Nabeyaki Udon Recipe: How to Make Japanese Udon Hot Pot
Written by MasterClass
Last updated: Nov 30, 2024 • 2 min read
This customizable udon soup is a wintertime staple in Japan.
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What Is Nabeyaki Udon?
Nabeyaki udon is a type of nabe, a Japanese hot pot dish traditionally cooked in a clay pot known as a donabe. Nabeyaki udon features udon noodles, vegetables, and meat cooked in dashi broth, but the best part of this hot pot dish might just be the egg that gets added to the soup at the very end of cooking.
A classic wintertime comfort food, nabeyaki udon is typically made and served in individual-size clay pots, but you can also make nabeyaki udon in a larger pot or Dutch oven and serve it in bowls.
5 Common Nabeyaki Udon Ingredients
You can customize nabes like nabeyaki depending on the ingredients you have on hand, making this an easy weeknight dinner for a cold night.
- 1. Dashi stock: Dashi is a flavorful soup base typically made with kombu (kelp) and bonito flakes. Increase the umami factor by adding dried sardines, or make a vegetarian version with kombu and dried shiitake mushrooms.
- 2. Udon noodles: Frozen udon noodles are known for their pleasantly chewy texture. Plus, they only take a few minutes to cook.
- 3. Vegetables: In a nabe, the vegetables cook directly in the dashi, infusing both the broth and the veggies with flavor. Shiitake mushrooms, negi (Japanese long onion), spinach, and carrot are traditional additions. Add longer-cooking vegetables like carrots to the pot before quick-cooking ones, like spinach.
- 4. Protein: The most popular nabeyaki udon proteins are kamaboko (fish cake), chicken thighs, and shrimp tempura. Use inari age (seasoned fried tofu pocket) for a vegetarian option.
- 5. Eggs: Nabeyaki udon is traditionally finished with an egg. Dropping the egg into the soup and then taking it off the heat allows the egg to slowly poach.
Japanese Nabeyaki Udon Recipe
makes
prep time
15 mintotal time
35 mincook time
20 minIngredients
- 1
Par-boil the udon noodles. In a large pot of water over high heat, boil frozen udon noodles until just defrosted (the noodles should separate easily), about 30 seconds. If using dried udon noodles, cook until just al dente, about 2 minutes less than package directions. (Noodles will continue to cook in the donabe.)
- 2
Immediately rinse par-boiled noodles under cold running water to stop cooking. Drain well and set aside.
- 3
Make the soup base. In a small donabe or Dutch oven over medium heat, combine dashi, soy sauce, and mirin.
- 4
Add the par-boiled noodles, chicken thigh, negi, mushrooms, kamaboko, and shrimp to the soup base.
- 5
Cover with a lid and simmer until chicken thigh is cooked through, about 5 minutes.
- 6
Crack the egg into a small bowl. Gently tip the egg into the pot of noodle soup.
- 7
Cover with a lid and turn off the heat. Let cook until egg whites are just set, about 2–3 minutes. (The heat from the soup will gently poach the egg.)
- 8
Garnish with mitsuba and sprinkle with shichimi togarashi.
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