Every fan of Japanese cuisine knows what udon is. This is the name of a dish consisting of special noodles, which can be served either as a soup or as a side dish.
There are many udon recipes. Japanese noodles are combined with mushrooms or a vegetable mixture, with fish or seafood, with meat or chicken breast. We will focus on the last option and look at how udon noodles with chicken are prepared. We will complement the final dish with slices of fresh cucumber, and for decoration we will use sesame seeds and green onions.
Ingredients: 
- udon noodles - 100 g;
- chicken fillet - 300 g;
- fresh cucumber - 1 pc.;
- chili pepper (optional) - 1/4 pcs.;
- bell pepper - 1 pc.;
- soy sauce - 80 ml;
- green onions - a few feathers;
- sesame - 1-2 teaspoons;
- vegetable oil - 2-3 tbsp. spoons.
Udon noodles recipe with chicken
How to cook udon noodles with chicken
- We start preparing udon noodles with chicken by preparing all the ingredients. We cut the fillet into strips.
- Place the chicken in a deep bowl and pour in the entire portion of soy sauce at once. While we are preparing the remaining components of the Japanese dish, the chicken will be marinated.
- Cut fresh cucumber into strips 2-3 cm long.
- Wash the sweet bell pepper and cut it in half. We remove the stalk, seeds and soft partitions. Cut the rest into thin slices, place in a heated frying pan with vegetable oil, and fry over moderate heat.
- After 1-2 minutes, add chicken to the pepper. We also pour the remaining marinade into the pan. Simmer the chicken with pepper under the lid until the chicken is cooked (about 15 minutes).
- Boil the noodles according to the instructions on the package. Drain the water and place the pasta in a colander. Transfer the noodles to the pan with the stewed chicken.
- Cut the chili pepper into small pieces. Sprinkle the hot ingredient over the almost finished dish. This chicken udon noodles recipe is ideal for those who prefer spicy dishes. If you don't like it spicy or for some reason can't stand chili, just skip this step.
- Remove the pan from the heat. Add fresh cucumber slices to the noodles.
- Mix everything carefully. Before serving, sprinkle the finished dish with sesame seeds and chopped green onions.
Now you know how to cook chicken udon at home using a minimum of ingredients. We created a delicious Japanese dish quickly and easily. 
To plunge into the atmosphere of oriental cuisine, we replace the usual cutlery with Japanese chopsticks! Bon appetit!
Today I propose to prepare traditional Japanese udon noodles. Udon is an iconic component not only in Japanese cuisine, but also in the menu of most Asian nations, and is also one of the simplest types of noodles that you can prepare at home.
Udon is essentially thick wheat noodles. Its composition is extremely simple - water, flour and a pinch of salt.
What's the highlight, you ask? And the highlight is in the cooking process! The dough is barely kneaded and allowed to rest well before starting to form the noodles. During the infusion process, the dough becomes very tender and moderately elastic. The Japanese say: properly cooked udon will be soft and tender, like your earlobe.
Today I propose to learn how to cook udon noodles at home according to a traditional Japanese recipe. I will tell you the secrets of the Japanese method of kneading dough, and also share ideas on how to make udon colorful! Shall we begin?!
Prepare the ingredients according to the list.
A serving of classic udon for one person consists of: 100 grams of wheat flour, 45 milliliters of water and 5 grams of salt. When increasing the number of servings of noodles, increase the amount of all ingredients proportionally.
I’ll also say right away that the typical “Here by eye”, “And so it will do” and the classic “Why... I don’t know how to mix water with flour?!” They won’t get through here, I checked!
The Japanese are clear. A little more flour - the dough will be tougher than necessary. A little more water - and from its own weight the noodles will stretch in endless threads and completely refuse to maintain the size and width you specified.
So, arm yourself with scales and measuring cups and prepare delicious udon noodles at home.
Measure water at room temperature and dissolve salt in it.
To make colorful udon, add a little extra food coloring to the water. I use natural dyes: green tea, turmeric and beetroot broth.
