Sephie's Super Special Udon™©

This isn't a specific udon recipe,  more just a way i personally make my udon,, it's a sort of mix of kitsune udon and tempura udon (stolen [not really] from a blogger i really like!!!!) it's rather complicated (imo), but it's honestly worth it!! :3

This will most likely be one of my longest recipes yet. lolol!!! >____<

heads up!!!!!!!!!! this makes around 4 - 5 bowls of udon!!!!!!!!! this is ALOT!!! you can adjust each recipe to your liking! ^___^

Ingredients!!

kitsune

♡ 4-5 pieces of aburaage(油揚げ)

♡ Water for boiling

♡ 1 tsp salt

♡ 100ml water

♡ 2 tbsp sugar

♡ 1 tbsp sake

♡ 2 tbsp Mirin

♡ 2 tbsp tsuyu sauce

♡ 1 tbsp soy sauce

dashi broth

♡ 10g kombu (dried kelp, you should be able to find this at ur local asian supermarket!)

♡ 15g katsuobushi (bonito flakes)

♡ 10g Niboshi (dried sardines)

♡ 1L water

♡ 5 tbsp [75ml] soy sauce

♡ 2 tbsp mirin

♡ ½ tsp salt

other (still important tho!!)

♡ 4-5 portions of udon noodles

♡ 12-15 slices of Kamaboko (also called narutomaki, japanese fishcakes!)

♡ 12 pieces shrimp tempura (pre-fried shrimp tempura bc ion want this recipe to be any longer! lmk if i shold make a tempura recipe!)

alright, let's get cooking!

first we'll start with the aburaage!!

first, fill a pot with lots of water (it should be enough to completely cover all the aburaage)!! 

Add 1 tsp of salt and the aburaage to the pot, place a lid on top and leave to boil for 3 minutes

remove the aburaage from the pot, and run them under cold running water, when finished, squeeze out the excess liquid!

Take a pan and add 100ml water, 2 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp sake, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp mirin, and mix

once the sugar is dissolved, add 2 tbsp tsuyu and 1 tbsp soy sauce

bring the liquid to almost boiling, then heat down to low heat.

add the aburaage to the pan and drop the lid on top, cook for 15 minutes, or till when the liquid is reduced by one-third (whichever is faster for you!)

Place the aburaage in a container and leave to cool, once cooled, place in the fridge for at least a few hours(preferably overnight!)

now, we'll get to the awase-dashi

remove and throw away the head of the niboshi

pour one litre of cold water into a pot, then add the niboshi and kombu. Leave to soak for around 30 minutes

after 30 mins, add the katsuobushi and heat on low to medium-low setting. 

allow the dashi to heat up until small bubbles start to appear, then turn off the heat. do not let it boil!!!!

take a large, heatproof bowl and place a sieve lined with kitchen paper inside. Pour the dashi through the sieve, allowing the clear broth to pass through into the bowl!!

time for the udon and broth!

first, udon

I don't know alot of non-instant udon noodle packages that have instructions on the back, so i'll explain it here!!!! >__<

boil a large pot of water and add your udon, then slightly lower the heat (in a minute, the noodles will begin to float, so use chopsticks or something else to loosen it up!!) 

start to boil it again, when it starts boiling again, loosen the noodles again, keep it boiling on medium heat for around 3-5 minutes!

once done boiling, take out the noodles and soak them in (another) bowl of water to remove the slimy texture, wash by rubbing, repeat this 3-4 times and the noodles should be smooth!!

let's get to the broth that we made earlier now!!!

pour the broth into your (empty) pot and add 5 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp mirin, then turn the heat up to high and bring to boil for 2-3 mins (this will burn the alcohol out of the mirin)!!

turn off the heat and add the ½ tablespoon salt, Mix well,

drain the water from the udon noodles and clean them under cold water to stop the cooking process and remove the starch

then, pour boiling water over the noodles to warm them up again and divide into 4(or 5!!) bowls

divide the broth evenly into each bowl, then top each with the kamaboko, kitsunne aburaage, and 3 pieces of tempura!!

notes!!

usually, with udon, we don't drink the broth, but you can drink the broth if you want!

about aburaage

Aburaage is a type of tofu that has been deep-fried twice. It is rather greasy when purchased (or made from scratch), thus it is advisable to drain the oil out by boiling it in hot water before flavoring it. It not only improves the adhesion of the sauce to the aburaage, but it also softens it.

it won't really help , but it's just something cool, instant kitsune udon is a thing! and can be bought on amazon! most popular instant kitsune udons are maruchan's akai kitsune and Nissin donbei kistune udon