Noodles ── Udon
Nigomi Udon
Nigomi Udon — mountain-village udon simmered straight in the pot
From 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.
- Origin: Kanagawa Sagamihara (Midori Ward, Tsukui)
- About 50 km west of Tokyo
What it's made of
The core is fresh or dried udon simmered with vegetables — daikon, carrot, komatsuna, napa cabbage, scallion, mushrooms — plus fried tofu. Some households season it with miso, others with soy sauce, or both. The sweetness that leaches from the vegetables into the broth is said to wrap the noodle in a soft finish.
How it's made
The vegetables serve as the base, and the udon is simmered directly in their broth. Because the noodle isn't boiled separately before going in, the broth is said to thicken the longer it sits. Some households finish it with a dash of yuzu pepper. Beyond that, the recipe is left to each family's own taste.
Why it took this shape
The Tsukui area of Sagamihara is land ill-suited to rice, and wheat and barley are said to have been grown there for generations instead. The name is said to come either from the broth turning cloudy (nigoru) or from a slurring of "nikomi udon" (simmered udon). A recent partnership between the local business association and a university has revived it at nearby restaurants.
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 Nikomi UdonAn 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.
- Noshikomi UdonFrom Okutama, Tokyo: udon simmered in a dashi of dried sardines and shiitake, seasoned with sake, salt, and soy sauce. It's said to have taken root as a meal households could serve quickly to men back from work in the mountains.
Also from Kanagawa
- DoriaButter rice topped with shrimp in cream, covered in white sauce and cheese and baked. Said to have been improvised at a Yokohama hotel for a guest who wasn't feeling well.
- Ebi MayoBattered, fried shrimp are tossed in a sweet mayonnaise-based sauce — said to have begun when a Cantonese chef, unsatisfied with a mayonnaise-dressed shrimp dish he'd eaten in the United States, remade it his own way.
- Gyu NabeA Yokohama-born hot pot of beef, tofu and chrysanthemum greens simmered from the start in a soy or miso-based sauce. Born of the port city's encounter with Western meat-eating culture, it is said to trace to a tavern owner who opened one of the first beef-pot restaurants.
- Harihari-zukeDaikon cut thicker than ordinary kiriboshi strips, dried, then pickled in a soy-based sauce — a Miura Peninsula specialty. Its name is said to echo the crisp "hari-hari" bite, developed in Miura, a daikon-growing region since the Edo period.
- Herahera DangoA confection from Sajima in Yokosuka City, flattened dumplings of wheat or glutinous rice flour coated in sweet bean paste. Offered at the shrine during a summer boat festival to pray for a good catch and good health, it is still shared among family.
- Hiratsuka-kei TanmenA clear, salt-based broth carries a faint edge of acidity, topped with wakame seaweed and chopped onion — a thinner, less thickened bowl than the typical Kanagawa tanmen, said to have taken root among Chinese-style diners in Hiratsuka.