What is Pork Udon?
Pork udon (豚肉うどん) or “butaniku udon” is a type of hot soupy noodle dish made with thick wheat noodles (udon) served in a tasty dashi broth and topped with marinated pork and sautéed onions.
Pork udon is a variation of “niku udon” (肉うどん) which means “meat udon” in Japanese. Niku udon can actually be made with either beef or pork, and 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.
Since I’m from central Japan, I don’t have a strong preference for either. I often eat both and find that beef udon is rich and meaty, while pork udon is a bit lighter but packed with umami. They’re both delicious, so I couldn’t possibly choose one!
In this recipe I will be using pork and a special broth that highlights the flavors of pork belly; however, if you’re interested in making it with beef instead, check out my Beef Udon recipe.
Visual Walkthrough & Tips
Here are my step-by-step instructions for how to make Pork Niku Udon at home. For ingredient quantities and simplified instructions, scroll down for the Printable Recipe Card below.
Place the thinly sliced pork belly in a container and add shirodashi, mirin, oyster sauce, sugar, ginger paste and water. Mix until evenly distributed, then cover and marinate in the fridge for 10-30 minutes.
Thinly slice the onion and place in a mixing bowl with a sprinkle of salt. Mix until all the onion is covered and set aside until it’s time to cook. This step helps soften the flavor and draw out excess moisture so that they brown quicker.
Heat the dashi in a saucepan over a medium setting and add shirodashi, mirin, and sugar. Boil for 2 minutes and then turn off the heat. Leave the pot on the stove and place a lid on top to keep it warm. (Reheat right before serving if necessary.)
Heat a pan on medium and add a drizzle of cooking oil. Add the salted onion and fry until softened to your liking. I usually aim for slightly soft and lightly golden.
Once the onions are cooked, add the pork and marinade to the pan. Fry until the pork is browned and cooked through.
While you’re waiting, cook the udon noodles according to the instructions on the packaging. Once the pork is cooked through, remove the pan from the heat and set aside.
Place the cooked udon in serving bowls and add the dashi broth from earlier. (If the broth has already cooled down, reheat it on the stove.)
Divide the pork and onions evenly between each bowl and distribute the leftover juices from the pan evenly over each serving.
Top with slices of kamaboko (Japanese fishcakes), thinly sliced green onion and a sprinkling of shichimi togarashi.
Enjoy!
Jump to Full Recipe MeasurementsI hope you enjoy this Pork Udon recipe! If you try it out, I’d really appreciate it if you could spare a moment to let me know what you thought by giving a review and star rating in the comments below. It’s also helpful to share any adjustments you made to the recipe with our other readers. Thank you!
More Udon Recipes
- Shrimp Tempura Udon
- Kake Udon (Simple Udon Noodle Soup)
- Tori Nanban Udon (Chicken Udon)
- Curry Udon
Want more inspiration? Explore my Udon Roundup Post for a carefully selected collection of tasty udon recipe ideas to spark your next meal!
Pork Udon Noodle Soup (Butaniku Udon)
Ingredients
Marinating the pork
Broth
- 500 ml dashi stock check out my homemade dashi stock recipe here
- 1 tbsp shiro dashi or light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp mirin
- 1 tsp sugar
Cooking / Serving
- 1 tsp cooking oil
- 2 portions udon noodles
- finely chopped green onions to garnish
- kamaboko fish cake optional
- Japanese chili powder (shichimi togarashi) (shichimi togarashi) optional
My recommended brands of ingredients and seasonings can be found in my Japanese pantry guide.
Instructions
Marinating Pork and Onion
- Place 150 g thinly sliced pork belly into a container and add 1 tbsp shiro dashi, 1 tbsp mirin, 1 tsp oyster sauce, ½ tsp sugar and ½ tsp ginger paste and 50 ml water. Allow to marinade for at least 10 minutes.
- In a separate bowl, add ¼ onion (sliced), ½ tsp salt and mix well. Set aside until it's time to cook.
Making the broth
- Add 500 ml dashi stock, 1 tbsp shiro dashi (or soy sauce), 1 tbsp mirin and 1 tsp sugar to a pot and heat on medium. Boil for 1-2 minutes then turn off the heat. Leave the pot on the stove and place a lid on top to keep it warm.
Cooking
- Heat a pan on medium, once hot add 1 tsp cooking oil and the salted onion. Fry until softened to your liking.
- Add the pork belly and marinade to the pan and fry everything together until the meat is browned.
- While the meat and onions are cooking, boil 2 portions udon noodles in a separate pot. Once cooked, drain and wash with fresh boiling water to remove the excess starch. Divide them into bowls and add the broth.
- Place the pork and onions on top of the udon, and distribute the leftover juices from the pan evenly over each serving.
- Add two slices of kamaboko fish cake to each bowl, and sprinkle with finely chopped green onions and Japanese chili powder (shichimi togarashi) (optional).
- Mix well before eating and enjoy!
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