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Kamaage Udon (釜揚げうどん)
Created by Chef Takumi
Kamaage udon is comfort by restraint: fresh noodles lifted straight from the pot into hot cooking water, then dipped in strong dashi-soy tsuyu, tender because they are never rinsed.
The bowl looks almost unfinished: thick udon, hot water, a small cup of dark tsuyu. That's the point. Kamaage udon asks for trust in the noodle itself, and in a dipping sauce strong enough to meet it. Nothing is hidden here, which is why it works.
Most udon is rinsed after boiling to wash away starch and tighten the chew. Kamaage udon refuses that bath. Lift the noodles straight from the pot and they stay tender, full, and glossy, with just enough surface starch to catch the tsuyu. Rinse them and dinner is not ruined, no officials will arrive, but you have made a different udon.
The water in the bowl is not soup. It keeps the noodles loose and warm while the real seasoning waits in the cup: dashi, shōyu, and mirin, reduced to a strength that would be too bold to drink plain. Dip only a few strands at a time. That's the method, not the menu: plain noodles, clear stock, strong sauce, and the patience to leave a simple thing alone.
Ingredients
cold water
Quantity
4 cups
for dashi
konbu (dried kelp)
Quantity
1 piece (about 10g)
katsuobushi (bonito flakes)
Quantity
20g
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| cold waterfor dashi | 4 cups |
| konbu (dried kelp) | 1 piece (about 10g) |
| katsuobushi (bonito flakes) | 20g |
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