Buta Udon (udon With Braised Pork)

While this this dish has its roots firmly planted in my New York apartment, I could totally picture it being served in an Okinawan noodle bar. Okinawa is the southern-most island of Japan, just a stone’s-throw from Taiwan, and their food takes cues from their neighbors, using a lot of pork and fish.

Rather than using a traditional dashi-based soup stock for udon, I’ve combined some braising liquid from the pork belly kakuni I made the other night with dashi to create a tasty, though unconventional broth for the noodles. Whether you’re into thin yellow curls of ramen or thick chewy udon noodles , this broth works with both types of noodles as it falls somewhere in between the two while tasting entirely different from either.

I used Sanuki Udon noodles which have a pleasantly firm texture when cooked al dente. The soup has a deep, almost indescribable savory flavor met right in the middle by a subtle sweetness and a mellow zing coming from the long-cooked ginger. It’s inexplicably light, yet rich at the same time. The slices of pork belly on top start melting like butter on contact with the hot soup. Putting a slice in your mouth gives it just the nudge it needs to sublimate into a pool of rich, meaty goodness.

I know it’s not every day you have Japanese braised pork laying around, but to be honest, I actually made my recipe for pork belly last night with the intent to make this pork kakuni udon today (yes, it’s THAT good).

📖 Recipe

Equipment

Units

Ingredients1x2x3x

2 cups dashi stock
1 cup braising liquid from buta kakuni
salt (to taste)
200 grams udon noodles (2 bundles)
8 slices buta kakuni
1 scallion (finely chopped)

Instructions

Put the 2 cups dashi stock and 1 cup braising liquid from buta kakuni in a pot and simmer. Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning with salt .
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Following the package instructions, boil the 200 grams udon noodles until about 1 minute before they are done. For example, if the directions say to cook for 6 minutes, boil them for 5. This is because the noodles continue to cook once you add them to the soup.
Drain the udon and give it a quick rinse to get rid of any extra starch. Put the noodles in 2 bowls, top with 8 slices buta kakuni (4 on each bowl), scatter some slices of 1 scallion on top, then ladle the hot soup over everything.

Notes

Nutrition Facts