• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Sudachi Recipes
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Contact
  • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Contact
  • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Home
    • Recipes
    • Contact
    • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Noodles

    Simple Udon Noodle Soup (Kake Udon)

    Published: Oct 14, 2021 · Modified: Feb 11, 2022 by Yuto Omura

    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe
    Share this recipe!
    Share on Facebook
    Facebook
    Pin on Pinterest
    Pinterest
    Share on Reddit
    Reddit
    Tweet about this on Twitter
    Twitter
    Share on Yummly
    Yummly

    Thick and chewy udon noodles served in a delicate and savory dashi broth. The beauty of this kake udon lies in its simplicity. This dish is essentially the base for most hot udon dishes and once you master it, you'll be producing restaurant quality udon in no time!

    Kake Udon (simple udon noodle soup)

    Disclaimer: This post contains Amazon affiliate links. Sudachi Recipes earn a small percentage from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. See disclaimer for more info.

    What is Kake Udon?

    Kake udon (かけうどん) is a simple dish of udon noodles served in a light dashi broth. The noodles are thick and chewy, and the broth is perfectly balanced. Everything about kake udon is quite delicate and for many Japanese people, it tastes like home.

    Kake udon is the base of most hot udon dishes and once you master this fundamental recipe, you can use it to make other dishes such as Tanuki Udon (hot udon with "tenkasu" tempura bits) or Kitsune Udon (hot udon with "inari age" sweet fried tofu).

    Udon

    Udon noodles are a type of thick, white and chewy noodle made from wheat flour. Because of their neutral flavour, they're perfect for the simple broths used in dishes like kake udon.

    There are a few different types of udon noodles, the most popular one in Japan is called "Sanuki Udon" (讃岐うどん) which comes from Kagawa prefecture on the island of Shikoku in southern Japan. Sanuki udon are particularly thick and chewy with flat edges.

    Kake udon with tempura vegetables and shichimi top down view
    Kake Udon is often enjoyed with a side of tempura. (Vegetables and seafood in a light batter.)

    You can buy udon noodles fresh (chilled), dried and frozen. I personally like stocking up on frozen Sanuki udon because the cook quickly and have great texture, but of course it depends on accessibility and preference.

    If you want a challenge, you could also try making your own udon noodles! You only need 3 ingredients (wheat flour, water and salt), it can be quite fun!

    Broth

    A basic Kake Udon broth is made from dashi broth, soy sauce and mirin. There are a number of different ways to make it so I'm going to explain each method in more detail.

    Japanese Kake Udon

    Making Dashi from Scratch (Best Flavour)

    To make restaurant quality kake udon, I recommend to make your own dashi. It only takes about 30 minutes and it's well worth taking the extra time.

    For the most flavourful and authentic tasting awase (mixed) dashi, I like to use:

    • Kombu (dried kelp)
    • Katsuobushi (bonito flakes)
    • Niboshi / Iriko (dried sardines)

    If you're vegetarian or vegan, you can check out my plant based dashi recipe here.

    Once the dashi is made, we simply flavour it with soy sauce and mirin.

    Kombu, bonito, shiitake and niboshi dashi ingredients
    Dashi is most commonly made with ingredients such as dried kelp, bonito, sardines and shiitake mushrooms.

    Using Instant Dashi (Quick)

    If you want to save yourself some hassle, you don't necessarily have to make your own dashi from scratch. You can also buy the following on Amazon:

    • Dashi bags
    • Instant Dashi Powder

    Instant dashi powder is usually made mainly from bonito (skipjack tuna) powder, the one I've linked above also contains kombu, or you can choose sardine or vegetarian too.

    The dashi bags contain kombu, bonito, niboshi and shiitake.

    For these options, you'd follow the instructions on the package and then add the soy sauce and mirin accordingly. Just make sure to cook the broth on the stove for a few minutes to burn off the alcohol in the mirin.

    Using Mentsuyu (Easy)

    The last option is to use "mentsuyu" (めんつゆ). Mentsuyu is a sauce used for making broths and dips for noodles. I usually have a bottle of "Ninben Tsuyu sauce" (which you can buy on Amazon) in my fridge for convenience!

    It is basically a concentrated noodle broth and you simply dilute it according to the dish you're making.

    Although it might vary depending on the brand, for "Ninben Tsuyu":

    • Dipping sauce for noodles (1 part tsuyu : 2 parts water)
    • Noodle broth like Kake Udon (1 part tsuyu : 5~7 parts water)
    • Tempura/donburi (1 part tsuyu : 2~3 parts water)
    • Boiling nimono dishes (1 part tsuyu : 2-4 parts water)
    • Hot pots (1 part tsuyu : 8~9 parts water)
    • Oden (1 part tsuyu : 12~14 parts water)

    Check the bottle for "めんのかけ汁" for the ratio of tsuyu to water for kake udon. You don't need to add soy sauce or mirin as mentsuyu already contains it.

    Kake udon with tenkasu, kamaboko and spring onion

    Toppings

    Once you have your perfect udon and broth, it's time to add toppings. There are so many things you can add to udon, here are a few of the most popular:

    • Spring onion
    • Katsuobushi (bonito flakes)
    • Nori
    • Tenkasu (tempura bits)
    • Kamaboko / Narutomaki (fishcakes)
    • Egg (raw or soft boiled)
    • Inari Age (sweet fried tofu pocket)
    • Wakame (seaweed)
    • Grated ginger

    It's also common to serve kake udon with tempura or a smaller serving with donburi (rice bowl). Check out my post, 11 delicious donburi dishes for more ideas!

    Kake udon noodle soup close up

    More Udon Ideas on Sudachi Recipes

    Love udon? Check out some of my other udon recipes!