To prepare beet broth: cut the beets into small pieces. Add a cup of water. Bring the mixture to a boil and, reducing heat, simmer for 20 minutes.
The liquid will boil down almost twice, and you will get a concentrated, dark red infusion. Measure out 40 ml of decoction and mix it with 40 ml of cold water. Use the resulting mixture to prepare pink udon.
Measure out the flour and pour in the prepared salted water.
Mix the ingredients, forming the mixture into a ball. There is no need to deliberately knead the dough, just knead it lightly to form a homogeneous dough.
Place the dough in a sealable bag. If you have a large ziplock bag, use that; if not, use any suitable large bag.
Remove most of the air from the bag and seal tightly. Leave the dough to rest for 30 minutes.
You need to knead the dough with your feet. According to experts, this is the only way to achieve its correct consistency.
Cover the bag with the dough with a towel and start kneading the dough. There is no need to be zealous here: stepping gently, go over the dough back and forth. As soon as you feel that the ball has become flat, that’s enough. The process takes 30 seconds, no more.
Remove the dough from the bag and shape it into a ball. Then place it back into the bag and knead again. In total, the process must be repeated 3 times.
After such a short kneading, you will immediately see how the dough has changed. For comparison: the photo shows the dough before kneading.
And immediately after kneading.
After kneading the dough, form it into a ball and be sure to let it rest in an airtight bag for another 2-3 hours.
Sprinkle the work surface with starch. Place the rested dough in the center and smooth it out.
Roll out the dough to approximately 3mm thickness. You can choose any shape, but if it is a square, the udon strips will be the same length.
Sprinkle the dough with starch and spread it over the entire surface with your hands. Fold one third of the dough towards the center.
Then another.
Turn the dough seam side down and use a sharp knife to cut into strips of the desired width. Usually it is 2–3 mm.
Sprinkle a few pinches of starch over the dough and stir, unraveling the udon strips and dredging them in the starch.
Homemade udon noodles are ready!
How long to store: The fresher it is, the tastier it is. Ready noodles can be stored in the refrigerator for up to three days. The noodles can also be portioned, frozen in airtight bags and stored for up to 30 days.
How to cook: cook in boiling water for 4 to 10 minutes (depending on the thickness of the noodles). It is better to cook frozen noodles a little longer - 12–13 minutes and slightly defrost before cooking, so the udon strips will retain their integrity. You can do it without defrosting - immediately throw the noodles into boiling water, but then during the cooking process some of the noodles will break.
What to cook:, cook stir-fry, fry with vegetables, meat and seafood - there is a whole collection of recipes on our website! Choose a dish to suit your taste and cook with pleasure! Bon appetit!
Japanese cuisine is multifaceted. She gave the world many simple and at the same time delicious dishes. In this article we will tell you what udon noodles are and look at the most delicious recipes for its preparation.
Noodles in Japan are the second most popular food after rice. It is made from buckwheat, rice, wheat and even bean flour.
Udon noodles do not exceed 4 mm in diameter. The shade of such noodles, depending on the flour from which they are made, may differ and range from white to gray. In our supermarkets, such a product can be found in the Japanese cuisine section.
According to tradition, such noodles are served paired with broth. You can eat it both hot and cold. It goes well with seafood, vegetables and meat.
The composition of udon noodles is simple - flour, water and salt. Flour is often wheat, but sometimes other types are mixed into it, as if combining flavors. There are about 30 varieties of udon noodles in Japan!
Udon has no contraindications, contains vitamins B1 and B3, promotes weight loss and is easily digested by the stomach.
How to make Japanese wheat noodles with your own hands
An excellent alternative to store-bought noodles, prepared at home.
To do this, let's take:
- wheat flour (200 g);
- water (90 ml);
- salt (1 tsp).
