Noodles ── Udon
Miso Nikomi Udon
Firm noodles simmered in red miso broth, served bubbling in its pot
An Aichi specialty said to have first been served at eateries in Ichinomiya in the early Meiji era. Firm noodles are simmered in a broth built on soybean miso and brought to the table still bubbling in its clay pot.
- Origin: Aichi Ichinomiya
- About 270 km west of Tokyo
Lineage
What it's made of
Firm noodles simmer and bubble in a broth of dark soybean miso. The dough is kneaded from just flour and water, no salt, so it stays taut and toothsome even after a long simmer instead of going soft, and first-timers are sometimes startled by how firm it is. The broth is often built on flakes of dried mackerel scad, and egg, fried tofu, chicken, and scallion round out the bowl, which arrives at the table still boiling in its clay pot.
How it's made
Leaving salt out of the dough keeps the noodles firm enough to withstand a long simmer in miso broth without turning mushy. The base is soybean miso brewed around Okazaki — reddish-brown with a distinctive aroma — adjusted at some shops with white miso or mirin. Noodles and toppings go into the clay pot together and cook until the broth thickens slightly, then the whole pot is brought to the table still at a rolling boil.
Why it took this shape
One account traces it to hoto, the campaign food of the Takeda clan, whose method is said to have merged with the soybean miso already brewed in Mikawa. That long-aged miso carries a high salt content that suits a warm, humid region's brewing tradition, since it keeps well. Salt-free noodles that hold their bite read as a deliberate match for a broth this concentrated, built to be soaked up slowly rather than gulped down.
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
- Miso Curry Milk RamenAomori City's famous mash-up of miso, curry and milk — often crowned with butter.
- Nigomi UdonFrom the Tsukui area of Sagamihara, Kanagawa: raw udon simmered directly in broth with vegetables like daikon and komatsuna. It's said to carry the history of land unsuited to rice, where wheat became the staple instead.
Also from Aichi
- Funa MisoCrucian carp is simmered slowly with soybeans for around five hours, then finished in a sauce of red miso and coarse sugar. A freshwater fish dish of the Kiso rivers' lower basin, made with fatty winter carp simmered until the bones soften through.
- Gohei MochiFreshly cooked non-glutinous rice is pounded, pressed flat on a skewer, and grilled with a miso glaze. Said to have originated in the mountainous Chubu region, it's traditionally made the night before a festival praying for safety in mountain work.
- Aichi HakozushiVinegared rice is packed into a wooden frame, topped with shrimp, eel, shiitake, and egg arranged diagonally, and pressed. Placing toppings on the diagonal so everyone gets a fair share of each is said to be a feature of the Owari and western Mikawa style, made for celebrations.
- Hebo MeshiAdult and larval giant hornets are simmered sweet and savory, then folded into freshly cooked rice. Said to have served as a prized protein source across the mountains from Shinshu to Okumikawa, it's now more often served as a treat for guests.
- Iga ManjuSweet bean paste is wrapped in rice flour dough, then coated with dyed sticky rice grains. One account ties the name to the grains' resemblance to a chestnut's spiny husk, and in the western Mikawa region it's said to be offered to Hina dolls at the Doll Festival.
- Aichi Miso OdenA pot of sweet red miso sits in the center of the simmering pot, and daikon, tofu, and other ingredients simmered in dashi are dipped into it before eating. While soy-based Kanto-style oden spread in Edo, Aichi is said to have settled on dipping in soybean miso instead.