From kake udon to zaru udon, which one is best for you?

When it comes to Japanese noodles, you’ve definitely heard about ramen before, haven’t you? Ramen is indeed the most famous noodles in Japan, but there is another type of noodles that represents Japan very well. That noodle is called udon, thick white noodles that are enjoyed in a variety of ways by simply changing the soup broth or toppings.

Udon is a great meal to have throughout the year, as there are a lot of types of udon in Japan, which you can enjoy for lunch or dinner as they are very filling and delicious.

In this feature, we introduce udon varieties you can try when visiting Japan next time!

Index : From kake udon to zaru udon, which one is best for you?

1. Kake Udon
2. Tanuki Udon
3. Kitsune Udon
4. Bukkake Udon
5. Zaru Udon

1. Kake Udon

Kake udon is the simplest type of udon in Japan, consisting of freshly boiled udon noodles placed in a bowl poured with hot tsuyu (broth). In the Kanto region, kake udon is only topped with thinly sliced green onions, but in the Kansai region, kake udon is topped with various ingredients, and the dish is often called as “su udon”. The tsuyu broth is lightly seasoned, assuming people will drink it after they finish eating the noodles.

Usually served hot, it is best to eat them quickly before they get too soft and mushy!

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2. Tanuki Udon

The appearance of tanuki udon varies in many regions, but in Tokyo and its surrounding prefectures, tanuki udon is topped with tenkasu (tempura crumbs). However, in Osaka, Kyoto, and other prefectures in Kansai region, tanuki udon is topped with thinly sliced aburaage (deep-fried tofu skin), kudzu sauce, and grated ginger.

Tanuki udon is a popular type of udon, and you can find it almost at every udon shops in Japan.

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3. Kitsune Udon

Another popular type of udon is the Kitsune udon, which is a bowl of hot udon topped with a piece, or two pieces of sweet aburaage, chopped scallions, sliced kamaboko (Japanese fish cake).

Depending on where you’re going, kitsune udon sometimes is called as ‘ketsune’ or ‘shinoda’, and in Kansai, the word ‘kitsune’ already refers to kitsune udon, so not so many people say ‘kitsune udon’ when talking about this type of udon.

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4. Bukkake Udon

Bukkake udon is boiled udon topped with various ingredients and seasonings, with a bit of dashi broth poured over. It can be served hot or cold, and have more ingredients as toppings.

The broth of bukkake udon has a strong taste, particularly with a sweet taste, pretty similar to the broth used for soba noodles. In addition to dashi broth, bukkake udon is also seasoned with chopped scallions, thinly sliced spring onions, grated ginger, and grated wasabi.

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5. Zaru Udon

Zaru udon is a chilled udon served on top of a zaru (Japanese bamboo tray). The boiled udon noodles are chilled with cold water, or sometimes iced water, and served with cold dipping sauce called tsuyu.

The udon noodles are topped with shredded seaweed, and seasonings like perilla leaves, thinly sliced Japanese ginger (myoga), chopped scallions, grated ginger, and grated wasabi are served together with zaru udon.

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