Essentially, udon is just regular thick noodles. It’s just that it differs from the classic method of preparation. In this case, you need to strictly observe the proportions. The Japanese are very meticulous people, so even 5 grams of excess flour can ruin everything. If you overdo it with water, the noodles will stretch greatly and lose their shape.
Take the required amount of water at room temperature, add salt and stir until it dissolves.
If you want to make udon of different colors, you can use natural dyes, such as beet juice.
It is added to water, but in compliance with the proportions.
- Measure out the flour, pour salted water into it and start kneading the dough; when it becomes uniform, place it in a bag, removing the air. Then leave for 30 minutes.
- Next, spread a towel on the floor, place the bag of dough on it and cover it with the towel again. Knead the udon with your feet! This is how, according to professionals, you can achieve the desired result.
- Moving carefully, you need to go one way and then the other way along the dough until it becomes flat. This process will take no more than half a minute.
- Next, take it out of the bag, give it a round shape, put it back in the bag and knead it according to the same pattern. You need to repeat three times.
- Once kneading is complete, place it back into the bag and let sit for about 3 hours.
You can start cooking.
- The table can be sprinkled with a small amount of flour or starch. Place the dough and roll it out to about 3 mm thick. It is better that the edges of the cake are square, then the noodles will turn out even.
- Sprinkle the surface of the cake and distribute the starch evenly over it. Then fold one edge towards the middle, followed by the other. Place the dough seam side down and cut strips about 4mm wide.
- When ready, mix the strips together with your hands. Wheat noodles are ready!
5 Udon Noodle Recipes
You learned how to make your own udon. Now let's look at five recipes for dishes that will decorate any table.
Udon noodles with chicken and vegetables
This recipe is not just delicious, but also incredibly healthy, because it contains a whole list of vitamins.
We will need:
- 200 g noodles;
- 1 sweet pepper;
- 1 carrot;
- 200 g chicken fillet;
- 1 onion;
- A pair of green onions;
- 2 cloves of garlic;
- 2 tsp. soy sauce;
- ½ tsp. ginger
Preparation progress:
- Cut the peppers and carrots into strips, cut the onion randomly. The garlic must be squeezed out with a press. Chicken fillet is cut into small cubes. Ginger is grated.
- Heat a saucepan with a thick bottom over a fire and pour in vegetable oil. Garlic and onion are fried until golden brown. Then add carrots, peppers and chopped green onions and fry.
- Then the chicken is fried. It must be stirred constantly. When it is almost ready, add ginger and soy sauce. Pour about a glass of clean water into it. Cover the saucepan with a lid and then simmer everything over low heat, stirring constantly.
- When the water is almost completely extinguished, turning into a thick sauce, turn it off and put it aside.
- Now let's get to the noodles. Place a saucepan with water, add some salt, and when it boils, put the udon in it for about 4 minutes. Are you ready? Great! We rinse and strain the noodles, wait until the excess moisture drains.
The udon is poured into a frying pan in which the meat and vegetables are already cooked. Udon noodles with chicken and vegetables are ready!
Cooking with pork
We leave the ingredients from the previous recipe, but instead of poultry we take 200 g of fresh pork.
Preparation progress:
- Vegetables are cut into strips. Fry the meat in a frying pan; when a golden crust appears, add the vegetables and continue cooking, stirring over medium heat.
- Water, soy sauce and starch are mixed in a separate container. Let it sit for about five minutes.
- Add the resulting sauce to the pan with the meat and vegetables, and as soon as it starts to boil, add the noodles there. Everything is thoroughly mixed and fried for just a couple of minutes.
Udon noodles with pork are ready!
With seafood
This recipe is also simple to make, but the taste of this dish will be remembered for a long time.
So, let's prepare:
- “sea cocktail” mixture by weight at your discretion;
- Champignon;
- small ginger root;
- several cloves of garlic;
- 1 onion;
- ½ bell pepper;
- carrot;
- a little celery;
- hot peppers;
- soy sauce;
- sesame oil (dark).
