Udon noodle is a variety of noodles made out of thick wheat flour and common in Japanese cuisine. It can be prepared and served in many ways such as noodle soup, in the form of
kakejiru made of dashi, etc. Udon recipes can be made using homemade udon noodle or using the readymade udon available in stores. Popular Udon noodle recipes include - Kitsune Udon, Curry Udon, Yaki-Udon and Miso Nikomi Udon.
History
The history of Udon noodles occurred when Chinese Buddhist priests travelled to Japan. It is believed that a Japanese Buddhist priest known as Kukai who travelled to China around the early 9th century to pursue Buddhism introduced it to China in the Sanuki Province. There is another theory that states that it was introduced to Japan by a Chinese Zen monk called Rinzai around the 13th century.
Ingredients Used and Popular Methods of Preparation in Udon Noodle Recipe
Udon noodles are essentially made using wheat flour as the base ingredient along with salt and water. The three are combined and kneaded using hands to the consistency of thick dough. Thereafter the dough is wrapped using a plastic film, pressed to form a slim circle and left aside for a few hours. The dough is rolled by flattening it sprinkling flour on a rolling surface/board. A little more flour is sprinkled over the rolled dough, folded and cut into thin strips. It is always better to cook the homemade noodles soon enough from the time of preparation.
Serving and Eating Udon Noodle
Udon noodles may be eaten cold or hot. The way they are served largely depends on the season in which they are served as hot varieties are served during colder times and cold varieties are served during hot weather conditions such as summer. In the hot varieties the noodles are served in the forms such as -
· Kake Udon wherein hot udon is topped with broth, thin slices of onions and bits of kamaboko.
· Kitsune Udon which is udon topped with tempura such as prawn or fritters
· Tanuki Udon also known as Haikara Udon that is topped using tenkasu
· Cold udon noodles can be served in forms such as -
· Zaru udon or Chilled udon noodles that are topped using shredded nori served on a zaru
· Bukkake udon or Cold udon that are served generously sprinkled with different toppings.
Popular Udon Noodle Recipe Variations
· Udon noodles are prepared with different regional variations. Few of them include -
· Biei-style Curry or udon noodle of the Biei region, Hokkaido.
· Inaniwa which is a thin variety of udon noodle from Akita Prefecture.
· Ise -a udon noodle variety hailing from Mie Prefecture.
· Kansai a soft type of udon noodle with medium thickness hailing from the Kansai region.
Kishimen a flat type of udon noodle from the Nagoya region.
Hōtō is a wide flat udon noodle variety normally cooked along with vegetables, more specifically the Japanese "kabocha" squash, from the Yamanashi Prefecture.
Miscellaneous Facts
Udon noodle is also familiar across South Korea, with the name udong.