Kitsune Udon

Jan 31, 2012 @ 12:33 PM
Posted by Namiko Chen, Special Contributor

Nutrition

Cal/Serving: 1,300
Daily Value: 65%
Servings: 2

High-Fiber

Fat	25g	38%
Saturated	5g	26%
Carbs	214g	71%
Fiber	9g	37%
Sugars	16g	0%
Protein	58g	116%
Cholesterol	165mg	55%
Sodium	2457mg	102%
Calcium	496mg	50%
Magnesium	212mg	53%
Potassium	1059mg	30%
Iron	6mg	35%
Zinc	8mg	54%
Vitamin A	2109IU	42%
Vitamin C	6mg	10%
Thiamin (B1)	0mg	24%
Riboflavin (B2)	0mg	22%
Niacin (B3)	7mg	37%
Vitamin B6	1mg	35%
Folic Acid (B9)	132µg	33%
Vitamin B12	9µg	149%
Vitamin E	1mg	3%
Vitamin K	88µg	110%
Fatty acids, total monounsaturated	9g	0%
Fatty acids, total polyunsaturated	8g	0%

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Namiko Chen

Kitsune udon literally means "fox udon." What a silly name, right? The name came from a folktale about a fox that enjoyed aburaage (fried tofu), the main topping.

The udon broth is made from scratch instead of using the packets that come with the udon. The process starts with making dashi stock. I think some of you (or many of you) may not be familiar with Japanese broth. Japanese cooking relies heavily on dashi stock, made from dried bonito flakes and kombu seaweed. It’s definitely the key to making good Japanese food.

Some people use hondashi powder (you can even buy it in regular supermarkets now), but if you have a Japanese or Chinese grocery store nearby, you should be able to find dashi packets. It’s not as authentic as making dashi stock from scratch but it’s easy and close enough to the authentic taste. It only takes a few minutes to make dashi stock and this is a very important broth for cooking all kinds of Japanese food, including miso soup. Now, let’s make udon.

INGREDIENTS

4 cups water
One 1/3-ounce dashi packet
Two 9-ounce packages frozen udon, preferably sanuki udon*
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons mirin
2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon plus pinch of salt
1 cup spinach (optional)
4 slices inariage**
4 thin slices narutomaki (Japanese fish cake) (optional)
1 scallion, chopped finely (optional)

DIRECTIONS

In a medium-sized pot, combine the water and dashi packet and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 7 minutes. Discard the dashi packet. Add the soy sauce, mirin, sugar, and ¼ teaspoon salt and return to a simmer.

Meanwhile, place the udon in a bowl and loosen it up by running warm water over it. Once the broth has returned to a simmer, add the udon and cook for 3-5 minutes.

If using the spinach, bring a pot of water to boil over high heat and add a pinch of salt. Set up an ice bath with a colander. Add the spinach stem first to the boiling water. Cook for 1 minute. Immediately transfer the spinach to the ice bath and drain. Collect the spinach from the bowl and squeeze the water out. Chop up the spinach and set aside.

Serve the udon in a bowl and top with inariage and additional toppings of your choice.

Recipe Details

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Servings: 2
Total time: 25 minutes
Cuisine: Japanese
Special Designations: Healthy

Notes and Substitutions:

*Note: I always buy frozen "sanuki udon," which has a superior texture to other types of udon.

**Note: Inariage is the thin, deep-fried tofu "skin" surrounding inari sushi, often cooked and seasoned with soy sauce, sugar, and mirin. It is available ready made in vacuum-sealed packets at Japanese grocery stores in the refrigerated section.