Kake Udon (かけうどん)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Medium pot for dashi
• •Large pot for boiling udon
• •Fine-mesh strainer lined with a clean cloth
• •Deep donburi bowls
• •Cooking chopsticks or tongs

Instructions

1. 1

   Steep the konbu

   Wipe the konbu with a damp cloth, but don't wash it. The pale powder on the surface is not dirt, it's flavor. Put the konbu in 4 cups cold water and bring it up slowly over low heat, about ten minutes. Pull it out just before the water boils, when small bubbles climb the sides of the pot. If the konbu boils, the dashi can turn bitter and slick, and the clear edge of the broth is gone before the noodles arrive.

   You are steeping the kelp, not cooking it hard. The slow rise gives the stock depth without clouding it.
2. 2

   Add the bonito

   Bring the water to a gentle boil, add the katsuobushi all at once, and immediately turn off the heat. Leave the flakes alone for two to three minutes, until they sink. Do not stir. The flakes give their aroma quickly, and rough handling pulls out stronger, heavier flavors that do not belong in this plain bowl.

3. 3

   Strain the dashi

   Strain the dashi through a cloth-lined sieve or a very fine strainer. Let it drip naturally and don't squeeze the flakes. Squeezing presses out oily, stale-tasting notes and turns the stock cloudy. For kake udon, the broth is the face of the dish, so keep it clean.

4. 4

   Season the broth

   Return the dashi to the pot and choose your direction. For Kanto-style kakejiru, add koikuchi shōyu, mirin, and salt. For Kansai-style kakejiru, add usukuchi shōyu, mirin, and salt. Warm gently and taste. It should be slightly more seasoned than a soup you would sip by itself, because the udon will soften it. Do not let the broth boil hard after seasoning, or the fragrance flattens.

5. 5

   Cook the udon

   Cook the udon in a separate pot of boiling water according to the package or maker's instructions. Fresh udon may need only a short warming; frozen udon often needs two to three minutes. Stir gently with chopsticks so the strands loosen without tearing. The noodles should be hot through and springy, not swollen and soft.

6. 6

   Clear the starch

   Drain the udon well. If the noodles are fresh and starchy, rinse them briefly under hot running water or dip them once into a bowl of hot water, then drain again. This keeps loose starch out of the dashi. A cloudy broth in kake udon is not a tragedy, but it is evidence, and the bowl is too plain to hide evidence.

7. 7

   Assemble the bowls

   Warm two deep bowls with hot water, then empty them. Divide the udon between the bowls and ladle the hot kakejiru over the noodles until they are just covered. Scatter sliced scallion on top and serve shichimi tōgarashi alongside. The bowl should look restrained: noodles resting in clear broth, a little green at the surface, nothing crowded.

Chef Tips

• •Use the best udon you can find. Frozen Sanuki-style udon is often better than many shelf-stable packets, with a firm chew and clean wheat flavor. The noodle is half the bowl, so don't ask a tired one to behave like a good one.
• •Kansai-style broth looks paler, but usukuchi shōyu is usually saltier than koikuchi shōyu. Add it with respect and taste before adding extra salt.
• •Don't use instant dashi powder here unless you are making a different kind of weeknight bowl and naming it honestly. Kake udon has almost nowhere to hide, and powdered stock tastes flat when it stands this close to the front.
• •For a meatless table, make the dashi with konbu and dried shiitake. Soak 1 piece konbu and 2 dried shiitake in 4 cups cold water overnight, warm gently, and season the same way. That is the temple-kitchen path, and it is honmono, not a compromise.
• •Warm the bowls before serving. It sounds fussy until you skip it once. Thick noodles and ceramic bowls steal heat quickly, and a plain hot bowl should reach the table still bright.

Advance Preparation

• •The dashi can be made up to two days ahead and refrigerated. Keep it unseasoned if you can, then season and warm it just before serving.
• •For a rounder stock, soak the konbu in the measured cold water overnight in the refrigerator, then warm it gently and continue with the katsuobushi.
• •Slice the scallions a few hours ahead and hold them in cold water for ten minutes, then drain well. They stay crisp and lose their sharp bite.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 650g)