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–+ servings

Vegetable Tempura Udon

Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Chilling Time30 minutes
Total Time1 hour
Author Yuto Omura
Servings 4 portions

Ingredients 
 

Tempura

  • 150 ml water chilled
  • 100 ml carbonated water chilled
  • 30 g cornstarch
  • 150 g cake flour plus extra for dusting
  • 1 egg chilled
  • 4 fresh shiitake mushroom stems removed
  • 100 g eggplant cut into wedges and soaked in cold water
  • 8 perilla leaves (shiso) (ooba/shiso)
  • 4 stalks asparagus cut into halves or thirds
  • cooking oil for deep frying (vegetable, canola, peanut or white sesame)

Udon soup and toppings

Instructions 

Tempura

  • Measure out 150 ml water and place in the fridge for 20-30 mins. Place the sparkling water in the fridge too. (Preferably an unopened bottle.)
    Still water in a jug and sparkling water in a sealed bottle
  • Sift 30 g cornstarch and 150 g cake flour into a small bowl. Mix them together and place the bowl in the fridge/freezer for 20-30 minutes to chill.
    Sifting dry ingredients for tempura batter into a mixing bowl
  • After 30 minutes have passed, start preheating your cooking oil to 180 °C (356 °F).
    heating oil in a pot to make tempura
  • While you wait for the oil to heat up, wash, peel, cut and dry all your vegetables. (Use kitchen paper to dry thoroughly.) Coat each piece with a thin layer of flour and set aside ready to batter.
    cut eggplant coated with flour
  • Pour the chilled water and 100 ml carbonated water into a bowl. Add 1 egg straight from the fridge and whisk until well incorporated. (If any foam has formed from whisking, scoop it out with a spoon.)
    scooping foam out of eggs to make tempura batter
  • Sift the flour/starch mixture into the egg mixture one-third at a time. Using chopsticks or a spatula, draw crosses in the mixture to mix in the flour to combine, being careful not to overmix.
    Once there are no more dry bits of flour, the batter is ready. Store in the fridge until the oil is ready. Test your oil by adding a drop of batter; if it sizzles and floats, it’s ready to go. (If it sinks, heat for longer.)
    tempura batter in mixing bowl with wooden chopsticks
  • Dip your floured ingredients into the batter one by one and place them straight into the oil. I recommend cooking each type of ingredient together in batches to ensure even cooking.
    frying vegetable tempura (shiitake mushrooms and eggplants) in a Japanese style fryer
  • Remove each ingredient when it becomes crispy but before it turns golden. Tempura should be pale in color. Place on a wire rack to allow excess oil to drip off.
    eggplant tempura on a wire rack

Broth

  • Cook the udon noodles according to the instructions on the packaging. Once cooked, drain the water by pouring the noodles through a strainer, then rinse them with fresh boiling water.
    partially cooked udon noodles in a strainer over a bowl
  • In a large pot, add 1 liter dashi stock and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add 75 ml Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu) and 30 ml mirin. Boil for 2 minutes, then turn off the heat and add ½ tsp salt.
    adding salt to udon broth

Assembly

  • Place a portion of noodles in each bowl and evenly divide the broth. Place 2-3 slices of kamaboko on top of each portion. Place the tempura on top of each bowl or serve it on the side, depending on your preference.
    Udon noodles in simple broth in a brown bowl next to a variety of vegetable tempura including shiitake mushrooms, asparagus, shiso leaves and eggplant top down view
  • Sprinkle with chopped finely chopped green onions and Japanese chili powder (shichimi togarashi) (optional).
  • Enjoy! 

Notes

  • I listed the vegetables I used personally, feel free to use any vegetables you like!
  • Note: While the nutritional information includes the full serving of broth, most people in Japan don't actually finish all the soup.