Progress:
- Chop ginger and garlic into a deep frying pan. Vegetables need to be cut into strips, and the onion and celery into half rings. You need to be more careful with hot peppers and better cut them into thin rings to taste.
- If the champignons are small, you can put them whole, but if they are large, we also cut them into strips.
- Everything is poured with a few tablespoons of oil and fried.
- Literally a minute later we put seafood there.
- Next, add soy sauce and add udon.
- Everything is mixed well.
Using the same scheme, you can prepare udon only with shrimp or any other seafood.
The most important thing is not to overcook the noodles, because then they will lose their structure and the dish will not be so appetizing.
Soup with udon noodles and mushrooms
We have already told you that meat goes well with udon noodles. But you can cook a fantastically delicious soup with it!
For it we will need:
- pork;
- noodles;
- carrots and onions;
- champignons (canned);
- vegetable oil;
- salt;
- spices.
Work process:
- The pork is cut into strips and cooked for about 15 minutes.
- Mushrooms, carrots and onions are also chopped and fried.
- Add noodles to the broth with pork. Then place the pre-fried vegetables in the pan with the soup. Spices can be very different, but a mixture of vegetables or “five peppers” is best.
- Next, the soup is boiled for 5-7 minutes. That's it, the soup is ready, you can serve it to the table.
Chicken hearts with Japanese noodles
A recipe that will decorate any table and will definitely please your guests.
For it you will need:
- ½ kg chicken hearts;
- 1 colored pepper;
- 1 onion;
- about 300 g noodles;
- 50 g soy sauce;
- 1.5 tsp. starch;
- 4 tbsp. l. vegetable oil;
- a pinch of seasoning;
- 50 ml rice wine;
- salt, ground pepper and a little sugar;
- green onions.
Cooking process:
- The hearts must be washed, peeled and dried, then fry for 10 minutes in a frying pan.
- Vegetables are cut into small pieces.
- When the hearts are ready, you need to remove them from the frying pan and put the onions in there for 5 minutes, and then remove them from the frying pan into a separate container.
- Simmer the vegetables for about 8 minutes, adding oil if necessary. After the pepper is ready, you can return the previously removed ingredients to the pan.
- Starch is diluted in 70 ml of water. Send the resulting liquid into the frying pan, and add spices and rice wine there. Everything is mixed thoroughly and a few minutes before readiness, add green onions.
- The hearts are ready. They should be served with udon noodles.
These are the simple but incredibly tasty recipes you can prepare with Japanese noodles. Once you try it, you definitely won’t be able to refuse this dish!
Hi all!
Today I want to introduce you to another Asian dish. No, this is not sashimi or sushi, but noodles. Japan, the Land of the Rising Sun, is famous for its culinary delights, which use products not only raw, but also boiled.
Thanks to this article, you will learn what udon noodles are and how to cook them correctly at home, what else can be prepared from them, and also briefly about its nutritional value. Here we will not talk about those noodles that are sold on store shelves with the inscription “Instant cooking”.
Your body is unlikely to get anything other than empty calories and harmful additives from it. In Japan, in addition to udon noodles, there is also soba and ramen. But the ingredients used in their preparation will be different, so each will have its own taste.
The Japanese dish udon is a long, white and dense noodle that originates from Osaka and the southern regions of the country. Traditionally it is made by mixing light wheat flour, water and salt. When eating, the Japanese usually tear these slimy noodles into pieces.
It is quite soft and chewy, with a neutral flavor that makes it an ideal side dish for spicier dishes. Udon is the thickest Japanese noodle with a diameter of 2 to 4 mm. These noodles can be enjoyed both hot and cold.
When hot, it is usually served in a soup of soy sauce, fish stock and mirin, although the ingredients may vary depending on the region. In stores you can buy noodles fresh, dried or frozen.
The best will be fresh. If it is not available, it is better to buy frozen, but try not to overcook it or fry it. The dried product will be thinner and shorter, and will not have such a soft and pleasant consistency.
What is the difference between udon, ramen and soba?
