The origin of the legendary side dish, its benefits and harms to the body. TOP 6 recipes for udon noodles. Features of cooking delicious and simple dishes, video recipes.
Udon noodles are a national Japanese dish made from refined wheat flour, water and salt. In terms of popularity, it is not inferior to sushi or the famous ramen noodles. Originally a dish of Chinese origin, udon has undergone many changes, acquired various forms and gained worldwide popularity.
What are udon noodles?
Pictured udon noodles
Udon noodles originally appeared in China, and then (around the 8th century AD) the recipe for its preparation along with wheat grains was brought to Japan.
A distinctive feature of udon is that it is rather thick noodles, the thickness of which reaches 4-4.5 mm, and also that it is cooked without adding eggs, therefore it is great for those who do not eat animal products. Its color varies from white to grayish cream.
In Japan, udon is traditionally served along with broth and chopped green onions and various fillings such as tempura and soy sauce. In China, for the most part, noodles are fried in a WOK pan, although in the Land of the Rising Sun there is a recipe for fried noodles - the popular yaki udon, which is considered rather fast food.
Now there are 30 types of udon noodles, different in shape and thickness, each of which is popular in different regions of the country. For example, inaniwa-udon are very thin noodles made in Akita Prefecture, kisimen are flat noodles from Nagoya City, sanuki are thick and tough noodles common in the region of the same name and Kagawa Prefecture. The latter variety is one of the most popular and oldest in Japan.
Udon cannot boast of a large amount of vitamins in its composition, as it is made from processed wheat flour. The noodles themselves cannot be called healthy, as they contain gluten in their composition, which is not suitable for those who follow a gluten-free diet. In addition, it cannot be often used by those who follow the figure, since its calorie content is really high - about 356 kcal per 100 g, and carbohydrates make up as much as 74, 1 g.
Due to the lack of dietary fiber in the composition of udon noodles, its frequent use can lead to disruption of the intestines and, as a result, the whole body. To make the food healthier, it should be consumed along with a lot of vegetables and herbs, thereby balancing the nutritional value of the meal.
The positive quality of such noodles is that they are quickly digested and easily absorbed by the body. The secret of this property lies in the special kneading of the udon dough.
There is nothing difficult to boil Japanese noodles, besides, the package with the product always contains instructions for making udon: you need to warm up the water in a saucepan, add the required amount of noodles there and cook over medium heat for about 11 minutes until cooked. After that, you should drain the water, and place the noodles in a bowl and season with oil so that they do not stick together. You can also rinse the udon with cold water to smooth it out and stop sticking. In the event that the recipe involves further frying or pouring with boiling broth, then it is better to cook the noodles until al dente - about 7 minutes.
Udon is served both hot and cold. The latter option is especially suitable for the hot season. And hot udon in Japan is often used as a folk remedy for colds, similar to chicken broth in Russia.
TOP 6 recipes for udon noodles
There are many recipes on how to make udon noodles, as they go well with vegetables, as well as meat and seafood. Below will be presented 6 recipes for delicious dishes "for the second", that is, fried udon in a pan with various fillings. This type of noodle is loved by many outside Japan and is very common in oriental restaurants.
Chicken udon
One of the most popular and simple homemade udon recipes. An ideal addition to chicken noodles is a sweet and sour teriyaki sauce in which the chicken will be marinated before further frying. You can choose additional vegetables to your taste, for example, replace the corn in the composition with green peas.
See also how to make homemade noodles.
- Caloric content per 100 g - 350 kcal.
- Servings - 4
- Cooking time - 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- Chicken fillet - 0.5 kg
- Udon noodles - 250 g
- Bulgarian pepper - 1 pc.
- Carrots - 80 g
- Canned corn - 1 can
- Green onions - 1 bunch
- Sesame seed - 15 g
- Soy sauce to taste
- Teriyaki sauce - to taste
- Vegetable oil - to taste
Step-by-step cooking of udon with chicken:
- Boil udon until al dente, squeeze out excess water.
- Rinse and cut the chicken into 3-4 cm pieces. Transfer to a bowl and add a little teriyaki sauce, leaving to marinate for 10 minutes. You can also add your favorite spices to the marinade.
- Preheat a WOK skillet or deep skillet with oil and place the chicken to roast. Cook on both sides until golden brown. Pour in some teriyaki sauce and simmer for about a minute.
- Cut the carrots and peppers into thin strips and place with the chicken along with the sesame seeds. Pour in more sauce and fry the vegetables until soft.
- Pour noodles with vegetables. Add corn, chopped onions, soy sauce. Mix everything well and fry for a couple of minutes.
- Place the teriyaki udon noodles with chicken and sprinkle with sesame seeds and chopped green onions.
Udon with seafood
Another popular way to make udon is tasty and fast. Seafood is a great solution for any noodle, including udon. Dishes with a sea cocktail always look appetizing and colorful, and in terms of satiety and useful properties they are not inferior to meat ones.
Ingredients:
- Seafood cocktail - 500 g
- Udon - 300 g
- Carrots - 1 pc.
- Red onion - 1/3 pcs.
- Green onions - to taste
- Sweet red pepper - 1 pc.
- Soy sauce to taste
- Sesame seed - to taste
- Vegetable oil - to taste
Step-by-step cooking of udon with seafood:
- Cook udon noodles according to package directions.
- Prepare vegetables: wash and cut into strips onions, peppers, carrots. Chop the green onion finely.
- Heat the oil in a saucepan and add first the red onions, then the carrots and peppers. Fry over high heat, stirring constantly, until golden brown.
- Reduce the heat, add a seafood cocktail to the vegetables, after defrosting it under running water. Stir well and cook for a few minutes.