    • Curry Udon (Udon noodles in a curry broth)
    • Miso Nikomi Udon (Nagoya style udon noodles in a red miso broth)
    • Yaki Udon (Udon noodles stir fried in garlic butter and soy sauce)
    • Zaru Udon (Chilled udon with homemade dipping sauce)
    • Niku Udon (Hot udon in broth with beef)
    Kake udon with tempura vegetables and shichimi side view

    FAQ

    What is Kake Udon?

    Kake udon is a simple dish made of thick udon noodles served in a light dashi broth.

    What should I serve with Kake Udon?

    You can eat it on its own. It's commonly served as a side with donburi (rice bowl) dishes or with tempura.

    What is in Kake Udon?

    The most simple version is just udon noodles, broth and spring onion. But you can add other toppings such as tenkasu (tempura bits), kamaboko (fish cake), etc. See in post for more ideas.

    Udon noodles held with wooden chopsticks
    Print
    clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
    Kake udon with tenkasu, kamaboko and spring onion

    Simple Udon Noodle Soup (Kake Udon)


    • Author: Yuto Omura
    • Total Time: 1 hour
    • Yield: 4-5 Servings 1x
    Print Recipe
    Pin Recipe

    Description

    How to make delicious, delicate Kake Udon. The base of all great udon dishes. (Serves 4-5)


    Ingredients

    Scale

    Dashi Broth

    • 10g Kombu (dried kelp)
    • 15g Katsuobushi (bonito flakes)
    • 10g Niboshi (dried sardines)
    • 1l Water
    • 5 tbsp (75ml) Soy sauce
    • 2 tbsp Mirin
    • ½ tsp Salt

    Contents

    • 4-5 portions Udon noodles
    • Spring onion finely chopped
    • Toppings of your choice (see in post)

    Instructions

    Making Awase Dashi

    1. First, remove and discard the heads of the niboshi (dried sardines).
      Removing heads from niboshi (dried sardines)
    2. Pour 1l of cold water into a pot.
      Pouring cold water into a pan
    3. Add the niboshi and kombu. Leave to soak for 30 minutes.
      Soaking niboshi and kombu in cold water
    4. After 30 minutes, add the katsuobushi and heat on low to medium-low setting.
      adding katsuobushi to the water
    5. Allow the dashi to heat up until small bubbles start to appear, then turn off the heat. Do not let it boil. 
      bubbles in the dashi just before boiling
    6. Take a large heatproof bowl and place a sieve lined with kitchen paper inside.

      Lining a sieve with kitchen paper

    7. Pour the dashi through the sieve, allowing the clear broth to pass through into the bowl. 
      Straining the dashi to make it clear

    Udon and Broth

    1. Boil the udon according to the instructions on the packaging.
      boiling udon noodles in a separate pot
    2. Pour the broth back into the pan and add 5 tbsp of soy sauce, 2 tsp mirin and turn the heat on high.
      Adding soy sauce to the dashi
    3. Bring to a boil and let it bubble for 1-2 minutes to burn the alcohol away from the mirin. 
      Boiling the udon soup to burn the alcohol in the mirin
    4. Turn off the heat and add ½ tsp salt. Mix well.
      Mixing salt into the udon soup
    5. Drain the water from the udon noodles and clean them under cold water to stop the cooking process and remove the starch.
    6. Pour boiling water over the udon noodles to warm them again and divide into 4-5 bowls.
      Placing udon noodles into a bowl
    7. Divide the broth evenly into each bowl and top with spring onion and your choice of extra toppings.
      Pouring udon soup into a bowl
    8. Enjoy!
      Udon noodles held with wooden chopsticks

    Notes

    If you don't want to make your own dashi from scratch, see in post for alternatives.

    See post for more topping ideas.

    • Prep Time: 35 mins
    • Cook Time: 25 mins
    • Category: Noodles
    • Method: Boiling
    • Cuisine: Japanese

    Keywords: udon soup, udon noodle soup, udon soup recipe, udon noodle soup recipe, kake udon, how to make kake udon, kake udon recipe, kake udon soup, what is kake udon, kake udon soup recipe, what is in udon soup, tempura udon soup, udon noodle recipe, hot udon, hot soup udon,

    Did you try this recipe?

    Comment below or show us on Instagram!

    @sudachi.recipes     #sudachirecipes

    Share this recipe!
    Share on Facebook
    Facebook
    Pin on Pinterest
    Pinterest
    Share on Reddit
    Reddit
    Tweet about this on Twitter
    Twitter
    Share on Yummly
    Yummly
    « Niratama (Garlic Chive and Egg)
    Bettarazuke (Japanese Pickled Daikon Radish) »

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

    Primary Sidebar

    Konnichiwa!

    Thanks for visiting Sudachi Recipes. My name is Yuto and I'm a Japanese guy with a passion for food. Here I share tasty and accessible recipes so that you can bring a taste of Japan to your own kitchen.

    More about me →

    Follow Us


    Search by Category

    • Noodles
    • Rice
    • Meat
    • Fish and Seafood
    • Vegetable
    • Sweets
    see all categories

    New Recipes

    • 3 Ways to Make Japanese Sweet Potato Tempura (さつまいもの天ぷら)
    • Japanese natto 101: What is it? How to eat and 26 secret toppings explained
    • Saba no shioyaki (Japanese style grilled mackerel)
    • Kashiwa Mochi (柏餅)

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    Sudachi Recipes

    • About Us
    • Recipes
    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer

    Newsletter

    • Coming soon

    Social Media

    • Contact Us
    • Youtube Channel
    • Instagram
    • Tiktok
    • Facebook

    Copyright © 2021 Sudachi Recipes