Making my noodles

Hi all,

I didn't expect this to be such an undertaking, but I am going to need a bit of an orientation in explaining to someone I bought a package of 純生うどん noodles for in Japan how to properly prepare them.

Maybe because this cooking terminology would be slightly unknown territory for me even in English. For instance there are directions for 釜上げるうどん which I usually consider to be an iron kettle or pot not normally used in the home. Or, could that just be in the name ? It doesn't say anything about the type of pan.

And 打込 (煮込み) looks pretty much the same as かけうどん (I will advise her to go with this) with oil, meat, vegetables or seasoning added. Is there anything different there I should know about besides that (and changing the water before adding those other ingredients).

Another thing I was stumped by was on the めんつゆ package under the directions for preparation.

かけ。。。つゆ （１） に湯又は水
(１０－１２倍)

つけ。。。つゆ （１） に湯又は水
(４－６倍)

Tsuke is marinated or soaked I suppose....but what is the baseline for
倍 referring to ? What fold or times that amount ? :?

Thanks in advance ! I may have it all figured out by the time I return to the office, but just in case not....

饂飩

Elizabeth said:

Maybe because this cooking terminology would be slightly unknown territory for me even in English.

Click to expand...

This page might perhaps help.

Tsuke is marinated or soaked I suppose....

Click to expand...

It would be "dip" in this case.


Udon eating thread | Japan Forum

bezz said:

This page might perhaps help.It would be "dip" in this case.

Udon eating thread | Japan Forum

Click to expand...

OK, thanks for these background links. I'll look at them this evening when I get a chance. Each way of serving suggested on the package with the exception of 打込 (煮込み) calls for dipping (udon tsuyu wo tsukete meshiagari kudasai) and none for adding to the broth so I guess I'm still unsure what 'kake' is referring to on the tsuyu packet -- kake udon or something else ?

Perhaps the sites will help, though. Thanks again !

I'm sorry I can't read the Japanese words you wrote, but
I'll just guess from the context.

There are usually two types of serving suggestion on a package of udon noodles.
Tsuke-udon style comes udon in one dish and tsuyu(broth or sauce, almost) in a little cup; in this style, you kind of dip the noodles in tsuyu while you eat, and the broth is usually thinned double or triple with water.

Kake-udon style is served in a hot broth in a big bowl, comes with toppings like onions, fried flour pices and other vegetables. The broth should be thinned four or five times more compared to the one for tsuke since the noodles stay in the broth while you eat them.

Did I answer your questions, Elizabeth?

misa.j said:

I'm sorry I can't read the Japanese words you wrote, but
I'll just guess from the context.
There are usually two types of serving suggestion on a package of udon noodles.
Tsuke-udon style comes udon in one dish and tsuyu(broth or sauce, almost) in a little cup; in this style, you kind of dip the noodles in tsuyu while you eat, and the broth is usually thinned double or triple with water.
Kake-udon style is served in a hot broth in a big bowl, comes with toppings like onions, fried flour pieces and other vegetables. The broth should be thinned four or five times more compared to the one for tsuke since the noodles stay in the broth while you eat them.
Did I answer your questions, Elizabeth?

Click to expand...

Yes, that was a perfect reading misaj. Thank you ! So the amount of dilution is what the 10-12 bai (kake udon) and 4-6 bai (tsuke udon) on the label was referring to.
It's going to end up being a completely different process than the style suggested for "kakeudon" on the package, though. Which is as follows (I meant to do the romaji too but am in a hurry) :
1. Boil noodles for 10-15 minutes in 350 g of water
2. Wash noodles 2-3 times in cold water
3. Warm them with hot, hot (?) (atsui yu de) water
4. Dip in broth (in side dish?) and meshiagari kudasai. :hungry:
The "kameage" recipe is more straightforward and gives a slightly crisper taste (?)
1. Boil noodles for around 10 minutes in 350 g
2. Dip in the sauce and eat without washing. :jawdrop:
I never realized cooking could be so simple...and even educational at the same time.

Yeah cooking udon is very simple, just like boiling pasta.
You boil water in a big pot, throw noodles in, stir occasionally so they won't stick, check the donness by eating it and drain the water in a colander.
You should rince udon under running water(hot, if you want to keep them hot) to get the starch off, not for pasta, though.