Put the konbu in the cold water and warm it slowly over medium-low heat, about ten minutes, until the water trembles and small bubbles climb the sides of the pot. Lift the konbu out before the water boils.

   Boiling konbu pulls out bitterness and a slick texture. You're coaxing clarity from it, not punishing it.
2. 2

   Strain the dashi

   Bring the water just to a gentle boil, add the katsuobushi all at once, and turn off the heat. Leave the flakes alone for two or three minutes, until they sink. Strain through a cloth-lined sieve and let the dashi drip naturally. Don't squeeze the flakes, because squeezing presses strong, oily flavors into the clear stock.

3. 3

   Make the tsuyu

   Put the mirin in a small saucepan and simmer it for thirty seconds to soften its raw alcohol edge. Add the soy sauce and sugar, stir until dissolved, then add 3/4 cup of the dashi. Warm just until the surface trembles, then take it off the heat and chill it quickly in an ice bath. Taste it cold. It should be too strong to drink straight, because bukkake udon uses a small pour, not a full broth.

4. 4

   Prepare the toppings

   Grate the daikon on an oroshigane grater, or use the fine holes of a box grater. Let it sit in a small sieve and press it lightly, not dry. Too much water thins the tsuyu, but daikon squeezed dry loses its clean bite. Slice the scallions thinly, grate the ginger, and cut the lemon or sudachi into wedges.

5. 5

   Boil the udon

   Bring a large pot of unsalted water to a rolling boil. Add the frozen Sanuki udon and cook just until the block loosens and the noodles are hot through, usually one or two minutes. If using dried udon, cook according to the package and begin tasting early. Udon needs room in the pot, because crowding makes the surface starch cling and dulls the bite.

6. 6

   Rinse and chill

   Drain the udon and rinse under cold running water, rubbing the noodles gently with your hands until the water no longer feels slippery. Move them into ice water until cold to the center, then drain in a zaru or colander. Shake well and let them sit for a minute. The noodles should glisten, but they should not drip.

   This is the first secret of cold udon. The rinse removes surface starch, the ice tightens the bite, and the long drain keeps the tsuyu from turning thin.
7. 7

   Pour and serve

   Set the chilled udon in two cold bowls, coiling the noodles with a little height and leaving room around them. Spoon 3 to 4 tablespoons of chilled tsuyu around each mound, not enough to drown it. Top with grated daikon, scallion, ginger, lemon or sudachi, and sesame or tenkasu if using. Serve extra tsuyu on the side, and squeeze the citrus just before eating.

Chef Tips

• •For the best bite, choose frozen Sanuki udon if you can't buy fresh handmade noodles. It sounds like a compromise, but good frozen udon often has better koshi than soft shelf-stable packets.
• •Tsuyu is not soup here. Start with 3 tablespoons per bowl, toss once from the bottom, then add more only if the noodles ask for it. The small pour is what makes bukkake udon itself.
• •For a meatless table, make the dashi with konbu and dried shiitake: soak 10g konbu and 2 dried shiitake in 2 cups cold water overnight, warm gently, remove the konbu before boiling, then strain. That is temple-kitchen logic, honmono, not a compromise.
• •If you find sudachi at its late-summer shun, use it. Lemon is the sensible stand-in and works cleanly here, but sudachi brings a sharper green fragrance.

Advance Preparation

• •The dashi can be made two days ahead and kept refrigerated. The leftover stock is enough for a small miso soup or another batch of tsuyu.
• •The tsuyu keeps five days refrigerated and is better after a night of rest. Chill it well before serving, because cold noodles want cold sauce.
• •Grate the daikon and slice the scallions close to serving. They lose their clean edge if they sit too long.
• •For a picnic, keep the rinsed and drained udon, toppings, and tsuyu in separate cold containers. Assemble just before eating so the noodles stay springy and the sauce stays concentrated.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 480g)