- The dog has a light beige or dark brown tint.
- Soba is made from buckwheat flour.
- Udon is thicker than soba and ramen.
- Ramen is yellow in color.
- Udon has a neutral taste.
- Soba has a nutty flavor.
- Ramen is made with egg and mineral water.
- The color of udon is mainly white.
How to cook noodles at home
Cooking udon noodles may seem like a fairly easy process, but there are some helpful tips that will help preserve its texture and flavor. By the way, udon is also an excellent vegetarian dish. So, you will need noodles and water.
- Take a large, deep saucepan and fill it with water. Make sure you have at least 6cm to spare. Place it on a gas stove and heat until the water boils.
- If you are preparing fresh or semi-finished noodles, remove excess flour, for example using a sieve, before immersing them in boiling water. Fresh udon usually takes about 5-6 minutes to cook, while semi-finished udon will be ready in 8-9.
- If you are using frozen noodles, do not stir them immediately after placing them in water; let them thaw. Just wait a few minutes and then stir the noodles gently to prevent them from sticking.
- To check if it is ready, remove the pan from the heat, remove a small amount and place it in a bowl of cold water. The noodles should be firm and translucent, but not heavy. In addition, it should become slippery, but not too soft. If the udon does not yet meet these parameters, place the pan back on the stove and continue cooking, checking for doneness every 45 seconds.
- If the noodles are served cold, simply drain the water using a colander. If hot, use a fine sieve and strain the udon. Also pour water back into the pan to reheat.
- If you are cooking more than 4 servings at a time, then in order to remove a large amount of starch, you will have to change the pan to a new one with fresh boiling water.
- Rinsing the noodles under cold running water will also help remove excess starch. This can always be done, both when served hot and cold.
If you want to make udon noodles yourself, I suggest you watch the following video.
What are the benefits and harms of Japanese udon noodles?
This product cannot boast of a rich composition, since 100 g contains only 2.6 g of fiber, 3.55 mg of iron and 26 g of calcium. But it does not contain trans fats, bad cholesterol, sodium or sugars. Therefore, it is best to eat udon together with other more valuable ingredients. It is also very filling, and its calorie content reaches the level of 16o kcal.
But if you struggle with insulin resistance, then udon noodles may not be the healthiest food to eat. In this case, it is better to replace it with shirataki. Since udon is made from wheat, this makes it a high-carbohydrate product. 65 out of 100 g of it are carbohydrates, with a norm of 15-20 g per day. Therefore, using it for weight loss would be the wrong decision.
But if your weight is stable, then you can enjoy these noodles without fear. After all, you can cook a lot of interesting and tasty dishes with it. But since its main component is wheat, such noodles will contain gluten. But if you do not abuse it, then it will not bring any negative effect to your health.
Udon noodle soup with poached egg recipe
Eating hot is the most common use for udon noodles. I suggest you prepare a delicious soup with healthy ingredients that will delight you with a piquant taste and refined aroma.
For 2 servings you will need the following Ingredients:
- vegetable or chicken broth (4-5 cups);
- chicken eggs (2 pcs.);
- fresh or frozen udon noodles (400 g);
- star anise or anise (2 pods);
- thinly chopped onion (2 pcs.);
- large leaves of Chinese cabbage (4-5 pcs.);
- 7.5 cm cinnamon pod (1 pc.);
- soy sauce (3-4 tbsp).
Preparation:
- Pour the vegetable or chicken broth into a saucepan, then place it on the heat and bring it to a boil.
- After this, add the anise and cinnamon pods and continue to simmer for 5-10 minutes to infuse the broth with the aromas of the spices. After this, remove them using a slotted spoon.
- Break the eggs, each into its own container, and then slowly add them into the broth one at a time. Simmer the soup for a couple more minutes before adding the remaining ingredients.
- Now place the udon noodles and bok choy leaves into the pan, stirring very gently so as not to damage the eggs. Simmer for another 2 minutes until you see the egg whites are cooked through but the yolks are still a little runny.
