What is Niku Udon?

Udon is a Japanese noodle made of wheat, has a chewy and bouncy texture, as you might already know.

Traditionally, we serve Udon with piping hot savory Dashi broth.

And various toppings are available, like tempura or simmered Aburaage.

Niku Udon is one of that Udon, which I choose when I’m starving.

There are 2 types of Niku Udon.

One is, Beef is cooked in the broth.

The other is, Beef is cooked separately seasoned with sugar and soy sauce.

In both cases, the beef should be very soft, because we eat beef with Udon noodles.

The texture of Udon and the beef should be the same.

What I making here is the latter.

I think the Dashi broth would lose it’s aroma if the beef goes into the broth directly.

First, let’s make delicious Dashi Broth.

What type of the Dashi are we using for Niku Udon?

Udon is such a simple dish, so making good Dashi is crucial in the process.

There are several ways to make Dashi; today, I will make “Kombu kelp and Thin-sliced Katsuobushi.”

The Dashi has mild aroma that support the richness of beef.

You can choose any Dashi of your choice.

You can refer to this video.

Sweet and Savory thin-sliced Beef

Next, let’s prepare the main ingredients, savory and sweet thin-sliced beef.

The beef is called “Kiriotoshi,”(切り落とし) meaning cut-off or leftover.

It is made from the edge of a fine cut of Wagyu beef.

It cost me only $2.5 to $3 per 100g. I was lucky to have good fatty beef.

If you can’t find this type of beef, no worries!

You can slice by yourself.

How to prepare thinly sliced beef at home

Let’s see how to prepare thinly sliced beef at home.

I bought a cut of sirloin an inch thickness.

Pat dry and wrap in a piece of plastic, and put it on a tray.

Freeze until half frozen for 1 hour to 1 hour and a half.

When it touch it with your fingernail, and you can hardly stick into it but not freezing completely, now the time to slice the meat.

Use a very sharp knife to cut.

Anyway, using a sharp knife is crucial.

Slice your frozen beef like shaving.

Hold the tip of your knife on the cutting board, and put it down to slice.

No worries if some pieces are thick. Makes no big difference!

Frozen or Dried Udon noodles?

Today, I use a frozen Udon noodle, which can be used to cook in the microwave.

Frozen Udon is a relatively new product, in Udon industry.

We only had dried or chilled Udon before the frozen came into toe market.

Frozen Udon took a big market share soon after releasing, because it tastes so good! Bouncy, chewy and smooth.

Once I asked a person who is from Kagawa prefecture, where there is famous for Udon noodles, and she said she loves the frozen Udon the best.

It’s that delicious.

Of course you can use dried Udon noodle, but I recommend usin frozen if you can access.