この記事は、白飯がない時や麺類の代わりに考えられるうどんのアレンジレシピについて紹介しています。ママたちの投稿から、シンプルなものから具材をたっぷり使ったものまで様々なレシピが紹介されており、飽きずに楽しめる可能性があることが示唆されています。釜揚げ風や肉味噌、けんちんうどん、パスタソースを使ったアレンジなど、無限の可能性があることを伝えています。また、うどんの相性の良さからさまざまなアレンジに挑戦したくなるような内容になっています。
筆者撮影
When there is no white rice or if you’re thinking of having a noodle menu, you might consider making an udon menu as well. Frozen udon and dried noodles are easy to cook and provide a variety of choices, and they will also warm up your body on a cold day. However, it’s easy to end up with the same menu all the time and you might get tired of it. One mom asked a question in the Mamasta community about this.
“I’m thinking of having udon for dinner today, but I’m wondering what kind of udon everyone is making. I usually put udon in clear dashi, and add tenkasu, aosa, bonito flakes, and egg yolk. Or, I would put udon in a donabe with men-tsuyu, kamaboko, spinach, tempura crumbs, and half-boiled egg for a donabe-style dish. The day after we have curry, I make curry udon, or sometimes I make fried udon. If anyone has other delicious udon recipes, I would appreciate them!”
The user mentioned that she usually makes udon but ends up with the same seasoning every time. Since udon itself doesn’t have a strong taste, it seems that there are many possibilities for different variations. How do other moms actually make their udon? Let’s find out.
Udon Recipes Made by Moms
Simple and Light Udon
“When I feel lazy, I use dried udon and make them kamatama-style. I put the udon in a pot of boiling water and then serve it on the table where everyone can add their own toppings and condiments.”
When even thinking about the ingredients for udon feels like a hassle, go with the kamatama-style. Boil the udon and let everyone add their own toppings and condiments, which reduces the effort for mom. Prepare condiments such as green onions, shichimi, bonito flakes, tempura crumbs, etc., and everyone can customize their toppings to their liking.
“When I have indigestion or no appetite, I make udon with grated yam and pickled plum.”
It seems that a light udon with pickled plum and grated yam is eaten when there’s no appetite or when feeling unwell.
Egg and Udon are an Excellent Combination
“Tamago-kake udon. I beat an egg with soy sauce in a bowl, and then add boiled udon. The residual heat of the udon gently cooks the egg. I also add green onions, tempura crumbs, and ginger. It’s like the udon version of tamago-kake gohan.”
“I like udon with corn and egg sauce.”
“Egg udon with onion and egg cooked in bonito stock.”
The combination of egg and udon is excellent, and the kamatama dish with raw egg is a staple menu. The egg slightly solidifies with the heat of the udon, which seems to be exquisite. However, if you’re not a fan of the texture of raw egg, making an egg sauce might be a good option. It also seems delicious to add corn, onions, or other ingredients. Adding wakame or kamaboko also yields a delicious result.
Udon with Plenty of Meat
“I use frozen Sanuki udon and top it with seasoned ground meat, chives, green onions, fish flakes, and a raw egg to make it like Taiwanese maze-soba.”
“We have meat udon at our house. We make a warm broth with thinly sliced pork belly, chopped green onions, aburaage, and various mushrooms, and then dip the udon in it.”
The “meat udon” dish where cooked meat is added on top of boiled udon is also a popular variation. There are versions where ground meat seasoned with miso forms the base for Taiwanese-maze soba style, or pork is sweetly seasoned and placed on top of the udon. It seems that not only pork but also beef would be good. In addition, if you use burdock root and cook it together with the meat, it enhances the texture and flavor. You can also use whatever vegetables you have in your fridge, so the variety of options for variation seems to be wide.
Get Plenty of Vegetables with Udon!
“Kenchin udon”
Kenchin broth is delicious soup with plenty of vegetables, so by putting udon in it, “Kenchin Udon” seems to be satisfying with its volume. Besides Kenchin, there are also versions of putting udon in miso-based pork soup. There are differences depending on the region or the household, but both the soy sauce-based Kenchin and the miso-based pork soup provide different flavors, so you might not get tired of eating it frequently.
Udon with Pasta Sauce for Variation
“Mix mentaiko pasta base and butter, and top it with chopped nori and shiso leaves.”
“Carbonara-style, meat sauce. Makes it like pasta.”
By using store-bought pasta sauce, udon with a Japanese style can be transformed into a Western style. Creamy ones match well, but tomato types also make for a delicious result. The image of yaki-udon may be that of a pasta style.
“Add vegetables, meat, and mushrooms into a udon pot with commercially available tofu hot pot base and cook it”
If you’re using store-bought bases, using a hot pot base is also an option. It is common to put udon as the last dish for a hot pot, but it seems valid to use it for cooking udon as well. There are various types of hot pot bases such as soy milk, kimchi, and tomato, so you can taste various flavors.
There is Unlimited Potential for Udon with Unique Variations
“I saw someone adding oden soup base when I was working at an udon shop. It was delicious, so I’ve been adding it ever since.”
“Heat frozen udon in a frying pan, sauté with olive oil, then mix with butter and ochazuke base. It’s the best when topped with raw egg or soft-boiled egg.”
While udon often falls into a rotation of similar dishes, using meat or eggs, or making it pasta-style can expand the range of variations. Furthermore, some moms incorporate ingredients that are not usually used for udon, such as oden soup base or ochazuke base. Perhaps because udon itself has a simple taste, it seems to be compatible with other food ingredients. We introduced a lot of recipes that make you want to try challenging dishes, but there seems to be more udon variation recipes. What kind of udon do you usually make?
Written by Komomo. Edited by Kunel.