Niku Udon with Onsen Tamago is a hot Udon noodle soup topped with sweet and salty braised beef and Onsen Tamago (silky semi-cooked egg). The savory beef adds richness and depth to the rather simple Udon noodle soup, while the thick Onsen Tamago coats both the noodles and beef, bringing the flavors together well, similar to the experience of dipping Sukiyaki beef with eggs. This is a delicious dish to enjoy at restaurants and also a great meal to cook at home.
There are many Udon fast-food restaurants in Japan today. They offer basic Udon dishes on their menus, but there are also numerous toppings available for customers to customize their meals. While Tempura seafood and vegetables are still popular choices, savory beef and Onsen Tamago are also frequently ordered as add-ons to Udon. The combination of beef and silky egg together seems to be more popular than ever at these restaurants, and it’s sometimes called Nikutama Udon. Traditional Udon restaurants typically serve more traditional dishes like Tempura Udon, Kitsune Udon, and others as set meals, and they usually don’t offer a wide variety of toppings for customers to choose from. Niku Udon is one of the popular dishes at regular Udon restaurants, and you may be able to order Onsen Tamago on the side if they have it available, to simulate this Niku Tama Udon. If you prefer to customize your Udon exactly the way you want it, then Udon fast-food shops may be a better choice for you.
Making Niku Udon with Onsen Tamago is not too hard, especially the Niku Udon part. Cook the beef and season it separately from the noodle soup, and top the beef on the Udon at the end. Onsen Tamago, on the other hand, may be a little finicky to make if you’re making it for the first time, so please read our Onsen Tamago recipe and watch its video before tackling this recipe.
The taste combination of Udon, beef, and egg is just divine. It may take a little longer to make than a simpler Udon dish, but the outcome is so great that you won’t regret cooking this. Hope you give it a try soon!
Niku Udon with Onsen Tamago
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Equipment
- 1 heavy pot with lid medium size
Ingredients
Onsen Tamago (soft boiled egg)
- 4 cups boiling water
- 3/4 cup water
- 4 eggs cold
Seasoned Beef
Udon Noodle Soup
Instructions
- Prepare Onsen Tamago. Boil water in a heavy pot. Remove the pot from the heat and carefully add the eggs. Cover the pot and let the eggs sit in the hot water for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove the eggs from the hot water and set them aside until ready to use.
- Prepare seasoned beef. Cut the sliced beef into large pieces. Slice the onion thinly and cut the ginger into thin matchsticks. Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat, and add the beef. Once the beef changes color, add the ginger and onion, and cook until soften. Then, add sugar, soy sauce, mirin, sake, and water. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Allow the mixture to cool in the pan.
- Prepare Udon. Cut the green onions thinly and diagonally, then set them aside. Heat the dashi until it boils. Add salt, soy sauce, mirin, and sake to the dashi. Next, add the udon noodles to the soup and let them simmer for 2-3 minutes. If the udon noodles are frozen, cook them for a couple of minutes longer.
- Assemble. Divide the noodles and soup evenly into bowls and top each bowl with the beef and sliced green onions. Crack an egg into each bowl. If desired, sprinkle with shichimi to add flavor.
Video
