Udon Beef Noodle Soup
Thinly shaved beef cooked with onions in a sweet-savory dashi broth, served over chewy udon noodles — classic Japanese comfort food.
Ingredients
- 2 quarts cold water
- 20 gram kombu
- 20 gram katsuobushi
- 1 pound thinly shaved beef
- — yellow onion
- 1 bunch scallion whites
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 0.25 cup sake
- 4 tbsp soy sauce
- 5 tbsp mirin
- 1 cup finished dashi
- 1 pound udon noodles
- — scallion greens
- — shichimi togarashi
- — nanami togarashi
Equipment
- saucepan
- skillet
Instructions
Dashi
Combine 2 quarts cold water and 20 gram kombu (about 2 four-inch squares) in a medium saucepan and place over medium heat.
As soon as the water boils, remove from heat and add 20 gram katsuobushi (about 2 cups loosely packed dried bonito flakes), pushing it gently into the water to submerge. Do not stir vigorously.
Steep for 5 minutes to 10 minutes .
Strain and discard the kombu and katsuobushi, and return the dashi to the saucepan . Keep warm but do not let it boil.
Beef
Combine 1 pound thinly shaved beef , yellow onion (small, thinly sliced), 1 bunch scallion whites (white parts cut into 2-inch segments and halved lengthwise), 1 tbsp granulated sugar , 0.25 cup sake , 2 tbsp soy sauce , 2 tbsp mirin , and 1 cup finished dashi in a large skillet or saute pan.
Bring to a simmer over high heat, stirring. Continue cooking over high heat, stirring frequently, until the beef and onions are tender and the mixture is still moist but not soupy, 10 minutes to 15 minutes .
Noodles
As the beef cooks, bring a pot of unsalted water to a boil — udon noodles are typically made with plenty of salt in the dough.
Cook 1 pound udon noodles (fresh or frozen) according to package directions.
Serve
Add 2 tbsp soy sauce plus more as needed and 3 tbsp mirin plus more as needed to the reserved dashi and stir. Taste and adjust seasoning to taste with more soy sauce or mirin. The broth should have a balanced savory-sweet flavor.
Divide the cooked noodles across 4 large serving bowls. Ladle the broth on top of the noodles. Divide the beef and onion mixture evenly across the noodles, including any liquid in the pan. Top each bowl with scallion greens (light green parts, thinly sliced at a sharp angle).
Serve immediately with shichimi togarashi or nanami togarashi to taste.
View Cooklang Source
---
title: Udon Beef Noodle Soup
description: "Thinly shaved beef cooked with onions in a sweet-savory dashi broth, served over chewy udon noodles — classic Japanese comfort food."
servings: 4
time: 45 minutes
tags: [japanese, soup, beef, udon, noodles, comfort-food, main]
cuisine: Japanese
difficulty: medium
---
== Dashi ==
Combine @cold water{2%quarts} and @kombu{20%gram} (about 2 four-inch squares) in a medium #saucepan{} and place over medium heat.
As soon as the water boils, remove from heat and add @katsuobushi{20%gram} (about 2 cups loosely packed dried bonito flakes), pushing it gently into the water to submerge. Do not stir vigorously.
Steep for ~{5%minutes} to ~{10%minutes}.
Strain and discard the kombu and katsuobushi, and return the dashi to the #saucepan{}. Keep warm but do not let it boil.
> You can use instant dashi powder, such as Hondashi, in place of homemade dashi.
== Beef ==
Combine @thinly shaved beef{1%pound}, @yellow onion{1} (small, thinly sliced), @scallion whites{1%bunch} (white parts cut into 2-inch segments and halved lengthwise), @granulated sugar{1%tbsp}, @sake{0.25%cup}, @soy sauce{2%tbsp}, @mirin{2%tbsp}, and @finished dashi{1%cup} in a large #skillet{} or saute pan.
Bring to a simmer over high heat, stirring. Continue cooking over high heat, stirring frequently, until the beef and onions are tender and the mixture is still moist but not soupy, ~{10%minutes} to ~{15%minutes}.
> You can find thinly shaved beef intended for shabu-shabu or sukiyaki at most Asian supermarkets. Alternatively, use high-quality shaved beef for cheesesteaks, or regular ground beef for different but delicious results.
== Noodles ==
As the beef cooks, bring a pot of unsalted water to a boil — udon noodles are typically made with plenty of salt in the dough.
Cook @udon noodles{1%pound} (fresh or frozen) according to package directions.
== Serve ==
Add @soy sauce{2%tbsp} plus more as needed and @mirin{3%tbsp} plus more as needed to the reserved dashi and stir. Taste and adjust seasoning to taste with more soy sauce or mirin. The broth should have a balanced savory-sweet flavor.
Divide the cooked noodles across 4 large serving bowls. Ladle the broth on top of the noodles. Divide the beef and onion mixture evenly across the noodles, including any liquid in the pan. Top each bowl with @scallion greens{} (light green parts, thinly sliced at a sharp angle).
Serve immediately with @shichimi togarashi{} or @nanami togarashi{} to taste.
> To make gyudon (Japanese beef and rice bowls), omit the noodles and broth (making only enough dashi to cook the beef) and serve the cooked beef mixture on top of bowls of steamed white rice. Garnish with beni shoga (pickled red ginger) and a poached or fried egg.