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Home » Recipes

Pork Udon Noodle Soup (豚肉うどん)

Published: Feb 13, 2022 · Modified: May 28, 2023 by Yuto Omura

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Pork udon is a delicious noodle dish made with thin slices of juicy pork belly, soft sautéed onions and thick, chewy udon noodles served in a rich dashi broth. It's quick, easy and comforting on those chilly days!

Pork udon noodle soup with pork belly, onions and kamaboko

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Pork udon

Pork udon (豚肉うどん) or "butaniku udon" is a type of hot noodle dish made with thick udon noodles served in a tasty dashi broth and topped with marinated pork and sautéed onions.

It's also often called "niku udon" (肉うどん) for short, which simply means "meat udon" in Japanese.

Meat udon can actually be made with beef or pork. In fact, the meat preference for this dish depends on the region. In Eastern Japan (Kanto), pork is most commonly used while in the West (Kansai) they tend to use beef more.

Pork udon noodle soup with pork belly, onions and kamaboko

I live in central Japan so I don't have a strong preference, I eat both often! However, if you're interested in making beef udon, check out my recipe here.

I find that beef udon is quite rich and meaty, while pork udon is a bit lighter but packed with umami. They're both delicious, that's for sure!

Pork udon noodle soup with pork belly, onions and kamaboko

Parts of pork to use

Generally speaking, you can use any parts of pork for pork udon, but I personally recommend thinly sliced pork belly. You could also use shoulder or end cuts if you prefer.

Using a fatty cut adds more flavour and sweetness to the broth.

The reason why I like to use thin slices specifically is because they cook quickly without becoming chewy or tough.

If you can't purchase thinly sliced pork belly in your country, I recommend freezing a block of pork for a short time and then once it's firmed up, cut it into thin slices using a sharp knife. The pork shouldn't be completely frozen, just cold enough that it's firm and easier to cut.

Pork udon noodle soup with pork belly, onions and kamaboko

Udon Broth

One of the most vital ingredients in an udon soup is "dashi" (出汁). Dashi is a type of Japanese soup stock and can be made with a number of different ingredients.

The most common ingredients used to make dashi are:

  • Kombu (dried kelp)
  • Niboshi / Iriko (dried sardines)
  • Katsuobushi (bonito flakes)
  • Shiitake mushrooms (dried)
Dashi stock ingredients kombu, bonito and niboshi
Kombu (dried kelp), katsuobushi (bonito flakes) and niboshi (dried sardines) are common dashi ingredients.

Homemade Dashi

For the perfect udon broth, I highly recommend making your own dashi from scratch. It's easy to do and doesn't take too long either! Check out my recipes below:

  • My favourite awase dashi (made with kelp, bonito flakes and sardines)
  • Simple awase dashi (made with kelp and bonito flakes)
  • Plant based awase dashi (made with kelp and dried shiitake mushrooms)

Dashi Shortcut

If you can't access the ingredients or simply don't want to spend time making homemade dashi, I recommend using dashi bags (Amazon link). They're kind of like tea bags that you brew in hot water. These will produce a decent quality dashi in just a few minutes!

Pork udon noodle soup with pork belly, onions and kamaboko

Shirodashi

When making pork udon in particular, I like to use a condiment called "shirodashi" (白だし).

Despite the name, shirodashi is not a type of dashi and instead a seasoning made from light soy sauce, mirin and sugar combined with a dried kelp and bonito flake dashi. It's basically a type of "mentsuyu sauce".

"Mentsuyu sauce" is a concentrated sauce used to make noodle broths and dipping sauces. I have a homemade tsuyu sauce recipe if you want to try making it from scratch!

The main element that makes "shirodashi" different to regular mentsuyu, is that it's made with light soy sauce instead of regular soy sauce. This gives the sauce a lighter colour yet it's slightly saltier than using regular soy sauce.

Pork udon noodle soup with pork belly, onions and kamaboko

Shirodashi perfect for dishes where you want to maintain the vibrant colours of the ingredients or keep the broth light in colour without compromising the taste.

You can purchase shirodashi on Amazon here.

If you can't buy shirodashi, you could use regular soy sauce instead, just keep in mind that the broth will be darker and the ingredients might become more brown.

Pork udon noodle soup with pork belly, onions and kamaboko
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Pork Udon Noodles Soup (豚肉うどん)


  • Author: Yuto Omura
  • Total Time: 25 mins
  • Yield: 2 servings
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Description

How to make rich and delicious Pork Udon (豚肉うどん) from scratch. Serves 2.


Ingredients

Marinating the pork

  • 150g pork belly thinly sliced
  • ¼ white onion cut into thin wedges
  • 1 tbsp shirodashi (or soy sauce)
  • 1 tbsp mirin
  • 1 tsp oyster sauce
  • ½ tsp sugar
  • ½ tsp ginger paste
  • 50ml water
  • ½ tsp salt

Broth

  • 500ml dashi stock
  • 1 tbsp shirodashi (or soy sauce)
  • 1 tbsp mirin
  • 1 tsp sugar

Cooking / Serving

  • 1 tsp vegetable oil
  • 2 portions of udon noodles
  • Chopped spring onion (to garnish)
  • 4 slices kamaboko fish cakes (optional)
  • Shichimi Togarashi (optional)

Instructions

Marinating Pork and Onion

  1. Place 150g thinly sliced pork belly into a container and add 1 tbsp shirodashi, 1 tbsp mirin, 1 tsp oyster sauce, ½ tsp sugar and ½ tsp ginger paste and 50ml water. Allow to marinade for at least 10 minutes.
  2. In a separate bowl, add ¼ a sliced onion, ½ tsp salt and mix well. Set aside until it's time to cook.

Making the broth

  1. Take a pot and add 500ml dashi, 1 tbsp shirodashi (or soy sauce), 1 tbsp mirin and 1 tsp sugar.
  2. On a medium heat, bring the broth to a boil. Allow it to boil for 1-2 minutes to burn off the alcohol in the mirin.
  3. Turn off the heat but leave the pot on the stove to keep it warm. 

Cooking

  1. Heat a pan on medium, once hot add 1 tsp of vegetable oil and the salted onion. Fry until softened.
  2. Once onions are softened, add the pork belly and marinade to the pan and fry everything together until the meat is browned.
  3. While the meat and onions are cooking, boil the udon in a separate pot. Follow the instructions on the packaging.
  4. Once the udon is cooked el dente (firm to the bite), pour the noodles into a colander to drain the water, and rinse with boiling water.
  5. Divide the udon into two bowls and pour half of the broth into each bowl.
  6. Place the pork and onions on top of the udon. Make sure to pour the juice from the pan over the top of the dish.
  7. Garnish each bowl with a few slices of kamaboko, some chopped spring onion and a sprinkling of shichimi (optional).
  8. Mix well before eating and enjoy!

Notes

If you can't find shirodashi, you can use regular soy sauce instead. (The colour of the broth will be darker.)

Check out my beef niku udon recipe here.

  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 10 mins
  • Category: Noodles
  • Method: Boiling
  • Cuisine: Japanese

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