Tamagotoji Udon is an udon noodle soup made with beaten eggs swirled into the flavorful dashi-based soup. It is so simple and quick to make in less than 15 minutes!
The soup is slightly thickened with the potato starch (or corn starch) which results in silky and smooth texture. Warm, hearty, and filling, it’s a perfect lunch to make for yourself on a chilly winter day.
Lemon Somen is a cold somen noodle dish topped with sliced lemon and salted green onions. Somen is a summertime staple in Japan where it gets so unbearably hot and humid. The only thing you can eat in the middle of hot days can be cold somen noodles. It is quick and easy to prepare, so you don’t need to stand in the kitchen for too long, either. No wonder somen is one of the most commonly eaten lunch at home during the summer in Japan.
Today’s miso soup features Udon noodles. Udon noodles, thick wheat flour noodles typically found in noodle soup dishes with clear broth, are also a great addition to miso soup. Miso soup with dense and chewy Udon is hearty and filling, making it a perfect side dish for any meals or a light lunch. You can use frozen or dried Udon, whichever is available, but be sure to defrost or cook the dried noodles before adding them to the miso soup. We’ve added Tenkasu tempura bits as a topping, which adds richness to the soup. If you want a little kick to the dish, sprinkle some Shichimi hot pepper. Hope you like it!
Today’s miso soup is with Somen Noodles. Somen are dried thin vermicelli noodles made mainly from wheat flour. They are most often eaten cold in summer, but are nice in hot soup too. Because Somen are so thin, the cooking time is very fast. And that means they will get soft if left sitting in soup too long. Add the cooked noodles to the soup just before serving. If you like this soup as a simple meal by itself, increase the amount of Somen. It’ll become a very easy lunch. We hope you like it!
Udon Carbonara is an Udon noodle dish which is mixed in a scrumptiously eggy and cheesy Carbonara sauce. Spaghetti Carbonara is one of the most popular Italian pasta dishes in Japan, and people there just love the taste of this pasta with savory creamy sauce. This Carbonara sauce may not be authentic Italian, but it is super easy to make for anybody. In fact, it actually takes only 15 minutes from start to finish. The rich Carbonara sauce clings to the chunky, chewy Udon noodles, and it is absolutely delicious. It is certainly not traditional, but it’s a kind of dish Japanese people eat as an everyday meal. Hope you try it!
Ramen (ラーメン) is Chinese-style noodles served in strongly seasoned hot soup with various toppings. Ramen has been a very popular dish in Japan for many years. Now the world is catching up with us. Ramen shops are absolutely everywhere, inside and outside Japan. And people just love it.
Zaru Soba (ざるそば) is cold buckwheat noodles with dipping sauce. It is a cool noodle dish often served in summer in Japan. Zaru means a colander or a strainer in Japanese, and cold Soba noodles are usually served on a slotted bamboo mat that lets water drip through. Zaru Soba is a great dish to beat brutal summer heat and humidity in Japan.
Chicken Udon (鶏うどん) is Udon noodles and chicken thigh pieces cooked in hot soup. It is an easy and light meal, but satisfying enough to stand alone. Chicken Udon is a good food to eat at anytime, but this hot noodle soup is especially delicious in cold seasons.
Abura Zomen (油そうめん) is Somen noodles stir-fried with meat and vegetables. It is a Japanese southern island regional food, but there are no hard-to-get ingredients or difficult steps in the recipe. This easy-to-make but tasty noodle dish will appeal to a lot of people from the young to the old.
Abura Zomen is originally from the southern Amami islands of Kagoshima, Kyushu. The name means “Oil Somen noodle,” but it’s not greasy at all. It uses a not insignificant amount of water, or Dashi stock if you prefer, in the process of making fried noodles, so it may really be more braising than stir-frying. The water and oil emulsify along the way, and it becomes like a thin sauce for the noodles.
Tanuki Soba (たぬき蕎麦) is hot Soba noodles in soup with Tenkasu fried Tempura batter bits. It is a Soba dish with a pretty simple topping, but that addition gives the dish richer flavor.
“Tanuki” literally means raccoon dog which is an animal found in Japan and a popular character in stories and culture there. One theory is that Tanuki Soba was named as a counterpart for another noodle dish – Kitsune noodle dishes. “Kitsune” means fox, but we don’t quite know why somebody wanted to give symmetrical animal names to noodle dishes. Another idea is that “tanuki (tane-nuki)” sounds kind of like “ingredients removed” in Japanese. Since Tenkasu doesn’t have any vegetables or shrimp like regular Tempura but is only crumbs, the dish may have been named this way.