Noodles ── Udon
Kake Udon
Kake udon — the most basic bowl, hot broth poured over reheated noodles
The most basic udon of all: noodles boiled, chilled once in cold water, then reheated and covered in broth. The dashi flavor is said to vary shop by shop, built on dried sardine or bonito, and the standard toppings are light ones — scallion, crunchy tempura scraps, little more.
Lineage
What it's made of
Kake udon is noodles boiled, chilled once in cold water, then reheated and covered in broth. The broth's flavor is said to be where each shop's character shows, built variously on dried-sardine or bonito dashi depending on region and shop. Light toppings — scallion, crunchy tempura scraps — are said to be the standard, with little else added.
How it's made
Boiled noodles are chilled once in cold water, then dipped back into hot water to reheat before being plated and covered in broth. Because both noodle and broth show through directly with nothing added to mask them, it is said to be a bowl that puts the maker's basic skill on full display.
Why it took this shape
Set against zaru or bukkake, where the noodle is dipped into sauce, kake udon — broth poured straight over the noodle — is said to have settled in widely as the simplest way of eating it. Precisely because the construction is so plain, it is said to be treated as the bowl that tests udon's most basic elements: a noodle's bite and a broth's aroma, with nothing to hide behind.
Before you go
- How to read a ticket machineShops that use a ticket machine (shokken-ki) often place their most popular items in a similar spot.
- Foods to look for in summerA guide to foods often seen in Japan around summer — eel on the Day of the Ox, hiyashi chuka, somen, shaved ice, edamame with beer, and hamo — with rough pointers for finding them.
- What staff say, and how to respondCommon set phrases you'll hear at restaurants, with what they mean and what to do when you hear them. You don't need to memorize them — just recognizing them is enough.
Dishes in the same style
- Bukkake UdonUdon boiled and chilled in cold water, then doused directly with a concentrated sauce. Scallion and grated daikon go on top, and mixing everything together boldly is said to be the standard way of eating it. A hot version, using warm broth instead, is also said to exist.
- Chikara UdonKake udon topped with a piece of grilled mochi. The name is said to trace to mochi's reputation as a food that "gives you strength," carrying more calories than plain rice. In the Kinki region it is also called kachin udon, from okachin, an old courtly word for mochi.
Ingredients and dishes from this land
Contrast
- Zaru UdonUdon boiled and chilled in cold water, served on a bamboo strainer or similar vessel, and dipped into a concentrated sauce. Ginger, scallion, and sesame are said to be the common condiments. It stands as one of the basic cold-udon forms, set against hot kake udon.
- Nabeyaki UdonUdon simmered in a small, individual earthen pot and brought to the table still cooking. It is said to be recorded in the dialogue of a play first performed in 1865, spreading from Osaka's street stalls to Tokyo around 1873 or 1874. It is said to be especially popular in winter.
Derived style
- Curry UdonUdon covered in a broth that combines dashi with curry. It is said to bring Western curry powder together with Japanese-style dashi. The thickened broth is said to cling well to the noodle, though it is prone to splashing, calling for a bit of care in how it is eaten.
- Niku UdonKake udon topped with beef simmered in a sweet-savory seasoning. The beef's own savoriness is said to melt into the dashi-based broth. Which cut is used and how it is seasoned is said to vary by region — some areas favor beef tendon or cheek meat instead of thin-sliced beef.
- Chikara UdonKake udon topped with a piece of grilled mochi. The name is said to trace to mochi's reputation as a food that "gives you strength," carrying more calories than plain rice. In the Kinki region it is also called kachin udon, from okachin, an old courtly word for mochi.