Homemade wholewheat udon noodles
There are few things I enjoy more than home made udon noodles; the japanese have turned noodle making and eating into an art. This is super simple, and super delicious.
If you are looking for a good book on japanese cooking, Japanese cooking: A simple art is a really good place to start. This book details with precision the foundation of most japanese cooking, and this udon noodle recipe is adapted only very slightly from there.
Homemade udon noodles with dipping sauce and broth.
These noodles are best served cold, as is, on a hot summers day. Although, of course, you could use this as a base for anything that you would use noodles in, and leave out the sauce and toppings. These can also be made as soba noodles by using 4 parts buckwheat flour to 1 part wheat flour.
Servings 6
Ingredients
- 1 kg flour I used wholewheat, but if you are pushing it through a pasta machine then sift out the big bits of bran first.
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups water (approx)
- 3 tbsp salt
Toppings
- 2 sheets roasted nori, cut into strips
- 1 cup bean sprouts
- 1/2 cup chopped spring onions
- 7-spice (sichimi) to taste
Broth
- 8 cups dashi If using granules - 1/2 tsp per cup of water.
- 2 tsp salt
- 6 tbsp naturally brewed soya sauce
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp mirin or 1 tbsp sugar extra
Dipping sauce
- 2 1/2 cups dashi
- 1/2 cup naturally brewed soya sauce
- 4 tbsp mirin
- 1 tsp sugar
- 30g (about 1 tightly packed cup) bonito flakes
Instructions
- Made a well with the dry ingredients, and put the wet ingredients in the middle. Knead vigorously, and adjust the amount of water you use until you get a smooth, soft but firm dough. The dough should have a similar feel to your earlobe. Knead for at least 15 minutes.
- Cover with plastic wrap and leave for 2-3 hours for the gluten to activate.
- Roll out the dough on a floured surface, and slice into thin strips with a sharp knife. I put a flat straight surface on top (such as a piece of cardboard) as a guide and used a pizza roller.
- Put a sieve in a pot of rapidly boiling salted water and cook in batches (inside the sieve), agitating the sieve to keep the water moving and the noodles from sticking, for about 3-4 minutes, until al-dente. Rinse under cold water, and set aside.
- If using a broth - Combine all the ingredients and bring to a simmer - avoid boiling the broth.If using a dipping sauce - bring to s simmer all the ingredients except the bonito flakes - add once the sauce is simmering, stir through, leave for 10 seconds and then strain out and discard the bonito flakes.
- You can assemble the noodles in a bowl, pour the broth over and top with the toppings, or, as shown in the photo, arrange noodles, nori, spring onion, sprouts and sichimi on a plate, with dipping sauce alongside.
