Noodles ── Udon
Niku Udon
Niku udon — kake udon topped with sweet-and-savory simmered beef
Kake 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.
Lineage
What it's made of
Niku udon is kake udon topped with beef simmered in a sweet-savory seasoning. The beef's fat and its sweet-savory simmering liquid are said to melt into the dashi, giving the bowl real richness. Some regions use beef tendon or cheek meat, slow-simmered instead, giving the dish a different regional cast depending on the cut and how long it is cooked.
How it's made
Beef is simmered in soy sauce and sugar until sweet and savory, then set atop kake udon's broth and dashi. Where tendon or cheek meat is used, it is said to be simmered slowly until tender. Some shops finish the bowl with ginger, said to cut through the richness of the fat.
Why it took this shape
Topping the plain base of kake udon with hearty beef is thought to have spread from the idea that dashi alone sometimes needs a heartier topping to satisfy. Which cut is easy to come by, and how it gets seasoned, is said to differ from place to place — the reason the same name, niku udon, can mean a different bowl depending on where it is served.
Before you go
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- 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.