- Add the cooked noodles, pour in the soy sauce, add about 2 tbsp. sesame seeds and green onions. Stir everything very well and fry over low heat for about 3 minutes.
- Serve the seafood udon on flat plates, sprinkled with onions and sesame seeds.
Important! You can easily replace the seafood cocktail in this recipe with any seafood of your choice. For example, you can take only mussels or shrimp, or add slices of fried salmon.
Udon with vegetables
This option for cooking udon will appeal not only to vegetarians, because the noodles are incredibly tasty, satisfying and healthy. This combination of vegetables gives the soft and tender noodles a fantastically appetizing aroma and exquisite taste.
Ingredients:
- Champignons - 10 pcs.
- Onions - 0.5 pcs.
- Carrots - 1 pc.
- Dill - 0.5 bunch
- Bulgarian pepper - 1 pc.
- White cabbage - 100 g
- Udon noodles - 300 g
- Soy sauce to taste
Step by step cooking udon with vegetables:
- Finely chop the onion and greens. Cut cabbage, carrots and peppers into strips, mushrooms into slices.
- Throw the onion into the heated oil, after a minute - carrots and peppers, fry until half cooked.
- Add mushrooms and fry for another 5 minutes, then add cabbage. Simmer everything under the lid for about 5 minutes.
- Add the noodles cooked in advance for 6 minutes to the pan, mix everything thoroughly, add soy sauce and fry until the ingredients are fully cooked for a few minutes.
- Place ready-made udon with vegetables on a platter, sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve hot.
Attention! There can be a huge number of recipes for udon with vegetables! Choose your favorite vegetables, both fresh and canned, and experiment with flavor. You can also use frozen vegetable mixes for instant cooking.
Udon with shrimps
The recipe for shrimp udon is incredibly simple, the dish is prepared in a matter of minutes, and the exquisite and successful combination of products will not leave anyone indifferent. Please note that large quality shrimp - king or tiger - are better suited for this recipe. They will be cooked in teriyaki sauce, but you can also make shrimp udon as above by replacing the seafood shake.
Ingredients:
- Shrimp (without shell) - 200 g
- Udon - 300 g
- Teriyaki sauce - 120 g
- Onion-turnip - 1 pc.
- Carrots - 1 pc.
- Sweet pepper - 1 pc.
- Sunflower oil to taste
Step-by-step preparation of udon with shrimp:
- First of all, we will boil udon using the method indicated on the package. Let cool (you can pour cold water) and mix with a little vegetable oil.
- Next, let's move on to vegetables. We wash and clean them, cut into strips. Fry in a pan with oil: onions come first, after 2 minutes - carrots with pepper. Fry, stirring occasionally, until tender.
- In another frying pan, heat a little oil and put the defrosted shrimp in advance. Cook for about 3 minutes, add teriyaki sauce, mix well.
- Add ready-made vegetables and noodles. Mix everything, heat it up for about a minute and put it in portions on plates. Shrimp udon is ready! Bon Appetit!
Pork udon
Such a recipe for udon noodles will not leave indifferent lovers of a hearty high-calorie meal. The meat turns out to be juicy, with a golden crust, and the dish is moderately salty, with a sweetish aftertaste. The recipe is simple enough to prepare in your home kitchen, and the result will surpass all expectations!
Ingredients:
- Pork - 400 g
- Udon - 200 g
- Bulgarian pepper - 1 pc.
- Carrots - 1 pc.
- Soy sauce - 2 tablespoons
- Honey - 1 tablespoon
- Vegetable oil - 2 tablespoons
- Lemon juice - 1 tablespoon
- Salt, pepper - to taste
- Sesame seeds - to taste
Step-by-step cooking of pork udon:
- Boil udon noodles according to the instructions on the package.
- Wash and peel the vegetables, cut them into thin strips.
- Mix honey, soy sauce and lemon juice in a bowl.
- Cut the meat into strips and fry over high heat until cooked on both sides for about 6 minutes.
- Add carrots to the meat, stir, add pepper after 2 minutes and cook for another 3 minutes.
- Now you need to pour in the sauce prepared earlier and simmer the contents of the saucepan for about 2 minutes.
- Pour in the noodles, mix everything well and serve hot pork udon, garnished with sesame seeds.
Udon with beef
This recipe is filled with a variety of vegetables that are perfect for red meat. The dish turns out to be hearty and beautiful, perfect as a "hot" dish for a festive table.
Ingredients:
- Beef - 0.5 kg
- Udon - 180 g
- Onion-turnip - 1 pc.
- Carrots - 1 pc.
- Leaf salad - 1 pc.
- Zucchini - 1 pc.
- Bulgarian pepper - 1 pc.
- Cucumber - 1 pc.
- Champignons - 100 g
- Soy sauce - 6 tablespoons
- Sweet chili sauce - 4 tablespoons
- Cilantro - 1 bunch
- Sesame seeds - to taste
- Olive and sesame oils - to taste
Cooking udon with beef step by step:
- Boil the udon noodles according to the instructions for about 8 minutes.
- Rinse the meat and cut into thin cubes.
- Cut all vegetables, except for Chinese cabbage and cilantro, into strips.
- Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and add the meat. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp.
- Add onions and carrots to the beef, stir and fry for about 3 minutes.
- Add cucumber, zucchini, pepper and mushrooms to the saucepan. Pour in sesame oil and hot sauce. Stir and fry over high heat for 4-5 minutes.
- Add the noodles along with the soy sauce, mix well and cook for about 2 minutes.
- Place the lettuce on the plates and top with the hot udon noodles with beef. Sprinkle with chopped herbs and sesame seeds.