- Turn off the gas and then carefully add the chopped onion and soy sauce to the soup and stir gently. Pour into bowls and enjoy!
That's all. This is what it is, these udon noodles. High in calories, but so tasty. I hope that you have learned something new for yourself and will delight your family and friends with a wonderful dish - Japanese udon noodle soup.
Bon appetit! See you!
Fans of oriental cuisine are well aware of the existence of udon noodles. But they often don’t understand exactly what kind of product it is, what benefits and what harm it contains.
What it is?
Udon is a noodle made from wheat flour, water and salt. No fats or eggs are added to the product. Classic noodles have a width of 4-6 mm.
During the summer months, udon is usually served cold with plenty of cool sauce.
In winter, noodles are an integral part of many warming dishes, such as the traditional Japanese hot dish.
Beneficial features
Easy digestion of complex carbohydrates
Udon has a unique combination of two qualities. This is an abundance of complex carbohydrates and ease of digestion.
Complex carbohydrates have many health benefits:
- promote weight loss;
- help prevent cardiovascular diseases;
- prevent type 2 diabetes and help in its treatment (it is for this reason that complex carbohydrates are allowed to be included in).
However, complex carbohydrates have one unpleasant property. They are often quite difficult to digest. Not every stomach is able to accept them in large quantities.
Udon noodles are unique in this sense. It is digested not just easily, but very easily.
Sometimes they say that the easy digestibility of vermicelli is due to the lack of fat in the product. Apparently, this is not entirely true. Recently, Japanese scientists found that the ease of digestion of udon is due to a special dough kneading technology, which makes complex carbohydrates more accessible to digestive enzymes.
Presence of plant fiber
One serving of udon noodles (about 60 g of dry product) contains 20% of the daily dose of plant fiber, which helps to lose weight, strengthens the immune system and the heart. And also has other qualities that are important for a person.
From this article you can get more detailed information about how much it should be consumed daily to lose weight and improve your overall health.
A standard serving of udon noodles provides the body with 20% of the daily dose of thiamine (vitamin B1) and 15% of niacin (vitamin B3).
At the same time, udon is easily digested, and in moments of stress, many people begin to experience stomach problems. And light but nutritious udon is just the kind of meal that can warm you up, soothe you, and satisfy your hunger.
In moments of stress, it is recommended to consume hot soup with udon.
Only traditional high-quality udon made from whole grain flour has beneficial properties. Today on the market you can find a variety of fakes that cost less, but are made from highly processed flour. This product has no beneficial properties.
Are noodles harmful?
There is no particular harm. But it is important to remember the following.
Udon is made from wheat flour, so it contains gluten. This circumstance must be taken into account by those people who are trying to adhere to.
Udon is quite often confused with other Japanese noodle products: rice vermicelli and soba, which do not contain gluten.
In addition, udon is quite high in regular carbohydrates. Therefore, those who want to lose weight or those with diabetes should not consume these noodles.
How to cook at home?
Udon can be fresh, frozen or dry. In our country, the last option is most common.
Dry noodles are cooked like regular pasta - in salted water. 10-12 minutes.
There is a more complex cooking method that allows the udon to absorb more liquid, become softer and more tender, but not lose its shape.
The method is:
- after you put the noodles in boiling water and it boils again, you need to pour a glass of cold water into the pan and wait for it to boil again;
- when it boils, add the next glass of cold water;
- repeat until the noodles are cooked.
Next, the udon, cooked until tender, can be used in a variety of recipes.
Very often used in combination with chicken or seafood.
Conclusion
Udon noodles are a light, pleasant-tasting product that is perfectly absorbed by the human body.
Real udon, made from whole grain flour, has a variety of beneficial properties. For example, it calms well during times of heavy mental stress, and also supplies the body with plant fiber.
However, it should be remembered that udon noodles contain gluten and quite a lot of regular carbohydrates, due to the presence of which they cannot be considered a 100% healthy food product.
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